Stories from Thursday, February 5, 2009

A Cape Girardeau man convicted of killing his neighbors' dog will serve 30 days in jail, Associate Circuit Judge Michael Bullerdieck ruled Wednesday. Ralph H. Ziegler, 58, 1315 Ashland Hills, pleaded guilty Wednesday afternoon to one count of animal abuse for poisoning a German shepherd mix named Lola...

Feb. 5, 2009 Dear Patty, As I was readying to leave for a Super Bowl party Sunday afternoon, a thunderous sound made our house shudder. It felt like an earthquake. DC and I ran out the front door to see what happened, and our neighbor Robyn came out on her porch. She'd heard and felt it, too...

Live music Live acoustic music Matt Murphy plays his weekly Thursday gig. Where: Slingers When: 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. today Shades of Blue Classic rock and blues. Where: Jimmi's Restaurant & Bar...

People living in some rural areas of Southeast Missouri could be without power for more than a month, authorities said Wednesday. As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, about 4,000 customers of SEMO Electric Cooperative, mostly confined to Scott, New Madrid and Mississippi counties, were still without power, said Glen Cantrell, spokesman for SEMO Electric. It could take three to five weeks to get power restored to everyone who lost it as a result of last week's ice storm, he said...

WASHINGTON -- President Obama on Wednesday signed a bill extending health coverage to 4 million uninsured children, a move he called a first step toward fulfilling a campaign pledge to provide insurance for all Americans. It was a victory for Obama a day after his nominee to shepherd his broad health care agenda stepped aside amid tax problems...

Entering its third year, the Tour of Missouri bicycle race will make its way to Cape Girardeau in September, a goal local cycling enthusiasts and city officials have been seeking for some time. The official announcement came late last month as Tour of Missouri organizers announced the 11 cities on the 2009 tour, which will start on the east side of the state this year. The first two races started on the west side of the state and ended in St. Louis...

A donation fund has been established at a US Bank in Cape Girardeau for the family of Hailey Dacus, 7, of Jackson who died an hour after a motor vehicle accident Monday evening. Checks should be sent to Dacus Family Donation Account c/o Andrea Moore, 325 N. Kings-highway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63701. Those wanting to give at another US Bank location should use account No. 152302202923 when depositing their donation...

On Saturday, the Metropolitan Opera high-definition broadcast at the Town Plaza Cinema will be one of the greatest of all bel canto operas ever composed — Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor.: The performance begins at noon. The encore performance will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 18...

BENTON, Mo. — Marie Elizabeth Hibbing, 86, of Riverside, Calif., died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009. She was born Dec. 4, 1922, in Kelso, Mo., daughter of George and Helen Hamm Ziegler. She and Milton Hibbing were married Sept. 11, 1955, in Benton. After their marriage the couple moved to California...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Hannah M. Hart, 29, 628 Terry Lane, was arrested on suspicion of attempted stealing. n A subject is in custody pending charges for fraudulently attempting to obtain a controlled substance...

@SL_body_copy_ragged:The Grammy Awards air Sunday with pomp and pompousness. Musical performances by Justin Timberlake, the Swagga Like Us gang and Jennifer Hudson interrupt the award-giving. Well, depending on how you look at it, the award-giving will interrupt the musical performances ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson of St. Louis is headed to Missouri after all. And should his desire to play offense full-time come true, opponents could be faced with the prospect of trying to tackle a nearly 300-pound tight end...

Arthur Westrich CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Arthur Lawrence Westrich, 83, of Chaffee died Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 27, 1925, in New Hamburg, Mo., son of Benjamin Lawrence and Bertha Ida Pobst Westrich...

A structural engineer has determined it could take six to eight months to repair a collapsed roof at Blair Packaging at 24 S. Sheridan Blvd. in Cape Girardeau, company officials said Wednesday. Marketing director Joe Bullock had estimated Tuesday it would take six to eight weeks to repair the roof that was damaged by heavy ice and snow from last week's storm...

