Stories from April 2008

Pauline Alsup PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Pauline B. Alsup, 98, of Perryville died Monday, March 31, 2008, at Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital. She was born Dec. 23, 1909, in Hardin, Ill., daughter of Anton and Ida Sennetz DeGerlia. She and James A. Alsup Sr. were married June 11, 1930. He died July 29, 1982...

Iva Emmons MCCLURE, Ill. -- Iva Emmons, 94, died Saturday, March 29, 2008, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 7, 1913, in Delta, Ill., daughter of Melinda Goodman and Edmond Sylvester Gearing. She married William Noah Emmons Aug. 14, 1938, in St. Louis. Bill passed away Dec. 22, 1982...

James Warner James R. Warner, 83, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, March 29, 2008, at his home. He was born Feb. 11, 1925, in New Madrid County, Mo., son of Robert Henry and Ruth Mae Brown Warner. He and Evelyn Warner were married Sept. 29, 1945, in Cape Girardeau...

Earleen Lowes Earleen Gail Lowes, 55, of Jackson died Sunday, March 30, 2008, at her home. She was born Sept. 25, 1952, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Leonard Herman and Stella Marie Crader Nothdurft. She and Richard Leonard Lowes were married June 1, 1974...

Roy Menz Roy Lee "Big Un" Menz, 62, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, March 29, 2008, at his home. He was born May 20, 1945, in Oran, Mo., son of William and Hazel Smith Menz. Menz worked in the construction industry in Cape Girardeau and Cook counties many years. He was currently disabled. His family and friends mourn the loss of this big man, known for his tenderhearted manner and his huge gift for great humor...

Betty Cato Betty Eleanor Cato, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, March 30, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Aug. 28, 1925, near Advance, Mo., daughter of Howard and Minnie Croy. She was married to Ale C. Cato on June 10, 1946. Mrs. Cato was a member of Lynwood Baptist Church. She remained active in and served as president of American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Missouri and past president and board member of Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau...

Eldon Bohnert PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Eldon B. Bohnert Sr., 55, of Perryville died Friday, March 28, 2008, at his home. He was born Aug. 26, 1952, in Perryville, son of Ernest C. and Bernice Griep Bohnert. He and Sheila Moore were married Oct. 10, 1970. Bohnert was a truck driver with Gilster-Mary Lee...

Floyd Giesler PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Floyd Giesler, 94, of Perryville died Sunday, March 30, 2008, at Perry Oaks Manor. He was born April 17, 1913, in Perry County, Mo., son of Edward and Frances Baudendistel Giesler. He and Viola Besand were married in 1948. She died in 1980. He and Donna Tucker were married in 1982. She preceded him in death...

Theresa Randol Theresa B. Randol, 95, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, March 31, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Jan. 7, 1913, in Highland, Mo., to Robert and Maggie Blaylock. She and William G. Randol were married Aug. 3, 1932, in Jackson. He died June 10, 1982...

For the second time in three years, the Southeast Missouri State women's gymnastics team is headed to the NCAA regionals. The Redhawks were one of 36 squads across the nation selected after they finished ranked 36th with a regional qualifying score of 194.065...

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team has picked up a game today against one of the nation's premier programs. Southeast will face Vanderbilt in a 4 p.m. contest in Nashville, Tenn. Vanderbilt (18-6, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) is ranked sixth by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, eighth by Baseball America and 13th by Collegiate Baseball...

Central showed its depth as it held off Sikeston 170 to 172 on Monday in a high school golf dual meet at Sikeston Country Club. Jack Connell led the Tigers with a 39 over the nine-hole layout. Cole Viers followed with a 42, while Jordan Sheets had a 44. Tim Simmons and Cory Fowler tied for the final position at 45...

One of the top pitchers in Southeast Missouri last year, Scott City's Ryan Modglin started his senior season on the right foot. Well, after he hit the first batter in the March 17 opener at Jackson. Modglin allowed just one hit in 5 1/3 innings and struck out 11 batters as Scott City hung on for a 6-5 victory...

TULSA, Okla. -- Jerome Jordan scored 18 points, including two clinching free throws, to help lead Tulsa to a 73-68 victory over Bradley in the first game of a best-of-three series in the College Basketball Invitational finals Monday. Jordan, who also had 13 rebounds and four blocks, ignited a 13-3 run by slamming home a lob from Ben Uzoh to give the Golden Hurricane (24-13) a 49-48 lead...

MURRAY, Ky. — Murray State didn't go far to get its new women's basketball coach. The school said assistant coach Rob Cross will take the Racers' helm. Cross has been an assistant at the university for the past 13 seasons under three coaches — Eddie Fields, Joi Williams Felton and Jody Adams...

Opening day -- version No. 3 -- was a soggy affair for much of the country. Yankee Stadium's 84th and final home opener was rained out Monday, as was the Cardinals' opener in St. Louis. There were a pair of delays at Wrigley Field as the Chicago Cubs began their 100th season since winning the World Series the same way so many of their seasons have ended -- with a loss...

House endorses tax break for stillborn children JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The families of stillborn children could get a one-time tax break under legislation given preliminary approval by the House. The Department of Health and Senior Services estimates there are 458 fetal deaths per year in Missouri. ...

MERIDIAN, Miss. -- Republican Sen. John McCain embarked on a carefully crafted tour to introduce himself to a wider election audience Monday. Instead of talking about his candidacy, he cast himself as an "imperfect servant of my country," descended from a family of U.S. warriors devoted to honor, courage and duty...

The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Jon M. Thrower, 34, 1004 N. West End Blvd., was arrested on suspicion of rape and burglary. n Ashley N. Windeknecht, 23, 103 N. Clark St., Apt. 102, was arrested on a Cape Girardeau County warrant for failure to appear for driving while revoked...

WASHINGTON -- It's a Herculean task: revamping a financial regulatory system dating back to the Civil War to deal with 21st century crises imperiling the country. Under an ambitious Bush administration plan, the Federal Reserve would take on the unwieldy role of uber cop in charge of financial market stability. Other regulatory agencies could see their influence diminished...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The Mississippi River is shut down to water traffic about 45 miles northwest of St. Louis, while emergency repairs are made to a river lock. By Monday, as many as 195 barges carrying cargo were waiting to clear Lock 25 at Winfield, a community located about 45 miles northwest of St. Louis, said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Alan Dooley...

NEW YORK -- Kathie Lee Gifford will soon be back on TV's early shift. The former co-star of the syndicated "Live" talk show will join NBC's "Today" on Monday. She will be teamed with Hoda Kotb (pronounced HO-dah COT-bee), a current anchor of the program's seven-month-old fourth hour, which airs live at 9 a.m...

NEOSHO, Mo. (AP) -- A convenience store collapsed and many buildings suffered damage as strong winds from a thunderstorm raked the southwest Missouri town of Neosho on Monday. Newton County emergency manager Gary Roark said no injuries have been reported...

The headline of Monday's front-page article on the expected price of a document signed by Lewis and Clark should have read "Document signed by Lewis and Clark expected to fetch $80,000 at auction." An item in the Memo section of Monday's Business and Technology pages incorrectly reported the date for two ribbon cuttings announced by the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. ...

Jennifer Garland SEDGEWICKVILLE, Mo. -- Jennifer Lynn Garland, 27, of Sedgewickville died Sunday, March 30, 2008, at her home. She was born July 2, 1980, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Frank and Wanda Proffer Garland. Garland was a day care provider...

25 years ago: April 1, 1983 Police receive 17 reports of vandalism occurring at scattered locations in Cape Girardeau last night and today; all the incidents involve basketball goals being torn from backboards and paint being sprayed on vehicles, homes, garages, fences and trash cans...

The Associated Press WASHINGTON -- The earliest known gold jewelry made in the Americas has been discovered in southern Peru. The gold necklace, made nearly 4,000 years ago, was found in a burial site near Lake Titicaca, researchers report in today's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences...

NEW YORK -- You can skip the mouth-to-mouth breathing and just press on the chest to save a life. In a major change, the American Heart Association said Monday that hands-only CPR -- rapid, deep presses on the victim's chest until help arrives -- works just as well as standard CPR for sudden cardiac arrest in adults...

Jackson School Board candidates discussed school board members' roles, No Child Left Behind legislation, counselor workloads, school overcrowding and the practice of hiring retired teachers at a Monday forum. But for the most part, the candidates agreed with one another, making distinguishing the candidates difficult...

The Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau has announced a shuttle schedule for people with disabilities during the Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival that begins Friday and continues through Sunday. The city bus and three golf carts will help people get to and from tents...

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Zimbabwe's opposition claimed victory Monday in the country's elections, while a slow trickle in official results raised fears that supporters of longtime President Robert Mugabe were rigging the vote count. Mugabe has been accused of stealing previous elections, but that was before Zimbabwe's once thriving farm economy nearly collapsed and before leading members of the ruling party openly defied him...

Baseball has been a major part of Scott Little's life. He wouldn't have it any other way. The Scott City native has been involved with professional baseball since 1984, and he says the enthusiasm with which he approaches every season continues at a high level...

Jewel Kelley ANNA, Ill. -- Jewel Bird Kelley, 96, of Anna died Monday, March 31, 2008 at her daughter's home in Anna. She was born Aug. 19, 1911, in Wayside, Ill., daughter of Oscar and Myrtle Rendleman Bird. She married Hershel L. Kelley Oct. 10, 1934, in Williamson County, Ill. He died Sept. 13, 1983...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: n At 5:51 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1500 block of Good Hope Street. n At 7:30 p.m., emergency medical service in the 3000 block of Mimosa Drive. n At 7:49 p.m., emergency medical service in the 600 block of North Sprigg Street...

Ronald Fitzgerald FULTON, Mo. -- Ronald Leon Fitzgerald, 50, of Fulton died Sunday, March 30, 2008, at University of Missouri Hospital. He was born Dec. 18, 1957, in East St. Louis, Ill., son of John Loyd and Martha Alice Worley Fitzgerald. He and Rhonda Gallmore were married Oct. 14, 2000...

To the editor: We want to voice a complaint about auto insurance companies. Our son is in the U.S. Navy defending freedom. He has served in Iraq and is stationed in California. He has been looking for car insurance. He is 20 years old, doesn't drink or smoke and hasn't had a ticket or an accident. Why don't insurance companies give discounts to our service personnel? It is a disgrace to our country when our military is fighting for our freedom...

Steadily rising food costs aren't just causing grocery shoppers to do a double-take at the checkout line -- they're also changing the ways we feed our families. The worst case of food inflation in nearly 20 years has more Americans giving up restaurant meals to eat at home. We're buying fewer luxury food items, eating more leftovers and buying more store brands instead of name-brand items...

Religious involvement THE LEGISLATION that enabled George Bush to put programs for the needy under the oversight of religious organizations is unconstitutional. The government is supposed to provide for the general welfare of the people. It's in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights...

LONDON -- Some of England's most sacred soil was disturbed Monday for the first time in more than four decades as archaeologists worked to solve the enduring riddle of Stonehenge: When and why was the prehistoric monument built? The excavation project, set to last until April 11, is designed to unearth materials that can be used to establish a firm date for when the first mysterious set of bluestones was put in place at Stonehenge, one of Britain's best known and least understood landmarks...

There is hardly a family anywhere in America that has not experienced, in some way, the effect of Alzheimer's disease on a loved one. Thanks to an aging population made possible by life-prolonging advances in medical care, more and more Americans are being diagnosed with a disease that ultimately cuts off its sufferers from an awareness of the here and now...

Sharon Gibson ANNA, Ill. -- Sharon Sue Gibson, 61, of Anna died Sunday, March 30, 2008, at the home of her mother. She was born May 7, 1946, in Carbondale, Ill., daughter of Floyd M. and Marjorie Brewer Hinkle. Gibson retired as a CNA at Union County Hospital. She was a member of Ware Pentecostal Church...

Jerome Ponder Jerome W. Ponder of Bridgeton, Mo., died Monday, March 31, 2008, at National Health Care. He was born in Cape Girardeau, son of William and Anna Kohlfeld Ponder. Ponder was a graduate of St. Louis University. He retired as an accountant with the U.S. Treasury Department...

Marie Masters ORAN, Mo. -- Marie Rufine Masters, 91, of Dayton, Tenn., formerly of Oran, died Sunday, March 30, 2008, at her home. She was born Jan. 30, 1917, at Randles, daughter of Joseph and Katie Schott Schlosser. Masters retired from International Hat Factory in Oran and was a member of Guardian Angel Catholic Church...

Robert Brothers Robert L. "Bob" Brothers, 92, of Jackson died Sunday, March 30, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Arrangements are incomplete with McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

BEIJING -- Suspects accused of setting fire to shops in Tibet and causing the deaths of 12 people during anti-government violence have been taken into custody, state media said Monday. The suspects were responsible for deadly arson attacks on three shops in Lhasa -- including a clothing outlet where five young women were burned to death -- and one in nearby Dagze county, the Tibet Daily newspaper said...

BUFFALO, Mo. -- Powerful winds from a severe thunderstorm flattened an antique store and gutted a neighboring gas station in this Dallas County town Monday, but only three people suffered minor injuries. Authorities cordoned off a half-mile long section of U.S. 65 while they cleared debris from the two buildings and removed downed power lines and bits and pieces blown from nearby roofs and trees...

If you haven't noticed, there are no longer saber-toothed tigers roaming Main Street. The good news here is that there is no real need anymore to be crouched down on the corner of Main and Broadway with a spear in hand. Yet this reality of life today is at odds with our inherited genetic response, according to Dr. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The troubled Kansas City School District's graduation rate ranked 40th among school districts in the nation's 50 largest cities, according to a study released today. The district is graduating only 45.7 percent of its students, compared with a national average of 70 percent, the study from the America's Promise Alliance said...

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton accused rival Sen. Barack Obama and his allies of trying to stop people from voting as some of his backers have called on her to drop out of the presidential race. The Obama campaign rejected the charge, dismissing Clinton's criticism as "completely laughable."...

WINFIELD, Mo. -- Scores of barges and boats have been unable to move on the central section of the Mississippi River because a lock has been closed for emergency repairs. The Army Corps of Engineers hoped to reopen Lock 25, about 45 miles northwest of St. Louis, by the end of Monday, allowing traffic to pass for the first time since Wednesday, said spokesman Alan Dooley...

Small earthquake causes tremors in Southeast Mo. POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A small earthquake near Poplar Bluff on Monday morning wasn't strong enough to cause any damage. National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Dodd said the 2.8 magnitude quake at 5:45 a.m. originated about 4 miles below the earth's surface and was centered about 15 miles north of Poplar Bluff. Dodd said tremors from a quake of that magnitude can barely be felt outside of the earthquake's epicenter...

Sikeston's Blake DeWitt was thrown right into the fire during his major league debut. DeWitt, who parlayed strong spring training play and several injuries to make the Los Angeles Dodgers' opening-day roster, was their starting third baseman during Monday's season opener...

JERUSALEM -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had barely left Israel on Monday after her latest peacekeeping mission when Israeli officials announced plans to build 1,400 new homes on land Palestinians claim for a future state. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed to keep building in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, dismissing Palestinian claims that construction on contested land is the greatest obstacle to peace...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- A Guantanamo detainee who allegedly helped plan the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania that killed 11 people was charged Monday with war crimes that carry a possible death penalty. Ahmed Kalfan Ghailani -- who was held in secret CIA custody before being transferred in 2006 to the U.S. military prison in Cuba -- also allegedly purchased and transported the explosives used in the attack and scouted the embassy with a suicide bomber...

WINFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- The Army Corps of Engineers says a lock on the Mississippi near St. Louis that had been closed for repairs since last week has reopened. Corps spokesman Alan Dooley said Lock 25 near Winfield, about 45 miles north of St. Louis, was opened at 12:45 a.m. Tuesday. Barge and boat traffic began moving through the locks, after a massive backup began when the locks first shut down Wednesday...

ST. LOUIS — Jeff Francis and the National League champion Colorado Rockies get a do-over. The left-hander, who tied the franchise record with 17 wins last year, walked three St. Louis Cardinals, each on four pitches, in a four-run first inning and gave up a home run to Albert Pujols in the second. His record was wiped clean when the game was postponed by rain Monday with the Cardinals leading 5-1 in the third inning...

Sidney Rainey BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Sidney Allen Rainey, 71, of Bloomfield, formerly of Dexter, Mo., died Sunday, March 30, 2008, at Golden Living Center in Bloomfield. He was born Dec. 20, 1936, at Holcomb, Mo., son of Willie "Bill" and Opal Dye Rainey. He and Shirley James were married May 1, 1955, in Hernando, Miss...

Bailey Busby COBDEN, Ill. -- Bailey Stewart Busby was stillborn Saturday, March 29, 2008, at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, Ill. Survivors include his parents, Christopher Busby of Anna, Ill., Ashley Stewart of Cobden; maternal grandparents, David and Cheryl Stewart of Cobden; paternal grandparents, Larry and Kimberly Busby Jr. of Anna; maternal great-grandmothers, Veda Stewart of Cobden and Linda Smith of Herrin, Ill.; and paternal great-grandparents, Larry and Norma Busby of Anna...

BAGHDAD -- Rockets fell on the Green Zone and random machine gun fire rang out Monday in the southern city of Basra as Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr sought to rein in his gunmen after a week of battles that claimed about 400 lives. The peace deal said to have been brokered in Iran calmed the violence but left al-Sadr's militia intact and Iraq's U.S.-backed prime minister politically battered and humbled within his own Shiite power base...

LANCASTER, Pa. -- Democratic Sen. Barack Obama secured the backing of a second female senator Monday. Freshman Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who recently voiced concerns about the rancorous tone of the Democratic primary, said she was forced to choose after the difficulty of remaining uncommitted...

DUNKLIN COUNTY, Mo. -- Thieves who have been notorious for ripping off farmers, area residences and businesses by stealing copper and other profitable materials are now literally sinking to new depths to fill their pockets. According to local authorities, area investigators are now being faced with a new kind of copper-related theft in which criminals are stealing the aluminum, copper and bronze vases and picture frames from the headstones of area graves...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A homeless man accused of fatally stabbing another homeless man at a St. Louis shelter pleads not guilty. Robert Gamble is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 21-year-old Jeremy Dunlap in February of last year. Gamble entered the plea on Monday...

Calendar Today n Preparation for childbirth class: 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Saint Francis Medical Center. A comprehensive guide to expected bodily changes, labor signs and stages, pain control techniques and basic infant care. Offers tips on relaxing, positioning and breathing. Refreshments provided. Call 877-231-2229 to register...

Breast cancer is hard enough. Treatment should be quick and easy. That's the thinking of many physicians who have opted to offer MammoSite, a type of radiation that cuts treatment time from several weeks to just five days. MammoSite therapy is a type of partial breast radiation that follows a lumpectomy. A small balloon is placed in the cavity where the tumor was taken out and twice a day for five days a small wire is placed in the balloon that emits radiation to about a centimeter out...

North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough and Kansas State's Michael Beasley were unanimous selections to The Associated Press' All-America team Monday. For the first time, no senior was chosen. Beasley and Kevin Love of UCLA made it two straight years there were two freshmen chosen. Sophomore D.J. Augustin of Texas and junior Chris Douglas-Roberts rounded out the selections, shutting out the seniors...

After serving as a Jackson girls basketball assistant coach for the past five years, Shelia Midgett-Haertling has been promoted to head coach. She replaces Sam Sides, who recently retired from the position. Midgett-Haertling, who coached the girls varsity program at Central High School for the two years before being hired as Sides' assistant, said one of the terms of her hiring at Jackson was that she would become the varsity coach when Sides retired...

The Lopez twins are going pro together. Stanford sophomore Robin Lopez is joining his 7-foot brother Brook in entering the NBA draft. The brothers made their announcement to The Associated Press on Monday through mother, Deborah Ledford. It was expected that Brook would declare himself eligible for the NBA, but Robin was not so certain. They were prep stars in Fresno, Calif., and came to Stanford together. Now they will depart as a tandem, too...

Confessed serial killer Timothy W. Krajcir will step into a Missouri courtroom for the first time Friday instead of the April 14 date scheduled for his arraignment, said Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle. What hasn't been decided yet is which courtroom it will be...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency declared 16 more Missouri counties eligible for individual disaster assistance today. Included in those counties were Cape Girardeau, Stoddard and Scott counties locally.Those counties are added to the 19 that were declared eligible last week. ...

After a round of thunderstorms Monday evening, Southeast Missouri can expect two days of dry weather before a storm that looks eerily similar to the massive rains of March 18 reaches the region Thursday. As of 10 p.m., with thunderstorms continuing, Cape Girardeau had received 0.92 of an inch of rain since midnight, increasing the total for the month to 17.45 inches, breaking the record for a single month, 16.89 inches, set in May 1973...

No mansions stand along the streets in the city of Delta. The small homes nestled just off Highway 25 range from well-kept to shabby. Some would like to see more homes added to the community, where the sign greeting visitors boasts that the population is 517...

PIEDMONT, Mo. - The rain had stopped and the water was beginning to recede, but Missouri National Guardsmen remained in town to help citizens in and around Piedmont after a devastating flood. "This morning, five of our Soldiers saved a group of kids and their grandmother," said 1st Sgt. Jeff Pennington, the non commissioned officer in charge. "Now, we’re working getting food and water to people who need it and assisting the highway patrol with rescues."...

The Marquette Tower and the Marquette Center were sold Tuesday afternoon for $3.6 million in a foreclosure sale held at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse. The only bidder on the properties: Great Southern Bank of Springfield, Mo., mortgage holder of the historic structures in downtown Cape Girardeau's...

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Barges began moving again on the Mississippi River north of St. Louis on Tuesday, five days after river traffic was shut down while repairs were made to an aging lock. All of the backed-up river traffic was expected to clear Lock 25 at Winfield, about 45 miles north of St. Louis, by late Tuesday, said Alan Dooley, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office in St. Louis...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Some Missouri communities may see minor to moderate flooding this week in the wake of drenching storms, the National Weather Service said Tuesday, even as forecasts are calling for more rain. "I wish I could tell you when it was going to stop," said Jon Carney, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in suburban St. Louis...

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. — Danny Dodson, the Pemiscot County Emergency Management Director, said this morning the Mississippi River at Caruthersville was trying to recede until the latest rains. The rains in the immediate area, he said, are not of great concern for Caruthersville's river stage, but the rains north of here are what affect the stage of the river at Caruthersville. As of Monday morning, the river stood at 39.1 feet...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Motorists have grown accustomed to fluctuating fuel prices but for many of them, saving money and getting the most out of their vehicles remains a major concern. Missouri's average price is $3.08 for regular unleaded gasoline compared to the national average of $3.26 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association. The Sikeston area average is $3.05, according to gasbuddy.com...

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) -- A man and woman from suburban St. Louis are charged with a string of church burglaries over the past two months. STLtoday, the Web site for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, reports that 35-year-old Stephanie Land and 32-year-old Anthony B. Berry have been charged with felony theft in St. Charles County Circuit Court...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The state Supreme Court bars a man from suing a Catholic religious order for abuse he allegedly endured as a high school student in the mid-1980s. The Supreme Court ruled that the deadline to sue had passed by the time Robert Visnaw finally filed suit against the Marinist Province two decades after the alleged acts...

Illinois State Police and the Union County, Ill., Sheriff's Department are investigating a Monday night homicide at a Mill Creek home. Francis "Ray" Beauchamp, 58, was killed at his residence, but few other details can be released, said Capt. Scott Rice of the Illinois State Police...

KIRKWOOD, Mo. (AP) -- Two groups from the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood are asking the U.S. Department of Justice to mediate a dispute concerning the city's mayoral election. The groups seeking mediation are the Coalition for Unity and Meacham Park Neighborhood Improvement Association...

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- An attorney who represents Boone County is dead after his Italian motor scooter struck a deer. John L. Patton, 56, suffered severe head trauma in the Saturday night accident near his south Columbia home. He died Monday at University Hospital, friends and colleagues said...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sikeston police are investigating the armed robbery of a business. At approximately 8:04 p.m. Monday the Sikeston Department of Public Safety received a call reporting a robbery at the Dollar General Store at 925 E. Malone. According to the report, a black male described as wearing a blue hooded sweat shirt and red jogging pants entered the building armed with a knife and demanded money from the employee...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Air quality officials in Kansas City say time is running out for Gov. Matt Blunt to give the city a waiver from a law requiring the use of an ethanol blend of gasoline at most pumps in the state. The ozone season started Tuesday, and city officials say the waiver must be granted soon to prevent the new ethanol gasoline from worsening the city's air pollution...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (AP) — A small earthquake near the Southeast Missouri town of Poplar Bluff Monday morning wasn't strong enough to cause any damage. National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Dodd says the 2.8 magnitude quake at 5:45 a.m. originated about 4 miles below the earth's surface and was centered about 15 miles north of Poplar Bluff...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- It took barely an hour for the Senate to give preliminarily approval to legislation cracking down on illegal immigrants and those who hire them. The measure would require police to check immigration status when they arrest someone, block many illegal immigrants from attending public colleges and withhold state money from cities with policies not to cooperate with immigration authorities...

As of 9:45 a.m. today, MoDOT was reporting several state roads still closed in its Southeast district. Those roads are, by county:   Butler County·        Route N entire length of Route·        Route 142 east of Neelyville to Route HHMississippi County·        Route 80 from the levee to the Ferry landing·        Route 77 from the levee to the Ferry landing·        Route VV from County Road 516 south to the end of state maintenance·        Route OO from Route BB to the end of state maintenance·        Route YY entire length of the route·        Route FF two miles west of Route 77New Madrid County·        Route P from County Road 717 to County Road 727·        Route 162 from 2.7 miles east of Route M ·        Route WW from Route P to County Road 740Scott County·        Route W from Route CC to Route P  - closed to bridge damage - DO NOT cross Wayne County·        Route FF from Route 67 to Route 34. ...

CUBA, Mo. (AP) -- The forest-rich Missouri Ozarks have been quite good to the four generations of kin at McGinnis Wood Products, a supplier of white oak barrels to distillers and winemakers the world over. Business is so good, there's even a market for the 120 tons of sawdust produced daily as remnants from the plant's two lumber mills. Rather than haul the wood waste to the landfill, McGinnis sells its scraps to a nearby Kingsford charcoal factory...

The Wal-Mart health insurance plan has dropped its effort to recover the money it spent to care for Debbie Shank of Jackson as intense national publicity created a serious public relations problem for the retail giant. After Jim Shank, Debbie's former husband, failed to win a U.S. Supreme Court review of the case, he had resigned himself to turning over the remaining $200,000-plus trust fund set up to care for Debbie Shank, who was brain-damaged in a auto wreck in 2000...

The Southeast Missourian is seeking your stories for its Web site, semissourian.com. When we launched our new Web site in February, one of the primary goals was to make our readers feel like they're part of the news. One way we're doing this is by giving you the chance to give us your stories...

Helen Marie Guth, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, March 31, 2008, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Sept. 4, 1922, in Farrar, Mo., daughter of Joseph F. and Kathryn Mahnken Meier. She and Elmer Guth were married Oct. 1, 1944, at Farrar. He died Aug. 26, 1995...

Earleen Gail Lowes, 55, of Jackson died Sunday, March 30, 2008, at her home. She was born Sept. 25, 1952, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Leonard Herman and Stella Marie Crader Nothdurft. She and Richard Leonard Lowes were married June 1, 1974. Lowes was director of health information at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. She was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church...

Harry A. Noel, 68, of Jackson passed away Tuesday, April 1, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 23, 1940, in Jackson, son of Arthur L. and Anna F. Siebert Noel. He and Barbara A. Godwin were married May 18, 1963...

Southeast Missouri State baseball coach Mark Hogan would have been glad to play Vanderbilt regardless of the outcome. That the Redhawks upset the nationally ranked Commodores 12-8 in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday only made things sweeter. "It's a really big win for our program, and a great team effort," Hogan said. "A lot of guys played a big part in it."...

David Berry and Patrick Duffy dominated their competition to earn a 10-4 victory at No. 1 doubles and help the Central tennis team sweep Poplar Bluff 9-0 on Tuesday. Berry won by forfeit at No. 1 singles, while Duffy earned a 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 2 singles. They then teamed to defeat Malay Bhatt and Davis Wilson 10-4 in their doubles match...

Notre Dame senior Emily Matthews practices golf any place possible -- the driving range, the putting green, the golf course and even in her bedroom. "I set up a trash can in my room, and I'll chip ping pong balls into the trash can," Matthews said. "I moved my furniture around so I could have a longer way to chip."...

Bell City senior Nick Niemczyk was named the player of the year in the Stoddard County Athletic Association for the 2007-08 basketball season. Niemczyk led the Cubs to the league's regular-season and tournament titles and helped them win a fourth straight Class 1 district championship...

Central's Garrett Stevens and Notre Dame's Mark Himmelberg played baseball together growing up, so they knew what to expect with the other one on the mound. Himmelberg collected a pair of hits in three trips to the plate, but Stevens got the better of him with a 3-for-3 performance Tuesday. Stevens also outpitched his buddy, as the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 6-1 in a game played at Notre Dame because Central's field was too wet...

OMAHA, Neb. -- The economic outlook for the Midwest and Plains region improved in March as farm income remained strong and the region experienced fewer problems in the housing market than the rest of the nation, according to a report released Tuesday...

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University will hire Marquette's Tom Crean as its basketball coach and is expected to introduce him at a news conference today. University trustee Philip Eskew confirmed the hiring. Eskew said Crean had signed a letter-of-intent with the university and was meeting with his team Tuesday night...

Some aficionados chuckle at the notion of calling recycled wood an emerging trend. After all, it's been around since the first time someone picked up a fallen branch and made something out of it. But reusing old wood in new ways -- whether fashioning railroad ties into flooring or old pickle barrels into a bed -- is enjoying a renewed vogue among homeowners weary of generic looks and worried about the environment...

If you don't know a burn-in from a black black, your TV is probably stuck in the last century. It can take months of investigation to select a television, and shoppers will likely pick up some new vocabulary on the way: "refresh rate," "screen performance" and "black blacks."...

HOUSTON -- Bill Walton played what many agree was the best college game ever. Michael Jordan is universally praised as the best player ever. Years before either of them came along, the great Wilt Chamberlain redefined what a big, athletic center could accomplish...

NEW YORK -- Wall Street began the second quarter with a big rally Tuesday as investors rushed back into stocks, optimistic that the worst of the credit crisis has passed and that the economy is faring better than expected. The Dow Jones industrials surged nearly 400 points, and all the major indexes were up more than 3 percent...

GOLF St. Vincent Indians Coach: Tom Prost Last season's record: 8-2 Postseason results: Conference tournament champions, district champions, fourth place at state Returning starters (with scoring average): Jason Carron, jr., 47; Brandon Trapp, so., 48...

