Stories from Thursday, February 12, 2009

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- President Robert Mugabe swore in his longtime rival as prime minister Wednesday, cracking his nearly three-decade hold on power and conceding they must work together to rescue Zimbabwe from economic and humanitarian disaster. The image of Mugabe administering the oath of office to Morgan Tsvangirai was notable given the history of state-sponsored violence against opponents. ...

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team is coming off one of its better performances of the Ohio Valley Conference season. Southeast acting coach Zac Roman hopes that carries over into tonight's game at Eastern Kentucky. The Redhawks, still looking for their first OVC win, square off with the Colonels at 8 p.m. in Richmond, Ky. The contest will be televised nationally by ESPNU...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: n At 5:14 p.m., an alarm in the 2400 block of Terrie Hill Road. n At 7:29 p.m., emergency medical service in the 3900 block of Granite Drive. n At 9:40 p.m., emergency medical service at 40 S. Sprigg St...

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- Police say an Ohio teenager tried to pull off a sweet deal by ordering more than $37,000 of candy online and charging the bill to his former high school. Police say the 18-year-old used a Middletown High School purchasing number to order for thousands of lollipops and candy bars from Michigan-based The Goodies Factory. It wasn't clear how he accessed the number...

The following is adapted from a Dec. 4 speech in Washington, D.C., on the occasion of the ninth annual Hillsdale College Churchill Dinner. There are ongoing discussions and debates among conservatives about the kind of president Barack Obama will prove to be, and about how they should react to him. But there is a larger and more important debate gong on within conservatism -- a debate about what conservatism is...

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team continues its quest for a top-four Ohio Valley Conference finish on the road. Southeast visits Eastern Kentucky in a 4:30 p.m. tipoff today in Richmond, Ky., then travels to Morehead State for Saturday's 1 p.m. contest in Morehead, Ky...

F.D. "Bud" Shoulders, 96, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born July 2, 1912, in Blodgett, Mo., son of William R. and Kate Withrow Shoulders. He and Dorothy Ticer were married June 9, 1948, in Piggott, Ark...

Drew Thomas and Bobby Hatchett were understandably disappointed with the outcome of the titanic high school basketball game. But Scott County Central's star guards seemed to take solace in the fact they had just taken part in something special. More than 7,000 amped fans piled into every nook and cranny of the Show Me Center for Wednesday night's highly anticipated matchup between Class 4 state power Sikeston and Class 1 state power SCC...

WASHINGTON -- Like any young woman in love, Bianca Acevedo has exchanged valentine hearts with her fiance. But the New York neuroscientist knows better. The source of love is in the head, not the heart. She's one of the researchers in a relatively new field focused on explaining the biology of romantic love. And the unpoetic explanation is that love mostly can be understood through brain images, hormones and genetics...

WASHINGTON -- The nation's top bankers came to account for themselves Wednesday in front of lawmakers, displaying a blend of financial might and humility as they pledged to build public trust with greater lending and fewer perks. "We're Americans first and bankers second," John Stumpf, president and chief executive of Wells Fargo & Co., told a House committee...

The three journalists who spoke at Southeast Missouri State University's annual Michael Davis Lecture said they learned early on to ask hard questions. Robb Blackwell, Josh Barsch and Tamara Zellars Buck, all former editors of the Capaha Arrow, the student newspaper, knew Davis. He died Feb. 15, 1994, at age 25, the victim of a fraternity initiation ritual...

Emotion knows no color. That's the message Robert Ketchens sends when he talks about his art. Taken at a glance most of his paintings are of black women, black men and black children. But if you look further, they are really about compassion, cruelty, happiness...

Crowden Son to Toby Alan and Heidi Marie Crowden of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:20 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009. Name, Britt Alan. Weight, 7 pounds, 5 ounces. Second child, first son. Mrs. Crowden is the former Heidi Griswold, daughter of Rick and Connie Griswold of Jackson. She is a parent educator with Jackson School District. Crowden is the son of James and Bonnie Stevens of Cape Girardeau. He is a sales representative with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals...

CHICAGO -- Ousted governor Rod Blagojevich is lashing out at the Illinois lawmakers who removed him from office, calling them drunkards and adulterers who don't know how to do their jobs. Blagojevich's former colleagues and close associates are laughing off the latest comments as those of a desperate man...

The Central boys basketball team captured its second win in as many nights Wednesday. Josh Harris poured in 20 points and Andrew Williams added 16 as the Tigers downed host Festus 50-42. Central (8-13) shot 72 percent (18 of 25) from the free-throw line...

This is February, and Valentine's Day is coming up Saturday, so you might be able to figure out the answer to this question: What is the No. 1 killer in the U. S.? No, it's not chocolate. It's cardiovascular disease, or CVD. And February is designated American Heart Month by the American Heart Association...