A big senior class led to a big recruiting class for the Southeast Missouri State football program. Southeast coach Tony Samuel announced the signing of 28 players to national letters of intent Wednesday as the signing period began. That includes 10 players who are enrolled at Southeast for the current semester and will participate in spring practice, which begins April 8...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Cape Girardeau County Commissioner Gerald Jones led a voluntary Sunshine Law training session Wednesday for new commissioners in Jefferson City. At another session, they got conflicting information about the law. Jones, a former president of the Missouri Association of Counties, a member of the organization's board of directors and owner of the Cash-Book Journal, said he was asked to lead the class because "I am a newspaper man and the attorney general's office was too busy.". ...

Selected home-video releases: "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" The pampered refugees from the New York zoo resume their adventures in their ancestral lands with the hit sequel reuniting voice stars Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer. ...

Planning for Cape Girardeau's participation in the Tour of Missouri moved ahead this week when the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce began setting up the structure that will lead fundraising and volunteer efforts. At the chamber's board meeting Tuesday, a local organizing committee, as yet unnamed, was formed, said John Mehner, president and chief executive officer of the chamber. ...

MURPHYSBORO, Ill. — Minnie Lena Dickerson Kennon, 81, of Murphysboro went home to be with the Lord on Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, after a long battle with lung disease, under the loving care of Dr. Ana Migone and the staff at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro...

A woman and a teenage girl were found dead Wednesday in their New Madrid County home, apparent victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. Jeanice Griffin, 58, and Kaitlyn Beckett, 18, were discovered in their rural Matthews home after school and county authorities, along with a neighbor, went to check on their well-being...

Baseball n Southeast camps: The Southeast Missouri State baseball program will host two prospect camps at Houck Field House for players age 13 through seniors in high school Saturday and Sunday. Cost: $95. Campers must bring their own workout gear. No cleats are permitted inside Houck Field House. Info: 986-6002...

"Milk" is a captivating biographical film that explores the public and private life of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person to be elected to public office. It's well directed and presents a realistic picture of San Francisco in the 1970s...

A Jackson man was arrested Wednesday on seven counts of statutory sodomy, according to a news release from the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. Ronald Ray Davis, 38, was in the Cape Girardeau County Jail on Wednesday afternoon on a $50,000 cash-only bond...

The Missouri Department of Transportation will conduct a community briefing tonight about its "Safe and Sound" bridge projects. The meeting will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Osage Community Centre, 1625 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. ...

Jackson senior Bobbi Jo Schlick and Notre Dame senior Courtney Luehmann signed letters of intent Wednesday to play for the Southeast Missouri State soccer team. Schlick and Luehmann, who play on rival high school teams, know each other well because they have been teammates on the same club soccer squad for a few seasons...

POPLAR BLUFF -- The Jefferson College women's basketball team rolled into Three Rivers Community College on Wednesday night, steamrolled the Raiders 82-50 and rolled out. 24-0. No. 1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll for nine weeks...

Hailey Lynn Dacus, 7, of Fruitland, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 8, 2001, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Mitchell B. and Victoria L. Linhart Dacus. Hailey was a second-grade student at North Elementary School in Fruitland. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Citing a sudden drop in auto sales in January, officials with TG Missouri announced Wednesday the company will temporarily lay off more than 150 production and support team workers effective Monday. Company officials did not have a time frame in which the workers might be recalled...

25 years ago: Feb. 5, 1984 The Rev. Lee Hoyer is installed as the new area coordinator of Lutheran Family and Children's Services at an afternoon ceremony at St. Andrew Lutheran Church; Hoyer comes from Wheatridge, Colo., a suburb of Denver. Liberty Baptist Church, 207 Pindwood Lane, celebrates its eighth anniversary; activities include recognition of charter members and testimonials from those present; the pastor of the church is Mike Callaghan...

Derrick Wilfong dropped 19 points and Dustin Hubler netted 17 as Meadow Heights earned a 65-55 victory in the Mississippi Valley boys basketball tournament Wednesday. The Panthers trailed 17-10 after the first quarter and 28-26 at halftime before outscoring Greenville 39-27 in the second half...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted Wednesday night to give a tax break of up to $15,000 to homebuyers in hopes of revitalizing the housing industry, a victory for Republicans eager to leave their mark on a mammoth economic stimulus bill at the heart of President Obama's recovery plan...