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Taking another technological step forward, NFL owners approved a communication device for defenses Tuesday. One defensive player will wear a helmet similar to what the quarterback is allowed on offense. Should that player leave the game, a teammate can be designated to also have the device. But only one defender with the device can be on the field at a time...

Illinois State Police and the Union County, Ill., Sheriff's Department are investigating a Monday night homicide at a Mill Creek home. Francis "Ray" Beauchamp, 58, was killed at his residence, but few other details can be released, said Capt. Scott Rice of the Illinois State Police...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Lucas James Walker, 4 months, of Chaffee died Monday, March 31, 2008, at his home. He was born Nov. 17, 2007, in Cape Girardeau, son of James Richard and Jane Marie Lett Walker II. He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. Survivors include his parents; a sister, Kaitlyn Walker of the home; maternal grandparents, Kenneth and Dorothy Lett of Scott City; paternal grandparents, James and Angelia Walker of Sikeston, Connie Walker of Chaffee; maternal great-grandparents, Wilfred and Mary Glasser of Kelso, Mo., Don and Alvena Lett of Scott City; paternal great-grandparents, Milton and Rose Goehman of Cape Girardeau.. ...

In recent years, Missouri legislators have considered but not adopted proposed bills that would create what amounts to a modified shield law for journalists in the state. Currently, Missouri law is fuzzy about when and under what circumstances reporters and photographers can be compelled to turn over notes, photos and other unpublished or unaired information. ...

Rogers Son to Rondall L. and Christina M. Rogers Jr. of Scott City, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 7:09 a.m. Sunday, March 23, 2008. Name, James Thomas. Weight, 6 pounds, 9 ounces. Fourth son. Mrs. Rogers is the former Christina Rulo, daughter of Lynnie Rulo and Peggy Rulo of Benton, Mo. She is employed at Quality Packaging Inc. Rogers is the son of Rebecca Caviness of Scott City and Rondall Rogers of Benton. He is self-employed...

Residents of Cape Girardeau, Scott, Stoddard and Bollinger counties are now eligible for federal disaster assistance to rebuild from the March 18 and 19 storms and subsequent flooding. Grants can help pay for emergency housing and repairs to make a home safe and sanitary; low-interest loans can be used to rebuild a home or business, replace lost property or defer economic losses. To apply:...

LOS ANGELES -- It was a graffiti artist's dream come true: 10,000 square feet of concrete and a permit to paint. Families brought their children to watch as hundreds of muralists, using their own materials and working for free, sprayed colorful shades on the banks of a man-made riverbed...

WASHINGTON -- Under growing pressure from voters to do something about the nation's home foreclosure crisis, top Senate leaders agreed Tuesday to at least start with a plan that can win the support of both Democrats and Republicans. The pact between Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., ended weeks of partisan bickering over what to do about the crisis in the housing market and the toxic effect it's having on the economy...

My first impression of a garden was a row of corn, beans, potatoes and other plants next to Grandpa's house on the farm. It became my favorite destination at Grandpa's because I could get dirty without Grandma or Mom getting too mad at me. My concept of gardening was getting dirty while working (playing) in the vegetables...

@graphic_body_indent_bold leadin:Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday: n At 7:13 p.m., emergency medical service in the 100 block of East Rodney Drive. n At 7:55 p.m., an alarm sounding at 1912 Broadway. n At 10:57 p.m., a citizen assist in the 2500 block of Bloomfield Road...

At the same time state and federal officials on Tuesday were announcing that people and businesses in Cape Girardeau, Scott and Stoddard counties are eligible for federal help to recover from floods, National Weather Service forecasters were watching computer models that show another round of heavy rain on the way...

This weekend, folks from as far as Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan and Iowa will journey to Cape Girardeau to hear tales of drama, folklore and action. So far, the bulk of the 220 advance tickets sold for the Storytelling Festival have been to people from out of state...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Clyde Wilford Sneed Jr., 82, of Creve Coeur, Mo., formerly of Marble Hill, died Sunday, March 23, 2008, at his home. He was born July 19, 1925, in Arkansas, son of Clyde and Avis Crain Sneed. He and Dickie Watson were married Sept. 14, 1966, in St. Louis...

In our household, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year. With the NCAA college basketball tournament coming to a close and our favorite team still in and the beginning of baseball season, everyone is happy and life is good. Over the weekend, we had Cardinals baseball on the radio and college basketball on the television...

BAGHDAD -- Britain froze plans Tuesday to withdraw about 1,500 soldiers this spring after the faltering effort to drive Shiite militias from Basra, Iraq, raised doubts whether the Iraqis are capable of maintaining security in oil-rich southern Iraq...

Now that Cape Girardeau County commissioners have agreed to a new Web site, they are looking for suggestions. Eric McGowen, the county's information technology director, said the county wants to get any and all suggestions from residents. But officials are particularly interested in the following categories:...

FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. -- Ruth Parsons, 74, of Fredericktown died Monday, March 31, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 31, 1933, at Risco, Mo., daughter of Auda and Ethel Pankey Wilson. She first married William Metzger, who preceded her in death. She and Morris Parsons were married Aug. 19, 1992, at Centerville, Mo...

A severely injured Jackson woman whose family fought Wal-Mart for more than two years to keep the giant retailer from seizing a trust fund set up for her care lost every court battle but ended up winning the public relations war. A little more than a week after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from attorneys for Debbie and Jim Shank, the Bentonville, Ark., company -- the world's largest retailer -- wrote the Shanks what amounted to a letter of surrender...

To the editor: Since 1947 we have lived in the North West End Boulevard area, now on Price Drive. From Pemiscot Street to Bertling Street, our street has needed repairs, and there are no curbs. Lots of new streets are being put in. This street is heavily traveled. Your comment would be appreciated...

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez makes more this year than his hometown Florida Marlins. Boosted by his new deal with the New York Yankees, A-Rod tops the major league baseball salary list at $28 million, according to a study of contract terms. The 33 players on the Marlins' opening-day roster and disabled list total $21.8 million...

Figures were obtained by The Associated Press from management and player sources and include salaries and pro-rated shares of signing bonuses and other guaranteed income. For some players, parts of salaries deferred without interest are discounted to reflect present-day values...

HAVANA -- Shoppers snapped up DVD players, motorbikes and pressure cookers Tuesday as a slew of consumer products went on sale to all Cuban citizens for the first time. Possibly more significant, Cuba announced it will lend unproductive state land to private farmers to boost agricultural production...

ST. LOUIS -- Vying for one of the last playoff spots in the Western Conference, the Nashville Predators know they need to get all the points they can. The Predators trailed by three goals just 7 minutes in, replaced their starting goalie and then pulled off an improbable comeback, capped by Rich Peverley's overtime goal to beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3 on Tuesday night...

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon on Tuesday made public a now-defunct legal memo that approved the use of harsh interrogation techniques against terror suspects, saying that President Bush's wartime authority trumps any international ban on torture. The Justice Department memo, dated March 14, 2003, outlines legal justification for military interrogators to use harsh tactics against al-Qaida and Taliban detainees overseas -- so long as they did not specifically intend to torture their captors...

ST. LOUIS — No Clydesdales or convertibles. No success, either, for the St. Louis Cardinals in their rescheduled home opener. Third baseman Troy Glaus' throwing error allowed the tying run to score, and Jayson Nix walked with the bases loaded in a two-run eighth inning, helping the Colorado Rockies begin the defense of their NL championship with a 2-1 victory on Tuesday night...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State senators gave quick preliminary approval Tuesday to legislation cracking down on illegal immigrants and those who hire them. The bill would require police to check immigration status after arrests; block illegal immigrants from receiving public benefits such as aid for food, housing or retirement; and withhold state money from cities with policies to not cooperate with immigration authorities, among other things...

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- A reputed Colombian drug lord whose cartel is accused of having shipped hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States was sentenced Tuesday to more than 30 years in prison in Brazil for crimes committed in that country. Juan Carlos Ramirez Abadia, who was arrested last year in Brazil, was found guilty of money laundering, corruption, conspiracy and use of false documents in this South American country. ...

Billy D. Brown, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, March 31, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Dec. 29, 1926, in Cape Girardeau, son of Clarence and Orpha Weaver Brown. Bill was raised by his grandparents, William and Nora Weaver. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Northern Cherokee Nation...

25 years ago: April 2, 1983 Both representatives from Cape Girardeau County — Marvin E. Proffer and Mary Kasten — are optimistic for prospects of state bond funds for a multipurpose building in Cape Girardeau, if a $5 million local bond issue is approved by voters Tuesday...

Robert L. "Bob" Brothers, 92, of Jackson, passed away Sunday, March 30, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 6, 1915, in Cape Girardeau, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Schweigert Brothers. He and Norma D. Ristig were married June 4, 1938, in Luxora, Ark. She passed away Jan. 28, 2003...

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- A recently discovered parachute could not have been used by D.B. Cooper in 1971, says the man who packed the four chutes that were given to the mysterious skyjacker. The torn, tangled parachute -- found by children about a month ago along a dirt road near Amboy -- was probably made around 1945, said Earl Cossey, who examined the chute for the FBI on Friday...

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- The main opposition leader insisted Tuesday he has won Zimbabwe's presidential election outright and denied persistent reports he was negotiating to ease out President Robert Mugabe, who has led the country from liberation to ruin...

Twenty-four hours after Jon M. Thrower was arrested and charged with rape and burglary for an alleged attack on a 24-year-old woman, Cape Girardeau authorities released him from jail and dismissed all charges against him. The alleged victim was lying when she accused Thrower, according to Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle...

WASHINGTON -- Don't blame us, oil industry chiefs told a skeptical Congress. Top executives of the country's five biggest oil companies said Tuesday they know record fuel prices are hurting people, but they argued it's not their fault and their huge profits are in line with other industries...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A proposed constitutional amendment intended to limit local property tax increases passed the House on Tuesday, an important step toward appearing on Missouri's ballot this year. Supporters say the measure would close a loophole that allows some public schools, cities, counties and other governmental entities to reap a financial windfall when reassessments result in sharply higher home values...

@graphic_body_indent_bold leadin:The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n A 15-year-old boy was cited in juvenile court for possession of a controlled substance. n Ryan A. Nash, 21, 1941 Emily Court, was arrested on suspicion of assault...

I'm just an old country boy, and, as such, I'll admit some confusion concerning the national discussion on the home mortgage crisis. I can understand that some folk have had problems making their house payments. And I can understand that this puts more houses on the market and reduces the prices for all houses...

Manipulating voters PREVIOUSLY, IN a lot of states, bars are closed on election day and opened after polling hours in order to keep the voters from being unduly influenced. Now there are regulations pertaining to campaign workers regarding how far they must stay away from the polling place to keep from unduly influencing voters. What gives radio talk-show hosts the right to manipulate voting Americans?...

NEW YORK -- Ted Turner, who once called Christianity a "religion for losers," launched a $200 million partnership Tuesday with Lutherans and Methodists to fight malaria in Africa, apologizing for his past criticism of religion and calling faith a "bright spot" in the world...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Motorcyclists who are at least 21 years old could ride without helmets under a House bill given initial approval Tuesday. State law currently requires all motorcycle riders to wear helmets. Some lawmakers have tried for several years to repeal that law...

Vaughn Prost on Tuesday silently gave up the struggle to hold onto the Marquette Tower and Marquette Centre in downtown Cape Girardeau. Prost said nothing as he watched Peter Riggs, a lawyer with Stinson, Morrison and Haeckler of Kansas City, announce the foreclosure sale of the historic buildings and bid $3.6 million on behalf of Great Southern Bank of Springfield, Mo. The bank, Prost's main creditor in the rehabilitation of the building, was the sole bidder in the sale...

Starting Monday, those driving around Cape Girardeau after dark may notice a strange orange glow emanating from several buildings and structures. The Missouri Department of Transportation hopes the orange lights twinkling on the Mississippi River, lining the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge, will give drivers enough pause to make them slow down the next time they come across the same color in a work zone...

With yet another significant rainstorm predicted, Cape Girardeau Regional Airport's advisory board is looking at ways to deflect floods from runways. During the historic March 18 rainfall, the airport shut down operations to all but emergency helicopters...

Marcus Bowers, an 18-year-old charged with first-degree murder in connection with the September death of a Kelso, Mo., man, will stand trial for the crime this summer in Poplar Bluff, Mo., on a change of venue from Scott County. At a hearing in Butler County Tuesday morning, Judge Mark L. Richardson set Bowers' case for pretrial conference at 10 a.m. July 22...

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) -- One man is dead after being hit by a train overnight in suburban Kansas City. Police said the 47-year-old man was walking on the tracks in Lee's Summit just before 4 a.m. Wednesday when he was hit by a Union Pacific train. The engineer said he sounded the horn on the train but the man didn't get out of the way...

Some state roads are still closed today due to flooding. MoDOT released the following list, broken down by county in the Southeast district, of roads closed as of 2:45 p.m.:Butler County· Route N entire length of RouteMississippi County· Route 80 from the levee to the Ferry landing· Route 77 from the levee to the Ferry landing· Route VV from County Road 516 south to the end of state maintenance· Route OO from Route BB to the end of state maintenance· Route YY entire length of the route· Route FF two miles west of Route 77New Madrid County· Route P from County Road 717 to County Road 727· Route 162 from 2.7 miles east of Route M · Route WW from Route P to County Road 740Scott County· Route W from Route CC to Route P - closed to bridge damage - DO NOT cross Wayne County· Route FF from Route 67 to Route 34. ...

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) -- Police in Carbondale are investigating the discovery of a man's body on Southern Illinois University's campus. SIU spokesman Rod Sievers says the body was found about 8 a.m. in a creek near Wright Hall. Sievers says police are trying to identify the man...

The Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) is opening two Multi-Agency Family Resource Centers in Marble Hill, Mo., and Delta, Mo., to help victims of recent flooding.The centers will allow those affected by the floods to meet with representatives of community disaster relief agencies and to register for emergency assistance.The first center opens at noon today at the Baptist Church Family Life Center in Marble Hill, where FEMA coordinating officer from Jefferson City, Mo., Mike Parker, will in attendance.On Thursday a center will open at the Delta Community Center at noon. ...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The Humane Society of Missouri is rescuing four dozen dogs and several horses believed to be endangered on a property in northeast Missouri. The group says it is working with the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, which issued a warrant that was served Wednesday. The rescue involves more than 50 dogs and several horses on a property near Madison...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Senators defeat an attempt to transfer the enforcement from Missouri's no-call list from the attorney general to state utility regulators. Sen. Kevin Engler wanted to switch responsibility for the telemarketers' blacklist as part of an effort to expand the list from landline residential phones to also include cell phones, faxes and text messages...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Eight workers for a get-out-the-vote effort in St. Louis city and county have pleaded guilty to federal election fraud for submitting false registration cards for the 2006 election, authorities said Wednesday. The workers were employed by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), gathering voter registrations. U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway said they submitted cards with false addresses and names, and forged signatures...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A House committee approves a plan for about $50 million in bonuses to teachers. Almost half of that would be distributed to teachers based on the performance of their students. Longtime teachers also would get a one-time bonus. Anyone who has taught for at least 20 years and makes less than $50,000 could receive a check of $2,500 from the state...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- House members voted Wednesday to ban new casinos licenses for two years, a move that could block proposed casinos from opening in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas. The bill, which needs another vote before moving to the Senate, comes as the Missouri Gaming Commission considers whether to approve a license for a fifth casino in the Kansas City area...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A former Malden police officer, Frankie J. Goins, 36, was recently convicted by a Stoddard County jury of attempted felony stealing during a trial that occurred March 25. According to information provided by Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Stephen P. Sokoloff, the trial was held in Bloomfield on a change of venue from Dunklin County...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The Chaffee Children's Choir under the direction of Susan Hatley is invited to sing the national anthem at the St. Louis Cardinal's baseball game on Thursday. The choir is a select group of fourth, fifth and sixth grade students who meet one afternoon a week after school. Membership in the choir is by audition...

