Stories from Saturday, February 7, 2009

ST. LOUIS -- Gov. Jay Nixon has asked President Obama to declare 22 Missouri counties major disaster areas, a move aimed at speeding recovery for regions hit hard by last week's ice storm. Nixon announced the request Friday during a meeting with county commissioners in Jefferson City, Mo. The request also seeks a waiver of some or all of the 25 percent match that state and local governments normally have to pay for disaster funding...

Schemel Daughter to Nathan Allen and Lindsay Kay Schemel of Perryville, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:37 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009. Name, Lexi Kay. Weight, 7 pounds, 11 ounces. Third daughter. Mrs. Schemel is the former Lindsay Wichern, daughter of Alan and Sherry Wichern of Perryville. Schemel is the son of Carl and Janet Schemel of Perryville...

Thomas M. Griffith, 66, of Fenton, Mo., died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009. at Des Peres Hospital in Des Peres, Mo. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, February 8, 2009, at Lynwood Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the church...

The president has said and it is being reported by much of the media that the majority of Americans are supportive of the currently debated stimulus bill. I respectfully submit my opposition to this bill. I oppose it for many reasons, but here are just a few:...

Guide those responsible for governing our nation, O God. Amen.

The Leopold boys basketball team rolled to the Mississippi Valley Conference Tournament championship, beating host Zalma 74-42 on Friday night. Darren VanGennip scored 25 points to pace the Wildcats, who improved their record to 14-2. VanGennip had 32 points the previous night during a semifinal win over Oak Ridge...

Inspiration can be found in many sources -- in the story of an athlete who has overcome tremendous adversities in the pursuit of his dream, in a painting or a photograph, by listening to an interview with someone you admire or by spending time with a mother who draws energy and enthusiasm from simply doing day-to-day activities...

SPECIAL EVENTS Vincentian Marian Youth Encounter Mass featuring contemporary Christian music and a 10-minute Faith Alive. Evening concludes with food and fellowship. When: 6 p.m. Sunday Where: Shrine Church, 1811 W. St. Joseph St., Perryville, Mo...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Annette Madgdaline Zaricor, 87, died Jan. 30, 2009 at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born May 21, 1921, at Oran, Mo., daughter of the late Earl C. and Helen Frieda Oliver Watkins. On Feb. 4, 1942, in Phoenix, she married DeWint H. Zaricor; he preceded her in death Oct. 1, 1994...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Thelma Lee Worley, 86, of Poplar Bluff died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. She was born July 19, 1922, in Millersville, daughter of Henry Allen and Lula Josephine Turner Winkler. She and Loomis Niswonger were married Oct. 12, 1940. He died Aug. 18, 1975. She then married John Campbell on Dec. 21, 1978. He died July 22, 1985. She then married Ischmel Worley, who died Aug. 18, 1991...

What a speech! Those were the words going around the year before the election regarding the speeches by our new president-to-be, Barack Obama. But when asked -- "What did he say? -- the answer was "I don't know, but it was a magnificent speech."...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Anyone with a birthday close to Christmas can sympathize with Abraham Lincoln. Illinois will celebrate Lincoln's 200th birthday next week, but the buildup to the big event has been overshadowed by even bigger events -- the election of another president from Illinois and the removal of the state's disgraced governor...

JERUSALEM -- The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees suspended aid to the Gaza Strip on Friday, accusing the territory's Hamas rulers of stealing a delivery of humanitarian supplies for the second time this week. The announcement by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency deepened tensions between the international body that assists the majority of Gaza's 1.4 million people and the Islamic group that controls the coastal strip...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Ralph Edwin Bradshaw, 71, of Sikeston died Friday, Feb. 6, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 30, 1937, at Delta, son of Ralph and Martha Hester Bradshaw. He and Patsy J. Williams were married Dec. 15, 1956, at Brownwood, Mo...

Southeast Missouri State's chances of winning an Ohio Valley Conference game this season have grown even slimmer. The university issued a news release early Friday evening announcing that junior center Calvin Williams has been dismissed from the men's basketball team because of a violation of athletic department policy...

Southeast Missourian A Jackson man was arrested Thursday afternoon after narcotics officers seized 17 marijuana plants growing at his residence on Highway 34 just outside Jackson, police said. Tommy Sticht, 42, was charged with manufacturing a controlled substance, possession of narcotic paraphernalia and possession of marijuana in excess of 35 grams...