Interoperability is vital to every Missouri disaster/contingency plan. As you may or may not know, Gov. Jay Nixon recently placed a hold on a contract with Motorola that former governor Matt Blunt negotiated to make emergency responders communication systems interoperable. ...

Placement exams for the Notre Dame Regional High School class of 2011 have been rescheduled for 8:15 a.m. Saturday at the high school because of the recent winter storm. All eighth-graders interested in taking the exam should report to the school by 8 a.m. ...

Ethics issues WHEN candidate Barack Obama said of lobbyists "they won't find a job in my White House," it's obvious he was pulling the wool over the eyes of the voters since as president he has found jobs for several. He's definitely having trouble with that whole ethical White House thing since he's also having trouble finding Cabinet members without some sort of scandal attached to their names. ...

Ordering a meal from Becky Welker at Sands Pancake House feels like telling your favorite aunt you want pancakes at a family reunion at grandma's house. Welker teases customers and bustles around the tables, leaving pitchers of tea and water on large tables so customers can serve themselves. The restaurant, both open and crowded at the same time, has pictures of family, the American flag and hearts strung up to celebrate Valentine's Day...

Celebrate Valentine's early in downtown Cape @SL_body_copy_ragged:Old Town Cape has planned a new Valentine's Day event in downtown Cape Girardeau. Stores will stay open late Friday for the first "Love is in the Air" event to be held from 5 to 9 p.m. ...

WASHINGTON -- Assailing out-of-touch corporate pay and perks, President Obama on Wednesday put a salary cap on top executives from companies that want bailouts -- but it's a limit that could end up thinning the wallets of only a small number of people...

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. -- Electronic message boards meant to warn motorists of possible trouble on the road increasingly are being taken over by pranksters putting drivers on notice about everything from zombies to raptors. Highway safety officials aren't amused...

AUSTIN, Texas -- Zaire Taylor hit a driving layup with 5.5 seconds left, then made a free throw to finish the three-point play, leading Missouri to a 69-65 upset of No. 16 Texas on Wednesday night, the Longhorns' second straight home loss. Texas, which hadn't lost to Missouri at home since 1999, tied it at 65-65 on A.J. ...

WASHINGTON -- After weeks of debate, Congress is giving consumers four more months to prepare for the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting. The House voted 264-158 on Wednesday to postpone the shutdown of analog TV signals to June 12, to address growing concerns that too many Americans won't be ready by the Feb. 17 deadline Congress set three years ago. The Senate passed the measure unanimously last week, and the bill now heads to President Obama for his signature...

CAMDEN, N.J. -- Jesse Coltrane exchanged instant messages and phone calls with a despondent California teenager, then became startled by the picture on his webcam: The young man who had been discussing suicide was starting to cut the skin of his forearm with a razor blade...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday: n At 7:09 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1000 block of Towers Circle. n At 11:16 p.m., a citizen assist in the 1300 block of Spanish Street. n At 11:34 p.m., emergency medical service in the 2600 block of Azalea Street...

Hold us close, O God, when we face the unknown in our lives. Amen.

The Rev. Leo Hotze LEOPOLD, Mo. -- The Rev. Leo Hotze, 92, a Divine Word missionary who served two terms as provincial superior, died Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009, in Techny, Ill. Born in 1916 in Leopold, he was the fifth of Bernard and Anne Margaret Steinnerd Hotze's nine children...

When it comes to art, this time it's OK to touch. Two receptions Friday feature installation art — Charlie Kent at the Black Door Gallery and Jennifer Weigel at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri. Installation art is more about experiencing art rather than just seeing it. The displays often require the patron to walk through or around things to navigate the exhibit. It places the focus more on concept rather than form or appearance...

Southeast Missouri State women's basketball coach John Ishee had one concern regarding Wednesday's game. Ishee feared the Redhawks might take for granted struggling NAIA opponent Harris-Stowe. That's why Ishee was smiling following Southeast's 73-45 nonconference romp at the Show Me Center...