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- The Rev. Rodney Lee Stringer, 54, of Richmond, Ky., formerly of Villa Ridge, passed away Tuesday, April 1, 2008, in the Hospice Center at St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington, Ky. He was born Sept. 19, 1953, in Anna, Ill., son of Harold and Shirley Harper Stringer...

NEW YORK -- Wall Street turned lower Wednesday as investors worried that a sharp jump in oil prices could be another sign that consumers are under stress in an economy that is already showing signs of a recession. The major indexes, which spent most of the session in a tight trading range, tumbled after oil prices shot higher in response to the Energy Department's report of an unexpected jump in gasoline demand. ...

Jennie Christina Tyler, 95, of Scott City died Wednesday, April 2, 2008, at Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee, Mo. She was born Oct. 3, 1912, at Wolf Lake, Ill., daughter of Harrison Oliver and Minnie Mae Hill Sanders. She and Ernest Clayton Tyler were married Feb. 1, 1928, at Illmo. He died May 3, 1990...

CHICAGO -- U.S. air travelers have endured longer lines, more delays and the loss of amenities like meals and blankets. Now they are getting hit with a wave of schedule disruptions caused by airlines scrambling amid increased regulatory scrutiny to ensure that the expanding air transport system stays safe...

Eugene Hunter Culbertson, 74, of Fruitland died Wednesday, April 2, 2008, at his home. He was born June 9, 1933, in Cape Girardeau, son of Jesse P. and Bendia Graham Culbertson. He and Ann Burns were married Oct. 12, 1951, at Illmo. Culbertson was a gas serviceman with AmerenUE. He attended Wesley United Methodist Church in Fruitland, was a past board member of Pleasant Hill Cemetery, and member of IBEW Local 702 in West Frankfort, Ill...

The United Way of Southeast Missouri and the Volunteer Intergenerational Center sponsored their 21st annual Volunteer Awards luncheon recently at the Drury Lodge. Winners were chosen from youth/young adult, adult, senior adult and group categories. Jacob Sailer received the youth/young adult award for his work with Big Brothers Big Sisters. ...

Cody Van de Ven pitched a one-hitter and Clayton Stoverink hit a two-run home run as the Leopold baseball team won its first game Wednesday with a 14-4, six-inning road victory over Scott County Central. Van de Ven struck out seven and walked 10 in the complete-game effort for Leopold (1-2)...

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The Southeast Missouri State baseball team experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in a 24-hour period. One day after winning at sixth-ranked Vanderbilt, the Redhawks suffered an 8-7 loss at Evansville, which had won just three games all season...

Girls soccer Notre Dame Bulldogs @graphic_body_indent_bold leadin:Coach: Jeff Worley Last season's record: 17-3-1 Postseason results: Lost 3-1 to Notre Dame-St. Louis in a Class 1 quarterfinals. Returning starters: Mindy Siebert, jr., forward; Amanda Pleimann, jr., defender; Molly Proffer, jr., defender; Shelley Frank, sr., goalkeeper; Alex Fowler, jr., defender; Paige Schumer, sr., midfielder; Courtney Luehmann, jr., midfielder; Jordon Radetic, sr., defender; Megan Ruopp, sr., defender; Taylor Sanders, jr., midfielder. ...

ST. LOUIS -- After opening day, the waiting game for that first major league action is already history for the St. Louis Cardinals' trio of rookies. Right-handed reliever Kyle McClellan made a standout debut against the heart of the Colorado Rockies order while protecting a one-run lead, retiring Matt Holliday, Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe in order...

For as long as Jackson senior Chelsea Dale can remember, she has wanted to play soccer in college. Dale's goal will become a reality. She signed in February to play for Southeast Missouri State. She's looking forward to becoming a member of the Redhawks next fall, but she still has some unfinished business before then — her final year of high school soccer...

April 3, 2008 Dear Patty, Monday I worked out, got some vaccinations for a trip I'm planning, organized the spices in our kitchen and the shoes in my closet, wrote some stories and made myself dinner while DC was off working in Illinois...

There are so many individuals in our area who find ways to help others, but most of them would have a hard time keeping up with Dan Cotner, whose energy and constant motion are well-known. Cotner, a dentist, has used some of that energy over the years to provide free dental care on 16 trips outside the U.S. ...

Giacomo Puccini's "La Boheme" will be the Live from the Metropolitan Opera broadcast Saturday at the Town Plaza Cinema in Cape Girardeau. The performance begins at 12:30 p.m.; there will be an encore presentation at 2 p.m. Sunday. I would like to address this article to those of you who have never been to an opera, would never go to an opera and don't even like opera (even though you have never seen one). ...

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- President Robert Mugabe's long-ruling party lost its parliamentary majority Wednesday, bolstering opposition claims that impoverished Zimbabweans voted for change in this struggling southern African nation. The opposition also claimed victory for leader Morgan Tsvan­girai in Saturday's presidential vote, but the state-controlled newspaper predicted a runoff -- the first official admission that Mugabe, the nation's leader of 28 years, had not won re-election...

1. "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose" by Eckhart Tolle 2. "The Final Warning: Maximum Ride" by James Patterson 3. "Horton Hears A Who!" by Dr. Seuss 4. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" by Jeff Kinney 5. "Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia" by Elizabeth Gilbert...

LOS ANGELES -- The Screen Actors Guild announced it will begin negotiating a new contract with Hollywood producers April 15. Talks are set to start more than two months before SAG's contract expires with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on June 30...

Morley Swingle, who classifies himself as a sort of Mark Twain aficionado, will be at the famed author's home in Hannibal, Mo., on Wednesday to share passages from his book, "Scoundrels to the Hoosegow." Swingle, prosecuting attorney of Cape Girardeau County and author of two other books — "The Gold of Cape Girardeau" and "Bootheel Man" — will travel to he Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum to talk about "Scoundrels." The book gives accounts of 30 stories involving instances that he has encountered during his legal career.. ...

WASHINGTON -- Congress is advancing legislation to mark the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act with a commemorative silver dollar. The House passed the measure without opposition Tuesday, and a similar bill is pending in the Senate, sponsored by Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Barack Obama, D-Ill...

Samuel C. Taylor, 29, of Cape Girardeau was sentenced to 25 years in prison for rape at a hearing Monday before Circuit Judge William L. Syler Jr. The rape case went unsolved for four years before a routine DNA test for Taylor's probation for failure to pay child support linked him to the felony. ...

WASHINGTON -- Think you're being gouged by Big Oil? U.S. troops in Iraq are paying almost as much as Americans back home, despite burning fuel at staggering rates in a war to stabilize a country known for its oil reserves. Military units pay an average of $3.23 a gallon for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, some $88 a day per service member in Iraq, according to an Associated Press review and interviews with defense officials. ...

LONDON -- Jury selection began Wednesday for the trial of eight British men accused of planning to bomb airliners bound for the United States and Canada in order to kill hundreds of passengers in a major terrorism plot. Prosecutors allege the group planned a series of coordinated suicide attacks in 2006, hoping to detonate improvised explosives concealed in containers of liquids or gels aboard flights heading from London to the U.S. and Canada...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- State lawmakers are trying to clear the haze of confusion over how to punish violators of Illinois' new smoking ban in public places. Starting Jan. 1, Illinois barred smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places and within 15 feet of their entrances, with violators and the establishments facing fines of up to $250...

Chances are the majority of you have heard of The Allman Brothers Band. Known as one of the main influences on southern rock, they used elements of blues, R&B, jazz, soul and rock to help advance rock as a medium for improvisation. Guitarist Duane Allman's legendary extended solos and brother Gregg's soulful vocals led the band to 10 gold albums, and a Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Induction in 1995...

@SL_body_copy_ragged:When R.E.M. was at its peak, its music was filled with urgency and energy -- something the band lost over the years. After a decade of what singer Michael Stipe calls unfocused studio efforts, R.E.M. picks up the pace on the enjoyable "Accelerate," its first album since 2004...

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, the common-touch Dubliner who tended Ireland's economic boom and the blossoming of Northern Ireland peace, announced his resignation Wednesday under a darkening cloud of financial scandal. The announcement stunned Ireland and much of his Cabinet, whose members stood by Ahern during an 18-month battle against allegations he accepted secret cash payments from businessmen in the 1990s...

A slowly rising Mississippi River again forced the closing of the Themis Street floodgate in downtown Cape Girardeau as weather forecasts continued to call for heavy rain through Friday morning. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a notice that one of its flood-control lakes in the region is full, two others are already taking in more water than they are discharging, and that it is monitoring the lakes closely in case releases must be increased if heavy rains materialize...

OCONOMOWOC, Wis. -- An explosion in a Milwaukee suburb demolished a church and damaged two homes Wednesday, injuring seven people, including three firefighters, authorities said. Road and sewer work was being done in downtown Oconomowoc before the explosion occurred around 1:30 p.m., said Bob Duffy, the city's economic development director. The blast and flying debris knocked over several workers, he said...

25 years ago: April 3, 1983 Another flood is headed for the Cape Girardeau area, with the Mississippi River expected to crest at more than 41 feet here in a few days; in preparation for the flood, the floodwall door at Main Street will likely be closed tomorrow...

MILL CREEK, Ill. -- Raymond F. Beauchamp, 58, of Mill Creek died Monday, March 31, 2008, at his home. He was born Oct. 18, 1949, in Pennsylvania, son of Raymond and Helen Ennis Beauchamp. He married Earline Faye Martin. Beauchamp was a truck driver...

@graphic_body_indent_bold leadin:Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Kattez K. Braselman, 19, of Sikeston, Mo., was arrested on suspicion of stealing. n Faderick L. Holmes, 17, 1150 New Madrid St., was arrested on three Cape Girardeau warrants for contempt of court for failure to pay fines for stealing, improper passing and no operator's license...

A year after Shawn Bridges succumbed to the ravages of methamphetamine, his father remains on a mission to save others. Shawn Bridges, 35, died in a Cape Girardeau hospital on March 26, 2007. Meth ruined his body. He suffered a heart attack at 26. Once past the addiction, Shawn Bridges worked with documentarian Chip Rosetti to create "No More Sunsets," to help addicts remain sober and warn children against drug use...

The monthly First Friday Coffee sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce will feature a discussion of statewide transportation funding with two lawmakers, state Sen. Bill Stouffer, R-Napton, and state Rep. Neal St. Onge, R-Ellisville. ...

WASHINGTON -- Two Missouri judges hoping to win confirmation to the federal bench face lawmakers this week at a congressional hearing. Missouri Supreme Court Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. of Cape Girardeau and Circuit Court Judge Gregory David Kays will appear today before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer questions about their records...

Delmonico refers to a particular cut of beef and the fine presentation of a meal. Delmonicos in Jackson strives to meet that description in both aspects. The restaurant has been a family tradition for 23 years. "We have maintained a level of consistency above the rest with a good amount of quality, service and atmosphere," Blake Ackman said...

Good news is worth knowing: Did you know? I didn't know. How could we? Did you know that 47 countries have re-established their embassies in Iraq? Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people? Did you know that 3,100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been completed in Iraq?...

Hey, hey baby ... I wanna know ... will you come and dance? And that's the question for anyone and everyone this weekend as the Cape Girardeau Kiwanis Club holds its annual Rock 'n' Roll Revival on Saturday at the Arena Building. "We want anybody who can dance to come out," organizer Fred Horrell said. ...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Police in Carbondale are investigating the death of a Southern Illinois University graduate student whose body was found on campus. SIU spokesman Rod Sievers said the body of 31-year-old Huaijun Meng (Hue-eye-juhn Ming) was found shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday in a creek near Wright Hall...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A 14-year-old Bloomfield boy accused of murder has again had his trial pushed back. Following a Monday hearing, Judge William Syler decided that the process of jury selection for the case against Owen Welty, originally scheduled for later this month, will now begin in St. Louis on Sept. 19...

WASHINGTON -- Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, law professor Alan Dershowitz and former CIA director James Woolsey are among 25 religious, academic and legal figures calling on the U.S. to skip next year's United Nations anti-racism conference in a full-page ad set to appear today in four newspapers...

An arraignment in the case of confessed serial killer Timothy W. Krajcir will be held in the Federal Courthouse in Cape Girardeau instead of the county courthouse in Jackson, according to prosecuting attorney Morley Swingle's office. The hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday before Circuit Judge Benjamin F. Lewis...

By Joseph P. Quinlan NAFTA: Beyond trade: The race for the White House hasn't even made it past the primaries, but the North American Free Trade Agreement has already emerged as a political lightning rod. The closer we get to November, the more heated the debate about America's trade linkages with the rest of the world -- notably our NAFTA neighbors Mexico and Canada -- will likely become. China, the poster child for whatever ails U.S. industry, will also be in the spotlight...

I had no idea the game of blackjack was so easy to master. Apparently, you just need to be smart. Which, I don't mean to brag, but I think I've got that covered. "21" is about an MIT student named Ben Campbell, who fits the definition of "nerd" perfectly. ...

After a day of triumph, reality set in for Jim Shank. The decision by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to forgo collecting on a judgment against his severely injured former wife's trust fund was a bright spot in what has been a sorrowful period. Debbie Shank won't recover from the injuries sustained in the 2000 accident that left her confined to a nursing home, nothing will bring back the son he lost in the Iraq war and the trust fund likely won't be enough to ensure Debbie Shank's comfort for the rest of her life.. ...

Zonta Club holds flea market Saturday The Cape Girardeau Zonta Club will hold its annual flea market at 7 a.m. Saturday at the Family Life Building of Centenary United Methodist Church, 300 N. Ellis St. in Cape Girardeau. Proceeds will benefit local charities...

Response on ethanol I READ Mike Kasten's op-ed column and felt compelled to respond. I, too, raise cattle for a living, but I will admit that I have enjoyed the benefits of feeding cheap, government-subsidized corn all of these years. I think there are a lot of fallacies in Mike's column, but the main one is that ethanol has to be mandated by the government to use or the big oil companies would not use it. ...

It's a well-known saying that those who can, do and those who can't, teach. It's also a much-despised saying among many of those who do, in fact, teach. A new exhibit at the Garden Gallery on Broadway aims to prove that area art teachers are still practicing their craft while teaching future artists...

Jewelry show Friday, Saturday in Poplar Bluff @SL_body_copy_ragged:POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Fay's Place, an art gallery in Poplar Bluff that offers framing and art classes, will have a show of rock, gem and custom-made jewelry Friday and Saturday. The gallery will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Fay's Place is at 2299 N. Main St. in Poplar Bluff. Call 573-778-1122 for more information...

@graphic_body_indent_bold leadin:Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday: n At 7:52 a.m., emergency medical service in the 3100 block of Independence Street. n At 8:07 p.m., emergency medical service in the 2100 block of Kenneth Drive...

An exhibit honoring and highlighting the life and works of Cape Girardeau author Jean Bell Mosley will be in the River Heritage Museum starting Friday. Mosley's works have appeared in dozens of newspapers and magazines, including the Southeast Missourian. Her book, "And God Answered," was published posthumously. Items from her life and examples of her work decorate the museum on the corner of Sprigg and Independence streets through September...

BUCHAREST, Romania -- President Bush suffered a diplomatic setback Wednesday when NATO allies rebuffed his pleas to put former Soviet republics Ukraine and Georgia on the path toward membership in the Western military alliance. The decision, to be made final today, was sure to be cheered by Russia, which opposes NATO's eastward expansion...