For Abraham Lincoln and other great leaders, we pray to you, O God. Amen.

WASHINGTON -- Stewart Parnell was asked by a congressman holding container of the peanut seller's products if he'd dare eat them. Parnell pleaded the Fifth. The owner of the peanut company at the heart of the massive salmonella recall refused to answer questions from lawmakers -- or anyone else -- Wednesday about the bacteria-tainted products he told employees to ship to some 50 manufacturers of cookies, crackers and ice cream...

LOS ANGELES -- A big share of the financial burden of raising Nadya Suleman's 14 children could fall on the shoulders of California's taxpayers, compounding public complaints in a state already billions of dollars in the red. Even before the 33-year-old single, unemployed mother gave birth to octuplets last month, she had been caring for her six other children with the help of $490 a month in food stamps, plus Social Security disability payments for three of the youngsters. ...

With tax deadlines approaching, experts are reminding filers of important tips and changes for 2008. Michael Devine, spokesman for the Internal Revenue Service, said filers should take note of the most widely misunderstood new tax break, the recovery tax credit, which came in the form of economic stimulus payments in 2008...

25 years ago: Feb. 12, 1984 Horkey's Gun Shop, 779 Enterprise St., has been purchased by Phegley Enterprises Inc.; brothers James V. and Rodney Phegley bought the business from Craig Horkey, who will remain with the outlet as a gunsmith. The eighth annual Town and Gown Ball was held last night at the Holiday Inn with about 300 faculty and guests in attendance for a candlelight dinner and dance; the event was sponsored by the Southeast Missouri State University Faculty Dames...

@SL_body_copy_ragged:People pay to play in so many cases for so many things. So why does the mention of a cover charge at the door to a bar send people tramping back out onto Main Street like a fire drill? I see it almost every weekend. A group of people walk up to a bar. ...

Rematch? Can we do it again? The first meeting between Scott County Central and Sikeston since 1971 lived up to the billing. These are the top two teams in Southeast Missouri, and they played like it Wednesday night before 7,121 people packed into the Show Me Center...

Charles Daniel "Dutch" Adams, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009, at his home. He was born June 2, 1923, in Grand Tower, Ill., son of Arthur and Bonnie Pearl Henson Adams. He and Wilmoth Rhodes Adams were married March 11, 1947, in Grand Tower...

John W. "Bill" Bollinger, 85, of Jackson died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

Live music Doug E. Rees Doug is joined by Austin, Texas, roots duo Jim Patton and Sherry Brokus. Where: Stooges, Jackson When: 7 to 10 p.m. today Sultans of Swing University faculty jazz quintet joined by Wayne Goins and Jim Manley. Where: Buckner Brewing Co...

Schock's Pub The Scott City watering hole will have Valentine's karaoke so you can sing a tribute to your loved one. They will also have Valentine's giveaways. Elvis Returns Bring your valentine to see an Elvis impersonator, live show and dance at 8 p.m. at the Cape Eagles banquet hall...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n David P. Loyd, 51, 1119 Ranney Ave., was arrested on suspicion of probation violation. n Chance T. Umfleet, 29, 1025 Village Drive, was arrested on suspicion of driving without a license...

WASHINGTON -- The Democratic-controlled Congress and White House agreed Wednesday on a compromise $790 billion economic stimulus bill designed to create millions of jobs in a nation reeling from recession. President Obama could sign the measure within days...

A Cape Girardeau woman faces a third-degree assault charge after allegedly beating another woman with fists and a plastic broom handle and burning her with a cigar. The assault occurred Jan. 3, shortly after midnight, when Toya L. Gresham, 42, of 419 Sprigg St., No. 1, contacted the victim by telephone to say she had located a wallet the other woman had lost, according to a probable-cause statement written from the Cape Girardeau Police Department...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Bonnie Jean Dunn, 77, of Jonesboro died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill. She was born Jan. 19, 1931, daughter of John and Mae Chaney Foster. She and John C. Dunn Sr. were married Feb. 27, 1950, in Pocahontas, Ark. He died Oct. 14, 1999...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A suburban Kansas City lawmaker whose bid to get a casino in his community was iced by a November ballot measure is skeptical about numbers in the state's January casino revenue report. Still, Sugar Creek Democratic Rep. Ray Salva said if the state's casinos really did see a 10 percent jump in revenue, that boosts his argument that Missouri fraternal and veterans organizations should get a piece of the pie...

George Fred Buck, 82, of Ripley, Tenn., died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, at his home. Survivors include a daughter, Gladys Johnson of Brownsville, Tenn.; five sons, Terry Buck of Ripley, George Buck of St. Louis, Patrick Buck of Cape Girardeau, Paul and Stanley Buck of Vaiden, Miss.; a sister, Margaret Thomas of Covington, Tenn.; a brother, Monroe Buck of Kansas City, Mo.; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren...