Henrietta M. Mocherman, 90, died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009, at George C. Forsythe Hospice House in Auburndale, Fla. Henrietta had been living at Swiss Village in Winter Haven, Fla., the past 25 years. She was born Sept. 27, 1918, in Hamilton, Ind., to Harris and lzola Teegardin Dirrim. She and Donald Mocherman were married Oct. 17, 1937, in Williams County, Ohio. He died Sept. 9, 1990...

CHICAGO -- Though youth is fleeting, images sent on a cell phone or posted online may not be, especially if they're naughty. Teenagers' habit of distributing nude self-portraits electronically -- often called "sexting" if it's done by cell phone -- has parents and school administrators worried. Some prosecutors have begun charging teens who send and receive such images with child pornography and other serious felonies. But is that the best way to handle it?...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri House has given first-round approval to a bill intended to spur job creation by expanding tax incentives for employers. Missouri's Quality Jobs program offers tax credits to companies that create jobs with health benefits and average wages. ...

Roselyn "Rosie" Anderson, 86, a resident of the Lutheran Home the last 20 months of her life, went home to be with the Lord on Monday, Feb. 2, 2009. Prior to moving to Cape Girardeau in May 2007, Rosie had lived in Belleville, Ill., her birthplace, for almost her whole life...

The Macy's store at West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau is among the locations nationwide that will be affected by the company's announcement it is cutting 7,000 jobs, or 4 percent of its work force. Macy's spokeswoman Sharon Bateman said an average of five to six positions will be eliminated at each of its 840 stores...

The Missouri Department of Revenue will waive late fees for people who were unable to reach their local license office because of the ice storm that crippled Southeast Missouri. In a news release issued Wednesday, the department announced that the waiver applies to people who were unable to reach one of a list of offices to complete transactions during the period Jan. ...

While iced in we can look forward to a better day. Spent the day on Whitewater River.

Taken on a day in Oct, 2008 . The condemned bridge over Whitewater River.

Our seven month old labradoodle "Coco" loves playing in the snow....using her nose as a shovel.

A lazy day on White Water River

When the state of Missouri runs out of room for prisoners in state-run institutions, the inmates are sent to counties. County commissioners from across the state are complaining that the state doesn't pay enough for prisoner care in such cases, effectively creating an unfunded mandate that his hurting county coffers...

Alex Miller, 4th grader, gives up his recess period every day to collect cans, plastic bottles and recyclable paper products at Alma Schrader Elementary. Alex is the Recycling Coordinator and organized the "Going Green Recycling Team" at his school. A member of the Character Council, Alex is the son of Gary and Mary Miller. In the photo above, Alex poses with Cape Public School's Director of Administrative Services Neil Glass after being recognized at his school's monthly awards program...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Gov. Jay Nixon, making his second visit to Poplar Bluff in five days, learned the tremendous cost and time it takes to restore the transmission lines extending into Southeast Missouri from the New Madrid Power Plant. "It will cost $80 million for the restoration of our facilities," John Farris, general manager of M & A Electric Cooperative, told Nixon during a briefing Wednesday afternoon...

Cardinal on ice taken out our kitchen window. The day was foggy.

Sikeston's municipal utilities and SEMO Electric Cooperative crews reported progress in restoring power to thousands of customers Thursday morning.AmerenUE reported no significant outages Thursday morning, with less than 1 percent of customers statewide without service reported on its website.Sikeston authorities said in a news release that 70 percent of the city's power had been restored by Thursday morning, with crews working 18 hour days, but didn't give an estimate for when all power will be restored.. ...

Last night we reported that some customers of SEMO Electric Cooperative could be without power for up to five weeks. By this morning, the situation was looking up a bit for those SEMO customers without power, when the cooperative said power will likely be up within two weeks.Sikeston's municipal utilities also updated progress on restoring power, while virtually all of AmerenUE's customers were up and running.Click here for more information on this story, and check back later to learn about the effect the power outage is having Sikeston Humane Society. ...