Beauty is in the eye of the controller holder in a one-night art show in Cape Girardeau for this month's First Friday art walk. James Thurman organized a show of art pieces that depict the games and gaming systems of the days of old — Nintendo, Atari, etc. He called it "retro video game art" in the e-mail. In my early 20s, I didn't think I could say that I was alive and remember when something that is now "retro" was the hot, new thing...

"Alvin and the Chipmunks" The beloved rodents scampered to the big-screen and scored a blockbuster family hit that combines computer-generated animation and live action. Jason Lee heads the human cast as a songwriter who takes in the three mischievous chipmunks -- Alvin, Simon and Theodore (voiced by Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler and Jesse McCartney) -- with the furry singers becoming pop stars that face exploitation by a conniving producer (David Cross)...

Stop-loss is a term the government uses to define the action it takes to keep a soldier in the military past his or her regular tour. It's clearly a stop-gap method by the military to avoid the draft. Like the commitment to the national guard — as many guardsmen these past years have found out — in and among the fine print in a recruit's contract are many loopholes available to our government...

Mary Anne Marshall, 61, of St. Louis died Monday, March 31, 2008. She was born July 24, 1946, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Sam and Ila Marshall. Marshall retired from nursing in 2003. Survivors include two sisters, Louise Hodgkiss of Scott City, Susan Newman of St. Louis; a brother, Sam Marshall of Swansea, Ill.; and an aunt and uncle, Mary and Albert Hitt of Cape Girardeau...

The Discovery Playhouse received a boost Tuesday with news it will receive an additional $108,000 in state tax credits. Plans to move the hands-on children's museum to a new location at 502 Broadway had been contingent on approval of the credits. Now members of the board of directors are furiously trying to raise $300,000 to fund building renovations and $290,000 to purchase the space. They hope to open the museum this summer...

ST. LOUIS -- New St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Rick Ankiel had a game that would have made Jim Edmonds proud. Ankiel, the former wild left-hander who resurrected his career as a power-hitting outfielder last year and now is Edmonds' replacement, homered, singled twice and made a diving catch in an 8-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said Ankiel looks like a player with a half-dozen years of major league hitting experience...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals' regular-season sellout streak ended at 165 games Wednesday night with an announced attendance of 39,915 in 51-degree weather for a game against the Colorado Rockies. It's also the first nonsellout at 3-year-old Busch Stadium and the first for the franchise since Sept. 28, 2005, at the old Busch Stadium...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A House committee abandoned a proposal to boost minimum teachers' salaries Wednesday in favor of tens of millions of dollars of bonuses for teachers based on student performance, longevity and a willingness to work in poor districts...

SALT LAKE CITY -- A federal grand jury Wednesday indicted the cousin of a man who may have been sickened by the deadly toxin ricin, accusing him of lying to authorities about the origins of the compound found in a Las Vegas hotel room. Thomas Tholen, 54, was indicted on a charge of misprision of felony. Federal prosecutor Brett Tolman said Tholen knew ricin had been illegally produced but did not report it to authorities and lied to cover up his concealment...

n A Wednesday story about a local family's fight with Wal-Mart incorrectly gave the location where Debbie Shank worked. Shank worked at the Cape Girardeau Wal-Mart.

WASHINGTON -- For the first time, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke acknowledged the U.S. could reel into recession from the powerful punches of housing, credit and financial crises. Yet he was coy about the Fed's next move. With home foreclosures swelling to record highs and job losses mounting, Bernanke on Wednesday offered Congress an unflinching -- and more pessimistic -- assessment of potential damage to the national economy...

CAIRO, Egypt -- On Wednesday, the Egyptian state prosecutor ordered 147 detained members of the Muslim Brotherhood to be investigated on rioting accusations, a judicial official said, in the latest crackdown on the country's largest opposition group...

Iman Ibrahim stands in an empty classroom, an Interwrite Pad in hand. The technology is marvelous but frustrating for her. She tries again to write an H, for high pressure, on the hand-held pad. Her invisible marking, projected electronically on a weather map displayed in front, looks like a squiggly blot. She quickly tries again...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- When Jennifer Hernandez got a friend to drive her to the flood assistance center established at the Marble Hill Baptist Church Family Life Center on Wednesday, she was on the edge of hysterics. "I was a disaster when I came in. I was bawling," she said...

George the golden retriever didn't know he would be saving a life when he woke up Monday morning in his Humane Society kennel. The 2 1/2-year-old golden retriever happened to be a good match in weight for Jake, a patient at Cape Small Animal Clinic who needed a blood transfusion. Jake's owner, John Davis, brought him in to the clinic because he was pale, lethargic and hadn't been eating for a few days...

A heavy band of showers that moved through Southeast Missouri between 3 and 5 p.m. dropped hailstones in Jackson and sent water over Interstate 55 south of Scott City, emergency officials reported. The thunderstorm, which dumped 0.83 inches of rain in a little more than an hour at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, resulted in flash flood warnings for several counties. Route P near Delta was reported flooded, said Mike Niemeier of the Cape Girardeau County Emergency Operations Center...

The Missouri Department of Transportation reported several state roads in its Southeast district closed due to flooding at 3:45 p.m. today. The roads are,  by county:  Butler County·        Route N entire length of RouteMississippi County·        Route 80 from the levee to the Ferry landing·        Route 77 from the levee to the Ferry landing·        Route VV from County Road 516 south to the end of state maintenance·        Route OO from Route BB to the end of state maintenance·        Route YY entire length of the route·        Route FF two miles west of Route 77·        Route B entire length of RouteNew Madrid County·        Route P from County Road 717 to County Road 727·        Route 162 from 2.7 miles east of Route M ·        Route WW from Route P to County Road 740Ripley County ·        Route H from Route 142 to the Arkansas state line Scott County·        Route W from Route CC to Route P  - closed to bridge damage - DO NOT cross Wayne County·        Route FF from Route 67 to Route 34. ...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- State emergency management was on alert to respond to any flooding resulting from up to 6 inches of rain forecast for parts of southern Missouri through Friday morning. The State Emergency Management Agency was prepared to "ramp back up" if counties report a need for sandbags, water rescues or other assistance, spokeswoman Susie Stonner said...

More help may come to some Southeast Missouri communities, on one condition. People have to ask for it. Wendle Capps, the director of disaster relief for Samaritan's Purse, said some people, those who really need help, hesitate to ask for one reason...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Legislation creating a specific state crime of mortgage fraud and expanding civil penalties for it passed the Missouri House without any dissent Thursday. But some lawmakers complained that the legislation doesn't go far enough. That's because it doesn't include any measures regulating the sub-prime mortgage industry or providing relief to people facing foreclosure of their homes because they cannot afford their loan payments...

CAMDENTON, Mo. (AP) -- A central Missouri man who filed to run for two different seats as a Republican and a Democrat in the August primary is dropping his Democratic bid. At last week's filing deadline for Camden County and state offices, Bernie Mowinksi filed for two different offices...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP ) -- A state lawmaker says a Missouri judge should not grant an annulment to a lesbian married in Massachusetts. Republican State Sen. Delbert Scott of Lowry City said the couple violated a Massachusetts residency requirement when they moved to Missouri. In 2003, Missouri lawmakers overwhelmingly passed Scott's bill limiting marriage to be only between a man and a woman...

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) -- Two state legislators want Missouri to ban kids under 18 from competing in mixed martial arts. That comes after The Associated Press reported last month that Missouri appears to be the only state where youth matches are legal. The sport is also known as cage fighting. It's a blend of martial arts styles made popular by cable television's Ultimate Fighting Championship...

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Federal prosecutors believe an eastern Missouri doctor is reckless in handing out prescriptions and may be linked to as many as 46 drug overdose deaths, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Thursday. Dr. Seth Paskon of Potosi has not been charged with a crime. ...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- A federal grand jury has indicted a Fort Leonard Wood woman accused of starving her infant daughter to death. The indictment replaces a criminal charge filed last month by prosecutors. Thirty-three-year-old Kristin Marie Phillips faces the federal equivalent of a first-degree murder charge in the death of 11-month-old Alexis...

Legends, legacies, tall tales, whatever you choose to call them, people are always telling stories. Starting Friday, four national and five Midwest storytellers will be telling their stories and ones they've learned over the years. The first Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival starts at 9 a.m. Friday with performances until 9 p.m. On Saturday, the telling starts back up at 10 a.m. and continues through to 9 p.m. The festival ends Sunday with stories from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m...

DEXTER, Mo. -- A 39-year-old Dexter man was arrested and charged with statutory rape, statutory sodomy and making promoting child pornography Tuesday, according to a news release from the Dexter Police Department. Police say Mark Gilliam allegedly had "sexual contact" with a 15-year-old girl in Dexter, and that he photographed the victim. Gilliam admitted to the allegations during an interview and his computer and digital camera were seized, the news release said...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The drowning of a Joplin boy has led to House passage of legislation requiring for-profit swimming pools to have liability insurance. The legislation is named for 6-year-old Ethan Cory, who died in July on a field trip to business called the Swimmin' Hole...

A Cape Girardeau man pleaded guilty to child pornography in federal court Wednesday, according to a news release from United States Attorney Catherine Hanaway. Gregory A. Kohl, 50, pleaded guilty to one felony count of producing child pornography before U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber on Wednesday, the news release said...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Senate approves a measure placing new restrictions on illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration has been a hot-button issue, but Senate debate was relaxed with much of the discussion explaining what the wide-ranging bill does rather than debating its merits...

Legends, legacies, tall tales, whatever you choose to call them, people are always telling stories. Starting Friday, four national and five Midwest storytellers will be telling their stories and ones they've learned over the years. The first Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival starts at 9 a.m. Friday with performances until 9 p.m. On Saturday, the telling starts back up at 10 a.m. and continues through to 9 p.m. The festival ends Sunday with stories from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m...

FARMINGTON, Mo. (AP) -- A former corrections officer is out of jail on a $55,000 bond after entering an alford plea to drug and weapons charges. The plea means 49-year-old Seth Barton of Lesterville does not admit guilt, but concedes prosecutors have enough evidence to get him convicted if the case went to trial...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Experts from around the state are gathering in St. Louis to discuss how businesses can better prepare themselves for a potential influenza pandemic. A report by The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis expresses concern about the government's readiness for a pandemic. The analysis also shows that businesses will suffer revenue losses in excess of 50 percent in Missouri...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- Brad Pitt and his partner Angelina Jolie are putting money into a new charity for needy schoolchildren in southwest Missouri town where Pitt was raised. Brother Doug Pitt announced the Care To Learn fund Wednesday, along with Springfield businessman Jim D. Morris and Springfield Public Schools officials...

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) -- A coroner says a Southern Illinois University graduate student from China who was found dead in a creek on the Carbondale campus drowned. No foul play is suspected. Thirty-one-year-old Huaijun Meng (hew-eye-juhn ming) was found fully clothed and face down shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday in the creek near Wright Hall...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- For the first time since his admitted criminal negligence caused the death of a local businessman, James E. Jankowski was taken into police custody. Forty-one-year-old Jankowski was arrested following the handing down of a 15-year sentence by Presiding Circuit Judge Stephen R. ...

MILLCREEK, Ill. (AP) -- A southern Illinois drug trial is on hold because one of the witnesses has been killed. Illinois State Police say 58-year-old Francis "Ray" Beauchamp was killed Monday night in his Millcreek home in Union County. That was the night before he was to testify in the Alexander County trial of Wendell Woodson, who's charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance...

Lizzie Hoffstetter PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Lizzie S. Hoffstetter, 93, of Perryville died Thursday, April 3, 2008, at Independence Care Center of Perry County. She was born July 19, 1914, in Perry County, daughter of Henry and Genevieve Schwent Scherer. She and Otto Hoffstetter were married July 29, 1943. He died May 3, 1981...

Donald Beck PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Donald Leroy Beck, 73, of Joplin, Mo., formerly of Perryville, died Tuesday, April 1, 2008, at St. John's Hospital in Joplin, Mo. He was born Nov. 12, 1934, at Jackson, son of Orville and Helen Laraine Hagan Beck. He and Wilma Mae Ludwig were married March 5, 1955. She died in 1991...

Albert Spooler ORAN, Mo. -- Albert W. Spooler, 67, of Oran died Wednesday, April 2, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 19, 1940, at Oran, son of Joseph and Lena Katherine Koenig Spooler. Spooler retired as a radioman with the U.S. Navy...

Brandon Colbert hopes to defend his SEmotion Relays titles in the shot put and discus this weekend. But Southeast Missouri State's standout thrower has much bigger things on his mind -- like making up for last year's NCAA regional disappointment. Colbert had an impressive freshman season and was primed for a strong regional showing...

Southeast Missouri State's annual outdoor track and field meet is going retro. The 27th SEmotion Relays will be held today and Saturday at the Abe Stuber Track and Field Complex. Originated in 1982, the SEmotion Relays name stood until 1997, when it changed to the All Sport Relays, then in 2003 to the Gatorade Classic...

Imagine a lineup with 6-foot-6 Spencer Goodman, 6-5 Alex King and 6-8 Ryan Willen. Or one with guards Jay Simmons, Jake Leet and Ty Williams. Those will be among the combinations possible Saturday in the large-school boys basketball all-star game at the B.A. Sports All-Star Extravaganza...

Saxony Lutheran sophomore Cassie Simpher remembers when she was 5 years old and she would race all her neighborhood friends. "I would have all the kids line up in my yard and I'd race them, and I'd always beat all of them," Simpher said. Simpher's mother, Carmen Simpher, added: "We'd look out the window and the kids would all run past the window in a line with Cassie way ahead of them. ...

When Jimmy Wallen told a story, he did it carefully, putting out a time and describing the place, giving names and faces to the people and "then just whoppin' you over the head with the punch line of the story," said his grandson, Jim Wallen. The younger Wallen, who introduces himself with "I'm Jim 'Two Crows' Wallen," learned those stories and the art of storytelling by listening to his grandfather...

Notre Dame Bulldogs Coach: Bill Davis Girls Postseason results: Second in SEMO Central Conference, 10th in Class 3 District 1 Returning starters: Jessica Banda, sr., 1,600, 3,200; Allie Job, jr., pole vault, 4x200 relay, 4x400, sprints; Tori Pfau, jr., 3,200, relays; Jill Schnurbusch, jr., high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, sprints; Jessica Triller, so., 800, 4x800, 400; Kala Longman, sr., shot, discus...

Overseas stimulus? I WOULD like to know why I should spend my rebate check on goods to stimulate the economy when all the goods we buy are made overseas. Just whose economy would I be helping? Monitor the highway REGARDING THE divided highway outside of Jackson by Pioneer Orchard: Who should be watching over that? Jackson police or the highway patrol? Someone is going to get injured or killed, maybe me. ...

Jackson Firefighters responded to the following call Wednesday: n Emergency medical service at North Neal Street. Firefighters responded to the following call on Thursday: n Emergency medical service at LeighAnn Street...

VIENNA, Austria -- Iran has assembled hundreds of advanced machines reflecting a possible intention to speed up uranium enrichment, diplomats have said. One diplomat said more than 300 of the centrifuges have been linked up in two separate units in Iran's underground enrichment plant and a third was being assembled. ...

In the Wednesday story "Rape, burglary charges against Cape man dropped," the victim admitted lying only about the burglary charges, not the rape charges, as reported by the Southeast Missourian.