David M. Greenhaw, president of Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, explained what he called "the secularist thesis" to a group of students recently. The thrust of the thesis is this -- as societies progress, religion should become less important. The secularist thesis has proved true, Greenhaw explained, only in western Europe. Everywhere else, including the United States, the reverse is reality: Religion is more important as societies advance...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Tyler P. Hawn, 44, 1673 Westwood Drive, was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest. n Jodi D. Martin, 28, of Marble Hill, Mo., was arrested on suspicion of assault...

In 1999, Old St. Vincent's Church parishioner Dorothy Herbst, now deceased, had an idea. She suggested writing a history of Old St. Vincent's Church. Church members joined in the fervor to get the job done. Ron Kirby, LaFern Striver, Grace Sullivan and Mark Evans have been the main contributors to writing the book. After almost 10 years the book, "Old St. Vincent's Church: A Historical and Pictorial Sketch of Catholicism in Cape Girardeau," is almost ready to be published...

Regarding the Jan. 27 article "Swingle's books to stay on county website," one sentence particularly attracted this reader: "Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones, reminding everyone present his three college degrees included a history major focused on the Civil War, said the books reflected an accurate portrayal of events in Cape Girardeau's history."...

Jackson Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday: n A citizen assist on South West Lane. n Emergency medical service on Henderson Street. n A blown transformer at Corrine Street.

LOS ANGELES -- The fertility doctor who helped a California woman have 14 children, including octuplets born last month, is now facing a state investigation on top of harsh criticism from medical ethicists. The Medical Board of California did not identify the doctor who helped Nadya Suleman, 33, of Whittier, become pregnant with the six boys and two girls born Jan. 26. Suleman has six other children...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- An East Prairie man died of injuries after his car struck a tree Thursday in Mississippi County. According to Missouri State Highway Patrol, at 8:15 p.m., James L. Stone, 43, was traveling on County Road 525, two miles east of East Prairie, when his vehicle ran off the north side of the road and struck a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Mississippi County Coroner Terry Parker at 8:42 p.m. and transported to Shelby Funeral Home...

Notre Dame senior Joda Holloway made countless trips to St. Louis for soccer practice and games. Those thousands of miles on the Holloway family vehicles paid off. Holloway plans to play soccer at Saint Louis University in the fall. "I wanted to be somewhere that I could get home pretty much that night," Holloway said. ...

MORLEY -- Bobby Hatchett hadn't played a full game in over a month, and a big game looms on the horizon. So Hatchett and the other Scott County Central starters played the entire game Friday, helping the Braves handle New Madrid County Central 94-59 in boys basketball action...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Virginia Goodin Ridings, 93, died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, in Charleston. Virginia Elizabeth Whitehead, daughter of Irvin Lester Whitehead and Nancy Susan Stroud Whitehead, was born March 31, 1915. Shortly after Virginia's birth her family moved from her birthplace at Alfalfa Center to Charleston, where she attended Eugene Field School and Charleston High School...

NEW YORK -- New York City never got a chance to say a proper thank you to the pilot who miraculously landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River last month, saving the lives of all 155 on board. Now he's coming back for his hero's welcome. Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and his flight crew are set to be honored Monday by Mayor Michael Bloomberg at city hall, where they will be given a key to the city...

Should Black History Month itself fade into history? Many have long argued that black history should be incorporated into year-round education. Now, claims that Black History Month is outdated are gaining a new potency, as schools diversify their curricula and President Obama's election opens a new chapter in the nation's racial journey...

Unwanted change PEOPLE are yelling about unemployment and companies moving out of the country. With high taxes and unions, we are an unfriendly country for businesses. Until we make America friendly to businesses instead of all this change, they're not going to keep their business here. They're going to continue to move out. We're going to get change, but we may not like it...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Charlene A. Scheman, 73, of Perryville died Friday, Feb. 6, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Sept. 17, 1935, at St. Louis. She and Charles J. Scheman were married July 31, 1953, at Afton, Mo. He died July 17, 2006...

The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce gave special recognition at its annual banquet last month to several deserving individuals and businesses. Once again, the awards appropriately called attention to some of the community's bright spots. Neal Edwards received the Rush H. ...

CARACAS, Venezuela -- As President Hugo Chavez intensifies his anti-Israel campaign, some Venezuelans have taken action, threatening Jews in the street and vandalizing the largest synagogue in Caracas -- where they stole a database of names and addresses...