JOPLIN, Mo. -- Two lawmakers are seeking to ban mixed martial arts competitions for children, after The Associated Press reported last month that Missouri appears to be the only state where youth matches are legal. The sport, also known as cage fighting, is a blend of martial arts styles made popular by cable television's Ultimate Fighting Championship...

BUCHAREST, Romania -- NATO allies gave President Bush strong support Thursday for a missile defense system in Europe and urged Moscow to drop its opposition to the program. The unanimous decision strengthened Bush's hand for weekend talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin...

ST. LOUIS -- Brad Thompson got only two spring training starts while the St. Louis Cardinals auditioned other pitchers for openings in their injury-riddled rotation. He needed just one start to convince the Colorado Rockies of his ability. Thompson's six strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings were three more than his previous best and he also earned his first career RBI in a 3-0 victory Thursday...

25 years ago: April 4, 1983 A new entry is added to the multipurpose building "site derby" with the announcement that Drury Development Corp. is offering to donate about 30 acres west of Interstate 55 as a possible location for the proposed new civic arena...

WASHINGTON -- Two state judges nominated to serve on the federal bench in Missouri won praise and faced few tough questions Thursday at a controversy-free Senate confirmation hearing. Missouri Supreme Court Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. and Circuit Court Judge David Gregory Kays of Lebanon spent less than an hour before the Senate Judiciary Committee, giving responses about their legal backgrounds and experience...

WASHINGTON -- Stumbling over its multibillion-dollar plans for a high-tech census, the government says it will go back to counting the nation's 300 million people the old-fashioned way -- with paper and pencil. Help wanted: 600,000 temporary workers to do the job...

Madeline Godwin Madeline B. Godwin, 97, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, April 3, 2008, at the Lutheran Home. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

BROCKWAY, Pa. -- A pre-dawn fire engulfed a western Pennsylvania home where three generations of the same family lived Thursday, killing 10 people, most of them children, while the patriarch worked an overnight shift. Authorities identified the dead as a 40-year-old woman and nine people younger than 20, including two infants. Most of the younger ones were children or grandchildren of the woman, Kimberly Peterson...

LOS ANGELES -- MySpace, which has lured millions of big acts and garage bands alike to build profiles on the popular social networking hub to attract fans, said Thursday it will turn those pages into portals for selling music, merchandise and more. Helping back the new MySpace Music are three of the biggest recording companies: Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group Corp...

n The date for the indoor garage sale held by VFW Post 3838 and the Ladies Auxiliary will be April 12. n A story in Tuesday's paper incorrectly indicated the city had no postmaster. Mike Kelley, a postal worker for more than 20 years, continues to serve the city of Delta as postmaster...

Fisher Daughter to Calvin Lee and Julie C. Fisher Jr. of Cape Girardeau, Saint Francis Medical Center, 7:40 p.m. Friday, March 28, 2008. Name, Kaleigh Paige. Weight, 7 pounds, 7 ounces. First child. Mrs. Fisher is the former Julie Turner, daughter of Loretta Turner of O'Fallon, Ill., and the late Robert Turner. She is an account executive at the Southeast Missourian. Fisher is the son of Calvin and June Fisher Sr. of Marble Hill, Mo. He is a supervisor with Viking Cives...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- J.P. Dumont scored the tying goal and assisted on the game-winner as the Nashville Predators beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 Thursday night. Jerred Smithson and Greg de Vries also scored and Jan Hlavac had three assists to help the Predators beat the Blues for the second time in three nights...

Gregory A. Kohl, 50, of Cape Girardeau pleaded guilty Thursday to one felony count of production of child porno­graphy, according to a news release from federal prosecutor Catherine L. Hanaway. Kohl appeared Wednesday before U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber in Cape Girardeau...

BOSTON -- They may be pushing 40, but the New Kids are returning to the block. The boy band New Kids on the Block, which sold 70 million albums in the 1980s and early '90s, has reunited and plans to release a new album and go on tour. The reunion comes 20 years after the release of the group's multiplatinum album, "Hanging Tough."...

A bus driver who dropped students blocks from their home during a flood last month, forcing them to wade through waist-high water, is still working for the company. "There was disciplinary action. The driver was dealt with according to corporate procedure. She has been retrained and counseled on the situation," said Kimberly Mulcahy, a spokeswoman for First Student, the company the Cape Girardeau School District contracts to provide busing services...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- By his own admission, Gene Bess does not like controversy. Yet the legendary coach of the Raiders basketball team feels it is time to come forward to address some troubling issues he sees at Three Rivers Community College. In doing so, Bess says he's not doing it for himself, but for the faculty and staff members he works with every day...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A coroner said a Southern Illinois University graduate student from China who was found dead in a creek on the Carbondale campus drowned. No foul play is suspected. Thirty-one-year-old Huaijun Meng was found fully clothed and face down shortly before 8 a.m. Wednesday in the creek near Wright Hall...

MILLCREEK, Ill. -- A Southern Illinois drug trial is on hold because one of the witnesses has been killed. Illinois State Police say 58-year-old Francis "Ray" Beauchamp was killed Monday night in his Millcreek home in Union County. That was the night before he was to testify in the Alexander County trial of Wendell Woodson, who is charged with unlawful delivery of a controlled substance...

How many breaths of air will it take you to blow up a 6-foot-long Diaper Genie refill bag? Using Bernoulli's Principle it will only take one breath. Here's another experiment that might get you and your family hooked on science. Ingredient Diaper Genie refill...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- A man on trial in the shooting deaths of his parents in the Southern Illinois community of Jonesboro said he had nothing to do with the killings. Twenty-four-year-old Robert Pitts Jr. is accused of shooting Marcia Pitts and Robert Pitts to death in their home in December 2006...

NEW YORK — A year removed from a loss in the national title game, Ohio State has a championship trophy to carry home. Nevermind that it's from the NIT. Jamar Butler and his buddies couldn't care less. Butler had 19 points and eight assists in his final college game, leading the Buckeyes to a 92-85 win over Massachusetts on Thursday night and prompting the victory celebration inside Madison Square Garden that they couldn't have last year in Atlanta...

You know, the older I get, the less riled up I am. Things that used to set me off don't bother me at all these days. What's going on? There was a time when the spring potholes showed up that I would rant and rave about those car-banging, body-smacking craters in the pavement. Nowadays I see them as nature's speed regulators. We all go too fast through life. It's time to slow down, keep an eye out for axle breakers and enjoy the magnificently blooming tulip trees...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- For the first time since his admitted criminal negligence caused the death of a local businessman, James E. Jankowski was taken into police custody. Jankowski, 41, was arrested following the handing down of a 15-year sentence by presiding Circuit Judge Stephen R. Sharp on Wednesday morning at the Stoddard County Justice Center. Jankowski had previously pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Richard "Rick" Watkins, 48, of Dexter, Mo...

Head to Jackson High School Auditorium for "A Night of Percussion" presented by the Jackson Percussion Ensemble at 7 p.m. Monday. Concert music will include Peter Gunn, Sabre Dance, and a drum piece with black lights performed by 40 students on various bass drums, toms, cymbals and snares. ...

Daveen Alexander Daveen B. Alexander, 89, of Jackson, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died Thursday, April 3, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 9, 1918, in Thayer, Mo., daughter of John Thomas and Virtie Mae Davis. She married Johnny Hester Alexander June 20, 1936. He died Nov. 6, 2001...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Anita V. McCray, 29, 909 Hackberry St., Apt. 111, was arrested on suspicion of trespassing, assaulting a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest...

WASHINGTON -- The number of new people signing up for unemployment benefits last week shot up to the highest level in more than two years, fresh evidence of the damage to a national economy clobbered by housing, credit and financial crises. The Labor Department reported Thursday that new applications filed for unemployment insurance jumped by a seasonally adjusted 38,000 to 407,000 for the week ending March 29. ...

PLATTE CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Kansas City officials say they plan to appeal a jury's $2.1 million award to a woman who claimed she was passed over for a city judgeship because she's white. Clay County assistant prosecutor Melissa Howard claimed in a lawsuit filed in Platte County that Kansas City council members wanted to fill the vacancy with a racial minority. Howard was one of three white women who were finalists for the post vacated by Marcia Walsh in 2006...

More help may come to some Southeast Missouri communities, on one condition. People have to ask for it. Wendle Capps, the director of disaster relief for Samaritan's Purse, said some people who really need help hesitate to ask for one reason. "They're too proud," he said...

Friday n Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival @ various tents downtown, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. n Opening reception of annual Art Students Juried Exhibition @ the River Campus Art Gallery, 3 to 5 p.m., then 1 to 5 p.m. through April 25. n Holly Rains @ Grace Cafe, 8 p.m...

The Doe Run Co. is inviting the public to view the recently completed bulk transfer facility at the SEMO Port Authority, designed to hold lead concentrate shipped from Doe Run mines in the Missouri lead belt. The 20,000-square-foot facility, capable of holding 12,500 tons of lead concentrate at a time, will be open for public viewing at 10 a.m. Saturday at the SEMO Port on Route AB in Scott City...

MADISON, Wis. -- Three unsolved killings in less than a year share at least one thread: They've spread fear among college students and downtown residents in Wisconsin's normally laid-back capital. A college student vanished in June after a night of barhopping; her body was found in the woods days later. In January, a 31-year-old man was stabbed to death with a paring knife in his home near the University of Wisconsin-Madison in what police called an apparently random act...

Lorena Ochoa figured anything around par is good enough at a major. It took four straight birdies to get into the mix Thursday at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Starting with a sand wedge to 2 feet on the 18th hole that she called her best of the day, Ochoa zoomed up the leaderboard with a string of birdies around the turn and settled for an opening round of 4-under 68, leaving her one shot behind Karen Stupples, who is a former touring professional for Dalhousie Golf Club...

Anyone who has heard one of comedian Bill Cosby's monologues -- perhaps at his performance a few years ago at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau -- has heard a master storyteller. Anyone who has heard Aunt Emma tell -- again -- about the time when she was a girl and the family was swept away while fording a rain-swollen creek in a haywagon, floating into a neighbor's muddy alfalfa field, has heard a master storyteller...

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Intruders ransacked offices of the main opposition party and police detained foreign journalists Thursday in an ominous sign that President Robert Mugabe might turn to intimidation and violence in trying to stave off an electoral threat to his 28-year rule...

Clara McMillian MALDEN, Mo. -- Clara Lee Garland McMillian, 77, died Wednesday, April 2, 2008, at St. John's Medical Center in Springfield, Mo. She was born Nov. 9, 1930, at Malden, Mo., daughter of Leo and Melvina Ray Kincade. She and Delmar Garland were married Nov. 9, 1949, in Piggott, Ark., and he preceded her in death on Feb. 25, 2004. She and Bill McMillian were married in June 2005...

During her freshman year, Katie Boyer said she suffered so much emotional damage from bullying that she had to transfer schools. "People would call me mean names in the hallway. People I had never met before were judging me," said Boyer, a senior now...

SCHOLARSHIPS n Olivia Riley and Whitney Beussink of Jackson have been awarded a Missouri Assessment Program Scholarship to attend Southeast Missouri State University next year. n Ashlee Sitze of Cape Girardeau has been awarded a President's Plus Scholarship, a Missouri Leadership Award and a MAP Achievement Scholarship to attend Southeast Missouri State University next year...

The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce will honor five people as the 2008 Educators of the Year. Rhonda Dunham, Josh LaMar, Becky Hicks, Roy Merideth and Dr. Mitchel Gerber were selected. Dunham has been principal of Franklin Elementary for seven years and is pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis. ...

Residents of low-lying areas were keeping watch over creeks and drainage basins early Thursday evening as waves of rain, at times dropping as much as two-thirds of an inch in an hour, repeatedly ran over saturated ground in Southeast Missouri. Many are still cleaning up from floods that struck the area in the aftermath of a record-setting rainstorm March 18 and 19. ...

The rains that moved through the Cape Girardeau area Thursday and into early Friday morning dumped 3.92 inches of rain on the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport and about 3 inches of rain downtown. But the downpours didn't cause the major flooding problems associated with the record-breaking rains that hit the area a little over two weeks ago, local emergency response agencies reported...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (AP) — Confessed serial killer Timothy Krajcir pleaded guilty Friday to killing five women nearly 30 years ago in southeast Missouri, but avoided the death penalty after making a plea deal with prosecutors. Krajcir received several life sentences after pleading to five counts of murder and several lesser counts including armed criminal action. Krajcir agreed to confess to the unsolved crimes if authorities would agree not to seek his execution...

A boil water order is being issued for a third of Cape Girardeau residents after a major water main break Friday. The order is in effect through 5 p.m. Sunday.An estimated 12,000 people are in the area affected by the break...

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) -- A steady stream of friends and family pay their final respects to a Missouri man kidnapped and killed in Iraq while working as a security contractor. John Roy Young was laid to rest in his hometown Friday after his remains were returned early this week. Sixteen months ago he was abducted while escorting a convoy in Iraq...

Jackson police arrested a man Thursday for alleged statutory sodomy with a child under 12 years old. James R. Tanner, 48, of Jackson, was arrested Thursday following an investigation that began Wednesday, according to a news release from the Jackson Police Department...

TOWN AND COUNTRY, Mo. (AP) -- A community leader from west St. Louis County is dead after a fatal spider bite. Rita Brumm died March 31st. She was 40. Brumm died after a bite from a brown recluse spider that had become embedded in a sweater. Brumm was a well-known real estate agent involved in many community and charitable organizations. She served on the boards of the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis, Central Institute for the Deaf and Junior League of St. Louis, among others...

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- An 84-year-old Columbia woman has died of injuries suffered in a March 14 house explosion that killed her husband. Boone County medical examiners said Merna Sneed died early Thursday at University Hospital's George Peak Burn Center. The retired University of Missouri home economics professor had been in critical condition with burns over more than 40 percent of her body...

Read Timothy Krajcir's Nov. 14 interview with Carbondale, Ill., police Lt. Paul Echols and Cape Girardeau police Det. Jimmy Smith by clicking on the link on this page.WARNING: The interview includes some material that may be offensive to some readers. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Lisa Montgomery was sentenced to death Friday for killing a Missouri mother-to-be and cutting the baby from the woman's womb. U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner in Kansas City handed down the sentence after a jury recommended the death penalty for Montgomery in the 2004 slaying of Bobbie Jo Stinnett of Skidmore, in northwest Missouri...

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) -- A coroner says the drowning death of a Southern Illinois University graduate student from China is puzzling. Jackson County Coroner Thomas Kupferer says no foul play is suspected in the death of 31-year-old Huaijun Meng. Meng was found fully clothed and face down Wednesday in water about three feet deep on the Carbondale campus...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Stoddard County Sheriff Carl Hefner reports the arrest of three individuals from the Dexter, Mo., area on drug charges. Following an investigation into illegal drug activity in Stoddard County and possession of stolen property from the Jackson area, a search warrant was executed at the suspect's residence in Stoddard County...

Some state roads in Southeast Missouri are closed today due to flooding, according to MoDOT. The following roads are closed in MoDOT's Southeast District as of 1 p.m., listed by county:Bollinger County· Route H from Route 51 to Route FFButler County· Route N entire length of Route· Route 142 from Route EE to Route HHCape Girardeau County· Route EE from two miles west of Route A at Chaffee to Route 25 at Delta· Route P from Route 25 at Delta to Co. ...

AmerenUE will seek a 12.1 percent increase in electric rates from the Missouri Public Service Commission, the company announced today. The rate increase will help support continuing efforts to make electric service more reliable as well as add cash to the company's bottom line to make the utility more attractive to investors, vice president for energy delivery Ronald Zdellar told the Southeast Missourian...

BENTON, Mo. -- A Miner, Mo., resident was sentenced to the next 30 years in prison for the sexual assault of a 4-year-old child. Christopher Perigo, 34, was sentenced to 30 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on one count of first degree statutory sodomy by Judge Mark Richardson in Butler County Tuesday. Perigo was found guilty by a Butler County jury on the charge on December 19...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- AmerenUE announces that it will ask utility regulators for a 12.1 percent electric rate increase. The St. Louis-based utility estimates it would bring in an extra $251 million each year and would cost average consumers an additional $9 per month...

A boil-water advisory remains in effect until 5 p.m. Sunday, after a water main break Friday. 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, according to Kevin Priester. The order applies to one third of the city -- an estimated 12,000 people. Businesses on either side of Kingshighway are not affected by the order...

Clarence W. Lange, 89, of Jackson passed away Friday, April 4, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 12, 1918, at Tilsit, son of Henry H. and Anna L. Siebert Lange. He and Alline Evans were married Dec. 15, 1940. She passed away Jan. 21, 1998. He and Ruth Jean Kassel Field were married April 20, 1989, in Cape Girardeau...

Virginia Crenshaw, 99, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Charleston, Mo., died Thursday, April 3, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Oct. 15, 1908, in Corning, Ark., daughter of Robert E. and Mattie Wynn Hawks. She and Henry J. Crenshaw were married July 8, 1946. He died in November 1981...

Madeline B. Godwin, 97, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, April 3, 2008, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Sept. 22, 1910, in Cape Girardeau County, daughter of Henry J. and Matilda Heuer Brinkopf. She married Franklin Barnes in 1938 in Chicago. She then married James Peacock in 1962 in Germany, and later married William Godwin in 1977 in Cape Girardeau. All preceded her in death...

The storms that moved through the Cape Girardeau area Thursday and into early Friday morning dumped 3.92 inches of rain on the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport and about 3 inches of rain downtown. But the downpours didn't cause the major flooding problems associated with the record-breaking rains that hit the area a little more than two weeks ago, local emergency response agencies reported...

Southeast Missouri State baseball coach Mark Hogan is approaching another milestone. But rather than getting worked up about his impending 400th win at Southeast, Hogan said he is focused on keeping the Redhawks toward the top of the Ohio Valley Conference standings...

Jackson 6-foot-6 forward Spencer Goodman recently gave his verbal commitment to play basketball at the University of North Dakota, which will move up to Division I next year. He plans to sign with the program during the next possible basketball signing period, which begins April 16...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team will try to keep climbing the Ohio Valley Conference standings when the Redhawks begin a three-game home series today. Tennessee State visits Southeast for a 1 p.m. doubleheader, followed by a 1 p.m. contest Sunday...

Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Scott Edgar is in the market for a new chief recruiter. Edgar recently informed Ronnie Dean that he will not renew Dean's contract for next season. Dean has been a Southeast assistant coach the past four seasons, including the final two years of Gary Garner's regime and the first two years of Edgar's tenure...

POPLAR BLUFF -- Friday night was possibly the last time Bell City senior Rachel Spears would be on the volleyball court in a competitive atmosphere. To listen to her, you would think she was outclassed by her fellow players in the B.A. Sports All-Star Extravaganza and ready to get it over with...

The organizer of a three-day conference to be held this month hopes to unite men under one cause -- to lead men to a stronger relationship with God in their homes, their work places and in their churches. The Rev. T.D. White, pastor of The Rock International Ministries of Jackson, said God gave him the idea more than a year ago to unite men, lift them up and teach them God's way. That's how Men's Conference 2008 "Men United for One Cause," to be held April 17 to 19, was born...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- On the 40th anniversary of his assassination, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was remembered Friday in the city where he died as a man who came to Memphis "to lead us to a better way." Presidential candidates, civil rights leaders, labor activists and thousands of citizens were coming together to honor King for his devotion to racial equality and economic justice...

Missouri needs a big infusion of cash for state transportation needs to build on safety improvements and smoother driving conditions achieved in recent years, two leading lawmakers told a Cape Girardeau business audience Friday. Rep. Neal St. Onge, R-Ellisville, and Sen. ...

U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson met with city of Jackson officials to review progress in recovering from February's ice storms. The ice caused more than $1.3 million in damage throughout the city. Emerson saw some of the storm's lingering effects while touring the city with Mayor Barbara Lohr and city manager Jim Roach Friday morning...

@graphic_body_indent_bold leadin:Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: n At 6:08 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1500 block of Revlon Street. n At 6:20 p.m., an illegal burn at 210 Capaha Trail. n At 6:59 p.m., a line down at Independence and Hanover streets...

Betty Reineke, 82, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, April 4, 2008, at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis. Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

NEW YORK -- To the untrained eye, the man looked like any other traveler as he waited in line at Kennedy Airport. But something about the way he was acting caught the attention of two security screeners. For 16 minutes, they questioned him, scanned every inch of his body twice with a metal-detecting wand and emptied his carry-on bag onto a table. Out came a car stereo with wires dangling from it...

@graphic_body_indent_bold leadin:Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI n Jonathan R. Scarber, 23, 1420 N. Spanish St., was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, driving while suspended, failure to maintain single lane and failure to stop at flashing red signal...

Peace, it's wonderful. So are some other things -- like democracy, common sense and practical policies as opposed to angry slogans. The latest election results from Taiwan, aka the Republic of China, represent a victory for all of those. The results were not only a landslide victory (58 percent of the vote) for the Kuomintang, or Nationalists, but a well-deserved slap at the current, ever controversial president and leader of the other party, the Democratic Progressives...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- James Charles Westbrook, 81, of Advance died Friday, April 4, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 21, 1926, in Advance, son of Elmer and Helen Malarky Westbrook. Westbrook retired from the U.S. Navy as a chief petty officer and also retired from Sears...

A St. Louis truck driving school owner who sent his students to Sikeston, Mo., for testing was convicted in federal court in Cape Girardeau in a bribery and fraud scheme to make the tests easy to pass. Mustafa Redzic, a Bosnian-born owner of Bosna Truck Driving School, was prosecuted personally by federal prosecutor Catherine Hanaway in federal court in Cape Girardeau. ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Low-cost carrier Skybus Airlines is shutting down Saturday and plans to file for bankruptcy protection next week, becoming the latest of the nation's airlines to fall because of rising fuel costs and a slowing economy. The announcement Friday came less than a year after Skybus started up at Port Columbus International Airport, offering several $10 flights. The airline's situation worsened in recent weeks, said Skybus spokesman Bob Tenenbaum...

Former Central swimmer breaks world record Susan Beth Scott, a former swimmer at Central, broke the world record in the 400-meter freestyle Thursday night at the U.S. Paralympic swimming trials at the University of Minnesota. Scott finished in 4 minutes, 40.12 seconds, which broke a 12-year record...

Four students will travel to Jefferson City, Mo., on Monday to meet with legislators, tour the Capitol and Governor's Mansion, and listen to the governor speak. The students are Morgan Newell of Oak Ridge High School, Meg Goodman of Cape Girardeau Central High School, Alicea Mahnken of Saxony Lutheran High School and Kara Goodier of Jackson High School...

BAGHDAD -- In a dramatic reversal, Iraq's prime minister ordered a nationwide freeze Friday on Iraqi raids against Shiite militants, bowing to demands by anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr only one day after promising to expand the crackdown to Baghdad...

WASHINGTON -- It's no longer a question of recession or not. Now it's how deep and how long. Workers' pink slips stacked ever higher in March as jittery employers slashed 80,000 jobs, the most in five years, and the national unemployment rate climbed to 5.1 percent. Job losses are nearing the staggering level of a quarter-million this year in just three months...

LOS ANGELES -- Kevin Federline might play the part of the pauper to his pop princess ex-wife Britney Spears, but in Las Vegas he is king. Federline spent more than $43,000 on Las Vegas hotels, dining and shopping between May 2007 and January of this year, according to documents filed by Federline's attorney in his custody battle with Spears. The documents were released by the Superior Court on Thursday...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- During a special meeting Wednesday, City Council members approved the submission of an updated airport layout plan to the Missouri Department of Transportation's Aviation Section for review. The city must have an updated airport layout plan approved to be eligible for any future federal grant funding for airport improvements, according to City Manager Doug Friend...

In the 1991 movie "What about Bob?" Richard Dreyfuss' character (Dr. Marvin) is trying to wake up Bob, played by Bill Murray. First, he calls to Bob and nudges him. Doesn't work. Then he shouts and nudges harder. Dr. Marvin then places two hands on Bob's back and pushes him up and down. Bob snores away contentedly...

Haven't we been listening to talk of "100 years" of war in Iraq for 100 years now? It certainly feels that way. But this favorite talking point of the two Democrats presidential candidates is bogus. "Instead of offering an exit strategy for Iraq, [Sen. John McCain is] offering us a 100-year occupation," Sen. Barack Obama said on the fifth anniversary of the coalition's move on the then-oppressed Iraq. But it could have been any day; Obama uses the sound bite often enough...

Higher costs for fuel and materials, the need to continue efforts designed to make the electrical grid more reliable and a quest for higher profits all combined in AmerenUE's decision to seek a 12.1 percent rate increase, company representatives said Friday...

ANNA, Ill. -- Lauxanne Haas, 60, of Anna died Thursday, April 3, 2008, in Jackson County as the result of an automobile accident. She was born Jan. 11, 1948, in Chicago, daughter of William A. and Ruth Joan Xanders Haas. Haas attended the University of California-Santa Barbara and later received a degree from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. She was currently a paralegal for the Jimmerson Law Firm in Clayton, Mo...

Daveen B. Alexander, 89, of Jackson, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died Thursday, April 3, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 9, 1918, in Thayer, Mo., daughter of the late John Thomas and Virtie Mae Weber Davis. She worked with her husband in country club management and attended Shady Acres Church of Christ when she lived in Sikeston...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Beulah M. Newman, 87, of Sikeston died Thursday, April 3, 2008, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 2, 1920, in Canalou, Mo., daughter of Allison McKinley and Clara Allen Cullins Sr. She and C.K. "Bud" Newman were married April 25, 1936. He died June 17, 1985...

25 years ago: April 5, 1983 The Jackson Board of Aldermen last night approved a resolution authorizing the city to file a protest with the Interstate Commerce Commission over Missouri Pacific's proposed abandonment of the only rail line serving the community...

Environmental pollution POLLUTING THE environment is tantamount to injuring people. You wouldn't throw out litter, would you? School safety WHO WOULD suggest that students be in trailers instead of building more classrooms at Central High School? As a parent, I worry when they're in brick buildings for their safety during a tornado watch. Quit complaining about the gyms and playing fields...

Briefly Christian entertainment offered at area churches n The Jeremiah People, a Christian musical drama group, will perform at 6 p.m. April 13 at Lynwood Baptist Church. Made up of five to eight actors/musicians, the Jeremiah People bring laughter, tears and relevant ministry using drama, music and testimony...

The legal battle between Jim and Debbie Shank of Jackson and the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, has garnered considerable attention around the globe. This week Wal-Mart announced it would end its effort to take money the Shanks had received as part of a $1 million lawsuit settlement with a trucking company involved in an accident that left Debbie Shank with brain damage and other injuries requiring confinement to a nursing home...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Lester Pickett Jr., 84, of Tamms died Friday, April 4, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Crain Funeral Home in Tamms is in charge of arrangements.

Proverbs 12:11 reads, "Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense." I am not much of a gardener. In fact when I look for plants I look for the hardy ones. Plants that, no matter how hard I try, I cannot kill them. I am glad that I do not have to literally work the land for bread. I have learned a few things in my bumbling attempts to garden...

For the past 26 years, Donald Call dreamed about seeing the man who murdered his mother, 57-year-old Margie L. Call, in January of 1982 brought to justice. In his dreams, he was standing with his brother when the judge banged down a gavel, declaring the defendant guilty, and Donald Call had to make an immediate grab for his more hot-tempered sibling as his older brother vaulted over the railing to lunge at their mother's killer. ...

In his bow tie and ill-fitting suit, Donald Davis looks like the avuncular uncle who entertains at family celebrations with stories about the relatives. Stories like how much he enjoyed being the baby, the first in the family, and how little he liked at age 3 yielding the title "baby" to his new brother. At age 5 he liked something even less -- having to watch the baby while his mother did laundry or picked beans in the garden...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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. ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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. ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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."...

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...

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...

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...

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...

@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...

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...

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...

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...

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. ...

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. ...

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."...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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. ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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?...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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. ...

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...

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. ...

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.)...

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...

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...

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. ...

@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...

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...

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...

SEATTLE -- Microsoft set the clock ticking for Yahoo to accept its $41 billion buyout offer in a letter to the Internet pioneer's board Saturday, warning that if a deal wasn't reached by April 26, the software maker would launch a hostile takeover at a less attractive price...

Ruth Meinz ALTENBURG, Mo. -- Ruth A. Meinz, 92, of Altenburg died Saturday, April 5, 2008, at Perry Oaks Manor in Perryville, Mo. She was born May 27, 1915, in Frohna, Mo., daughter of Martin B. and Susanna Lueders Schuessler. She and Henry A. Meinz were married Oct. 3, 1954. He died May 14, 1998...

Carolyn Green ST. LOUIS -- Carolyn Sue Green, 49, of St. Louis, formerly of Patton, Mo., died Sunday, April 6, 2008, at her residence. She was born Dec. 9, 1958, daughter of Francis E. and Geraldine Presnell Green. Survivors include her mother, Geraldine of St. Louis, a brother, Ronald Green of Marquand, Mo.; three sisters, Debra Kastl, Sharon Brockwell and Marilyn Green, all of St. Louis...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. Global economics and the housing bust are throwing a relentless string of problems at the mom-and-pop sawmills and logging companies that make up much of the nation's hardwood lumber industry. Large furniture makers have abandoned the U.S., a growing number of raw logs are being shipped overseas for processing, and changing consumer tastes and construction downturns have slashed demand for hardwood flooring and red oak, long the dominant species...

Central's Wendi Zickfield refused to use anything but the 10-foot hoop when practicing basketball as a second-grader inside the Trinity Lutheran school gym. "When she started off, she couldn't shoot it up to the goal," her father, Kent Zickfield, said. "She was too small, but she wasn't going to shoot on the short goal. She was going to, by gosh, score on the big goal. She wouldn't shoot on the one that was pulled down low."...

The Tyrell Cummings Show took center stage at Capaha Field on Sunday. Cummings blasted three home runs and the Southeast Missouri State baseball team needed every one of them to beat visiting Murray State 9-8. "It's the first time I've ever hit three home runs in a game," said Cummings, the Redhawks' junior college transfer right fielder. "It makes it even better when you win."...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team rode early home runs and the strong pitching of Elaine Fisher to beat visiting Tennessee State 6-3 on Sunday. Michelle Summers, the school's single-season and career home-run leader, led off the bottom of the first inning with her 11th homer this year...

Lecture, exhibit planned on deindustrialization "Deindustrialization of America" will be the subject of a lecture and exhibit on the Southeast Missouri State University Campus. Dr. Eric Clements, associate professor of history, will present the lecture at 6:30 p.m. ...

Local farmer takes part in leadership program Cape Girardeau farmer Matthew McCrate joined with representatives from 14 states recently attending the Leadership at its Best program of the American Soybean Association. McCrate, a member of the Missouri Soybean Association board of directors, participated in the training designed to make him a more effective voice for soybean farmers. The training was held in conjunction with the American Soybean Association board meeting...