Ashten Howard admitted she has struggled on offense at times during her senior year. But Howard was on stride with her shot during senior night Friday. Howard scored 13 points, collected eight rebounds and made five steals against Meadow Heights. She also combined with freshman Dru Haertling for 15 points in the second quarter when the Indians pulled away from the Panthers...

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder believes the upcoming Tour of Missouri bicycle race could be the best opportunity to promote Cape Girardeau and the state to millions of people on a national and international level. "I hope my hometown will embrace it and get excited about it," Kinder told business leaders and a handful of students at the monthly First Friday Coffee at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. ...

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team will have to end a long home-court winning streak to sweep the season series from Eastern Illinois. EIU has posted 18 straight victories at Lantz Arena entering today's 3 p.m. Ohio Valley Conference matchup with the Redhawks...

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. -- Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn said Friday he has no immediate plans to lift the state's 9-year-old death penalty moratorium until he's satisfied safeguards are in place to keep innocent people off death row. Quinn, the former lieutenant governor who last week succeeded scandal-plagued Rod Blagojevich, said he supports capital punishment but not necessarily the way it has been applied...

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A bizarre 38-minute set by opening act Jessica Simpson inadvertently stole the spotlight from headliner Rascal Flatts in a show at the Van Andel Arena. The Grand Rapids Press said Simpson forgot her lyrics, struggled with her ear monitors, mumbled through songs and fought back tears during Thursday night's performance...

Dorothy I. "Dot" Hasty, 81, of Vanduser, Mo., died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, at Heartland Care and Rehab Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 11, 1927, in Catron, Mo., daughter of Arvid L. and Jewell Catherine Fields Christopher. She and Ettel Lloyd Hasty were married Jan. 26, 1946, at Crowder, Mo. He survives of the home...

Southeast Missouri State basketball player Rachel Blunt has been named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII first team for the second straight season. Blunt is one of only four players from the Ohio Valley Conference to make academic all-district first teams for their achievements on the court and in the classroom...

JACKSON, Miss. -- Confederate President Jefferson Davis, branded a traitor in his own country, is memorialized at statehouses across the South. But not in Mississippi, where he lived out his remaining days. A bill to accept a statue of Davis from the Sons of Confederate Veterans is now the latest skirmish in the long battle over Confederate history, often fought on Southern Capitol lawns and rotundas...

WASHINGTON -- With job losses soaring nationwide, Senate Democrats reached agreement with a small group of Republicans Friday night on an economic stimulus measure at the heart of President Obama's plan for combating the worst recession in decades...

MURRAY, Ky. -- When an ice storm brought down telephone poles and power lines across much of Kentucky, one small-town mayor pulled out his iPhone and began tapping away, posting rapid-fire updates on Facebook to let his constituents know what was going on...

25 years ago: Feb. 7, 1984 An unsettled boundary between Cape Girardeau and Scott counties took a step closer to resolution yesterday, with agreement reached between the two county courts on the location of the border; the section of border in question runs along Cape LaCroix Creek near the Mississippi River...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- University of Missouri curators have given system president Gary Forsee the power to furlough campus workers should the economy continue to spiral downward. That means Forsee could force employees to take time off without pay. He would still have to consult with curators first...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster will not file charges against the former Adair County jail administrator in the fatal shooting of her ex-boyfriend. He cited Missouri's new self-defense law known as the "castle doctrine" in a letter this week explaining his decision not to charge Jackie Gleason. The shooting of 48-year-old Rogelio Johnson was said to be the first test of the new law, which allows a person to use lethal force against intruders...

Students, teachers and community members who attempted to break a world record in October succeeded. The participants in the annual Science Day events blew up 852 balloons in one hour, breaking the previous record of 600. Jason Lindsey, science educator for the Bootheel Youth Museum in Malden, Mo., organized the effort. Guinness World Records contacted Lindsey on Friday to tell him of the success...

From s.e.Parent magazine By the time he was four months old, Zade Darin Hickey had his own craniofacial plastic surgeon, pediatric neurosurgeon, hematologist and dermatologist. He'd been subjected to IVs, morphine, blood transfusions, an array of healing creams and ointments, and well over 150 stitches in his head...

ice storm 1-27-09

Just a pretty pic of the covered bridge in Burfordville.

Naturalist volunteer, Jena Baumgarten, from the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis holds a Bald Eagle during a presentation at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge Saturday morning. Visitors will have the opportunity to see the eagle program and then view eagles in their natural habitat on Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and Duck Creek Conservation Area until 5 p.m. Saturday. Eagle Days is a joint effort by the National Fish and Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Conservation...