So now we're a disaster area. Last week, Cape Girardeau, Scott and Stoddard counties were added to Bollinger County as areas that suffered enough damage in the March 18 and 19 storms and flooding to make individuals and businesses eligible for recovery help. There are 35 counties in Missouri that have been given the disaster designation...

LONDON -- Police repeatedly scuffled with protesters as Olympians and dignitaries carried the Olympic torch during a chaotic relay through snowy London on Sunday. Demonstrators tried to board a relay bus after five-time Olympic gold medalist rower Steve Redgrave launched the procession at Wembley Stadium -- presaging a number of clashes with police along the torch's 31-mile journey...

Lester Pickett Jr. TAMMS, Ill. -- Lester Pickett Jr., 84, of Tamms died Friday, April 4, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born on Nov. 12, 1923, in Benton, Ill., son of Lester and Anna Mae King Pickett Sr. He and Sarah E. Lingle were married Aug. 13, 1962. She died May 3, 1997...

ST. LOUIS -- Kyle Lohse was billed as an innings-eater for a needy rotation when the St. Louis Cardinals signed him as a free agent in mid-March. He's also been something of a good-luck charm. Counting the last two weeks of spring training, the Cardinals are 16-2 with the right-hander on the roster after Lohse allowed four hits in seven innings of a 3-0 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday...

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Police used tear gas early Sunday to disperse a massive crowd partying near the Michigan State University campus after fights broke out and officers were pelted with bottles and cans. Police said in a statement that 3,000 to 4,000 people had gathered for the Cedar Fest party late Saturday. They said 52 people were arrested and 48 others were ticketed for various offenses...

TAMPA, Fla. -- Authorities have found the bodies of two missing boaters in Tampa Bay a day after fielding a distress call about a boat on fire. Authorities say one of the bodies retrieved Sunday is that of 56-year-old Alton Earl Jones. A female victim has yet to be identified. Coast Guard officials say there may have been a third boater...

LOS ANGELES -- Nancy Reagan was heartbroken over Charlton Heston's death. President Bush hailed him as a "strong advocate for liberty," while John McCain called Heston a devotee for civil and constitutional rights. Even Michael Moore, who mocked Heston in his gun-control documentary "Bowling for Columbine," posted the actor's picture on his Web site to mark his passing...

Spiritual churches Just because a church is growing doesn't mean that it is spiritual. It could be that the people are being entertained. If a church is spiritual, there will be a life-changing transformation in the lives of the people attending that church. When Christ comes back, he is not coming for people who go to church, He is coming back for people who have been changed by his power...

BAGHDAD -- Rockets or mortars slammed into the U.S.-protected Green Zone and a military base elsewhere in Baghdad on Sunday, killing three American soldiers and wounding 31, an official said. The attacks occurred as U.S. and Iraqi forces battled Shiite militants in Sadr City in some of the fiercest fighting since radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered a cease-fire a week ago. At least 16 Iraqi civilians were killed in the fighting, according to hospital officials...

Bodies found in illegal dump in Kansas City KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Police were investigating the deaths of three people whose bodies were found by weekend crews cleaning up an illegal dump area, according to the Kansas City Star. The first body was found about 9:30 a.m. ...

Lorena Ochoa, the Mexican star who once struggled in the majors, now is making them look easy. Ochoa continued her dominance of women's golf Sunday with a five-shot victory in the Kraft Nabisco Championship, giving her the last two majors by a combined nine shots. She was the only player without a bogey in the final round on a tough Mission Hills course in Rancho Mirage, Calif., closing with a 5-under 67 and taking the greatest swim of her life...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Mark Penn, the pollster and senior strategist for Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid, left the campaign Sunday after it was disclosed he met with representatives of the Colombian government to help promote a free-trade agreement Clinton opposes...

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- President Robert Mugabe's ruling party demanded a vote recount and a further delay in the release of presidential election results, the state Sunday Mail newspaper reported, while militants seized equipment and livestock from white-owned farms...

Former legislator gets probation for scam ST. LOUIS -- A former lawmaker from suburban St. Louis will serve five years probation and repay nearly $20,000 for his part in a credit card scheme, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. John Bowman Sr., a Democrat from Northwoods, was sentenced Friday for a misdemeanor charge of bribing a bank official. ...

Rudolph Kagle Rudolph L. Kagle, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, April 6, 2008, at his home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

@graphic_body_indent_bold leadin:Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n A subject is in custody pending formal charges for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance...

Most middle school students admit they're pretty picky about their books. You have to feel like you're part of the adventure, said Maddie Siefert, a sixth-grader at Central Middle School. It can't be boring, according to Elle Seawel. And if the book doesn't enthrall you after the first page, forget it, Gabriella Knox said...

ELDORADO, Texas -- Authorities who removed 219 women and children from a polygamist compound were struggling Sunday to determine whether they had the 16-year-old girl whose report of an underage marriage led them to raid the sprawling rural property...

Sara Saliba ANNA, Ill. -- Sara M. Saliba, 67, of Anna, formerly of Cairo, Ill., and Mounds, Ill., died Sunday, April 6, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Barkett Funeral Home in Cairo.

Juanita Wilson ADVANCE, Mo. -- Juanita Lee Wilson, 74, of Advance died Sunday, April 6, 2008, at Puxico, Mo. She was born May 1, 1933, in Fisk, Mo., daughter of Jesse and Ruth Frieds Mangrum. She and Truman Wilson were married July 23, 1960, in Marble Hill, Mo. He died Aug. 17, 1980...

Nina Oliver ANNA, Ill. -- Nina L. Oliver, 81, of Anna died Sunday, April 6, 2008, at Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Ky. She was born June 21, 1926, in East St. Louis, Ill., daughter of William and Anna Rutledge Hannah. She and Cletus Milford Oliver were married Jan. 30, 1946, in Vienna, Ill. He died Nov. 8, 2005...

Bernadine Logan ASHLEY, Ill. -- Bernadine F. Logan, 71, of Ashley died Saturday, April 5, 2008, at the Friendship Manor Health Center in Nashville, Ill. Logan was born Aug. 20, 1936, in Radom, Ill., daughter of Theodore and Mary Szopinski Borowiak. She and David Logan were married July 3, 1978, in Radom...

Pauline Dunn BERNIE, Mo. -- Pauline Dunn, 74, of Bernie died Friday, April 4, 2008, at the Barnes Rehabilitation Institute in St. Louis. She was born Aug. 31, 1933, at Lamar, Ark., daughter of Orace and Valerie Overby Allen. She and Velton Dunn were married Jan. 29, 1952, at Pontiac, Mich. He died Oct. 29, 1969...

The Jackson School District is starting to reap the benefits of a program started two years ago to home-grow its administrators. Matt Lacy, a social studies teacher recently promoted to assistant principal at the high school, is a product of the program, as is Christa Millham, assistant principal of the middle school. Shauna Criddle, the future principal of Millersville and Gordonville Elementary schools, is enrolled...

CHICAGO -- Medicine mix-ups, accidental overdoses and bad drug reactions harm roughly one out of 15 hospitalized children, according to the first scientific test of a new detection method. That number is far higher than earlier estimates and bolsters concerns already heightened by well publicized cases like the accidental drug overdose of actor Dennis Quaid's newborn twins last November...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Saturday: At 4:55 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1900 block of North Kingshighway. At 5:29 p.m., emergency medical service in the 800 block of Good Hope Street...

Chicken and dumplings, ham meal set for April 20 An all-you-can-eat, family-style meal will be offered from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. April 20 at Cape Senior Center (next to Bingo World). The meal includes chicken and dumplings and ham, mashed potatoes, slaw, green beans, dessert and drink. Carryouts will be available, and children's meals are discounted. Proceeds benefit the Building Fund...

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- A suicide bomber killed 14 people at an opening ceremony for a marathon Sunday, including a government minister who was nearing the starting line with a flag and a former Olympian. More than 90 others were wounded in the attack...

Anton Stortz Jr. FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. -- Anton F. Stortz Jr., 62, of Fredericktown died Friday, April 4, 2008, at Madison Medical Center in Fredericktown. He was born Sept. 17, 1945, son of Anton F. and Luvina B. Geringer Stortz Sr. Stortz worked as a carpenter and was a veteran of the Army National Guard...

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — It's so much a part of the landscape that residents often don't even notice it, except when a visiting relative notices: "Look, there's the mound." Rising from what once was an endless grass sea parted by the Mississippi River, Monks Mound isn't even named after the American Indians who built it centuries ago, but the Trappist monks who lived there for only five years in the 19th century...

ATHENS, Ga. -- Police said they got a major clue to the identity of a suspect in the armed robbery of a convenience store -- his job application. Investigators in Athens, Ga., said Demetrius Robinson filled out the application to kill time while waiting for the Golden Pantry store to empty of customers...

To the editor: The girls basketball performances by the Delta Bobcats, under coach Randy White and assistant Gary Poyner, in the Mizzou Arena in Columbia were thrilling, beginning with an upset of Meadville to a never-quit effort in the championship game against Northeast (Cairo)...

Congrats Bobcats CONGRATULATIONS TO the Delta Bobcats girls basketball team. You had a great season and everyone is proud of you. Also congratulations to coach Randy White for a great seven years at Delta. Yeah Tyler CONGRATULATIONS TO Tyler Hansbrough for being named AP All-American. You make us so very proud. Thanks for being such a positive role model for our youth...

BAGHDAD -- The car exploded near a popular ice cream parlor, sending flames and shrapnel through the busy square and killing 17 people. It was another deadly explosion quickly forgotten by the outside world. But Aug. 1, 2007, changed the life of 28-year-old Maysa Sharif. It was the day she became one of nearly a million Iraqi women who have lost husbands as the country has suffered through three wars and Saddam Hussein's murderous regime...

ST. LOUIS -- In the last five years, the city of St. Louis has spent more than $4 million buying unused sick days from dozens of employees, a St. Louis Post-Dispatch analysis shows. And while advocates say the generous policy helps offset low worker salaries, those who gain the most are managers who already are at the high-end of the pay scale...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Illinois did it -- and reports the extra funding paid off in substantially increased ridership. Other states tell similar stories of rail-passenger ridership increasing after the state spent more money. Ridership is growing nationwide. ...

25 years ago: April 7, 1983 The move is on again for some Cape Girardeau residents, who find themselves ousted once more from their homes because of an uncooperative river; with the Mississippi at 39.1 feet, water is causing noticeable problems in both the Red Star area and in South Cape Girardeau east of Sprigg Street...

St. Louis to get federal help for floodwall repair ST. LOUIS -- The city of St. Louis will get some help repairing its downtown floodwall. The city has signed a funding agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make needed repairs to the system, which was completed in 1974. ...

PHILADELPHIA -- Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are hustling for the youth vote in Pennsylvania as if they've never heard this is a state where the old hold sway. Campuses in the cities and mountainsides are alive with political activism, stirred most notably by Obama in student registration drives aimed at replicating his success with young voters dating to the Iowa caucuses in January...

NEW YORK -- U.S. military officials seeking to boost the nation's cyberwarfare capabilities are looking beyond defending the Internet: They are developing ways to launch virtual attacks on enemies. But first the military will have to figure out the proper boundaries...

Concert helps Malden seniors nutrition site MALDEN, Mo. — Grammy and Dove award-winning artist Jessy Dixon will give a concert at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Malden Community Center. Sponsored by The Malden Senior Nutrition Site, a portion of ticket sales will go to benefit the nutrition site's programs. ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Keith Tkachuk became the 41st player in NHL history to score 500 goals, and added an assist to help the St. Louis Blues beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 on Sunday in the season finale for both teams. Tkachuk, scored his 27th of the season, a short-handed goal into an empty net, with 1:34 remaining...

FORT WORTH, Texas -- As his interim crew chief headed toward inspection, Carl Edwards offered to lend him cash to bribe NASCAR's officials. Of course, Edwards was joking. But in making light of the severe penalties his team drew when its race-winning car failed inspection last month, Edwards showed his Roush Fenway Racing team has solidly bounced back from the Las Vegas disaster...

ROLLA, Mo. -- The University of Missouri curators' meeting here last week was a homecoming for new system president Gary Forsee, a 1972 graduate of the school known for its math, science and engineering programs. Ditto for curator Cheryl Walker, the board's new chairwoman and a 1986 graduate of what was then known as the University of Missouri-Rolla but is now called Missouri University of Science and Technology...

LOS ANGELES -- The gambling tale "21" kept up its winning streak as it took in $15.1 million to stay on top of the box office for a second-straight weekend, leaving George Clooney's "Leatherheads" and the family tale "Nim's Island" to fight for second place...

The Jackson Police Department has taken another step in its push for professionalism and accreditation. It has been certified by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, which recognizes police departments around the country for efforts to upgrade polices and communicate those policies to members of the police force...

SAN ANTONIO -- Two statistics stood out in Kansas' 84-66 victory over North Carolina in the national semifinals. The Tar Heels shot a season-low 35.8 percent from the floor, and they had 18 turnovers, four more than their average. Chalk those uncharacteristic numbers up to Kansas' relentless defense, especially early in the game, when the Jayhawks seemed to be playing with six or seven defenders...

It has certainly not been a smooth offseason so far for the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team. First sophomore point guard Roderick Pearson, a two-year starter, decided to transfer. And now Ronnie Dean is also out. Southeast coach Scott Edgar last week informed Dean -- the Redhawks' chief recruiter -- that he was not renewing Dean's contract for next season...

TAMPA, Fla. — Candice Wiggins continued her electrifying run through the NCAA tournament, scoring 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds while getting some timely help from Kayla Pederson and JJ Hones as Stanford shocked Connecticut 82-73 in Sunday night's national semifinals...

It's been a rough three months for the construction trade in Southeast Missouri. After a cold start to the year, a major ice storm followed by flooding rains is forcing delays for projects ranging from new homes to commercial contracts. In all, Cape Girardeau Regional Airport recorded 37 days with measurable precipitation from Jan. 1 to March 31. Construction crews are slogging through mud to reach their worksites and some are working Sundays to make up for work missed during the week...

In 1983, Timothy Wayne Krajcir sat in the driver's seat of his car, parked on the outskirts of the parking lot of Mountainview Shopping Center in Allentown, Pa. A loaded pistol rested in his lap. A woman crossed the lot on her way to her car, and noticed the lone vehicle. Tape was wrapped around the license plate, concealing the identifying numbers. Alarm bells went off. She called the police...

Donald Davis moved from one story to another like walking into a different room at a family reunion Sunday. He told not just stories but life lessons learned through family tales and weaved around punch lines to keep the audience entertained and interested...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A St. Louis police officer shot and killed while on patrol has a street renamed in his memory. A stretch of Margaretta Avenue is dedicated to Police Officer Norvelle Brown. The street is next to the North Patrol Division, where Brown had been assigned...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- The fate of the St. John's Bayou-New Madrid Floodway Project -- and perhaps Southeast Missouri, for that matter -- is now in the hands of the U.S. Solicitor General. A meeting was held Tuesday in Washington, D.C., to discuss the current status of the U.S. ...

Once a year, seven sisters gather in the fellowship hall of a modest Patton, Mo., church to catch up, laugh and stitch. This is the second year the girls have met to sew their "Seven Sisters" quilt that will be auctioned off later in the year with the proceeds going to the Reagan Chapel United Methodist Church. The auction takes place at the annual Harvest Festival in September...

FARMINGTON, Mo. (AP) -- A former corrections employee is placed on five years of supervised probation for having sexual contact with an inmate at the prison in Farmington. Fifty-one-year-old Ruth Grill of Fredericktown will have a felony record and have to register as a sex offender. She was ordered not to associate with inmates or be present at a prison...