Donate to shelters THERE'S so much information about when to throw away food when your power has been off. I'm curious as to why these people didn't donate this food to shelters, especially from the freezer. That would help out so much. Go to the top...

@SL_body_copy_ragged:"Coraline," the first stop-motion animated film to be conceived and shot in 3-D, is visually dazzling, as you'd expect — but strangely joyless. Henry Selick previously directed "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "James and the Giant Peach" for producer Tim Burton, and the darkness that permeates "Coraline" definitely calls to mind Burton's trademark twisted sensibility...

Love In the Name of Christ of Southeast Missouri is holding a dinner, "Love Like This," to raise awareness and funds for its mission of caring for those in the community who are in need. Love INC, with more than 135 affiliates in 30 states, works to bring churches together to aid the poor by providing food, clothing and long-term help such as skills training and transitional housing...

CLAYTON, Mo. -- As attorneys and witnesses spoke in front of the jury that will decide his fate, 15-year-old murder suspect Owen Welty sat straight up in his chair Wednesday, his face never changing expression. Welty potentially faces decades in prison if convicted of second-degree murder...

Donald H. Gammon, 73, of Cape Girardeau died unexpectedly Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital from a heart attack. He was born Sept. 18, 1935, in Cape Girardeau, son of Charles and Lela Davis Gammon. He and Velma Johnson were married July 20, 1968...

Feb. 12, 2009 Dear Leslie, Since his death 15 years ago, the local university annually has presented a lecture to observe the tragedy that took the life of journalism student Michael Davis. Davis died after members of the fraternity he hoped to join beat him and other initiates in a hazing ritual. Davis told people he wanted to join the fraternity because he heard it could help him later in life...

The first public discussion of Cape Girardeau's proposed overhaul of residential zoning codes brought landlords concerned with the value of their investments and community members calling for better enforcement of existing codes to city hall. For most of an hour, members of the Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission took comments on the residential zoning draft, which community planner Sarah Wallace said was the first time in 40 years the codes have been systematically updated...

The Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission rejected Wednesday a proposed historic residential district near Southeast Missouri State University when opponents of the proposal said it was too restrictive and had changed too much from the original idea...

GIPSY, Mo. -- David Houston Tanner, 50, of Gipsy passed away Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009, at his home. He was born Aug. 3, 1958, at Hayti, Mo., son of Ivan "Fuzz" and Mavis Tanner. He and Kimberly Jackson were married June 2, 1984, in Advance, Mo. Tanner was a retired truck driver. He was a member of Brush Creek Missionary Baptist Church and Zalma Masonic Lodge 545...

In this economy, people are doing things to save money they wouldn't normally do. Some seniors are even putting off retirement because of 401(k) accounts that have dried up. If you're a senior who's putting off retirement, Robyn Gautschy would like to talk to you for a story in an upcoming issue of TBY magazine. You can contact Robyn at rgautschy@semissourian.com or 388-3633...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Betty L. Wiggins, 76, of Salem, Ill., formerly of Charleston, died Monday, Feb. 9, 2009, at Salem Township Hospital. She was born Sept. 28, 1932, in Morehouse, Mo., daughter of Rass L. and Nettie Pearl Sharkey Taylor. She had lived in Wood River, Ill., many years, moving to Banning, Calif., in 1995. ...

Sikeston junior Niquavious Dixon watched his cousin and good friend Bobby Hatchett jump toward the basket for the game-winning shot. Dixon, who is 6 foot 1, jumped up, too, and was there to block it. And just like that -- Sikeston won a thriller 86-85 in front of 7,121 fans packed into the Show Me Center...

Jazz lovers in Southeast Missouri will be surrounded by it this weekend. The 11th annual Clark Terry/Phi Mu Alpha Jazz Festival at the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus kicks off at 9 a.m. Friday with high school jazz ensembles, a Southeast Jazz Series Gala Concert and more school group performances from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday...

The Missouri Public Service Commission didn't act Wednesday on AmerenUE's request to change the way it splits revenue from wholesale energy sales, but the commission's staff denounced the proposal in a scathing response. Ameren wants the commission to alter what is called the fuel adjustment clause included in a decision issued Jan. ...

The Saxony Lutheran boys basketball team was happy about bouncing back from a rare loss. The Crusaders also relished playing in front of a huge crowd at the Show Me Center as the warmup act for Wednesday's much-anticipated Sikeston-Scott County Central clash...

Though it's been through a fire in 2005 and it recently lost it's facade during the ice storm in January, Bella Italia Ristorante in downtown Cape Girardeau rebuilds and keeps focused on the important thing -- the food. Classic Italian dishes are baked or tossed and presented in heaping portions to diners in the warm and romantic dining room or fresh-air tables on the large sidewalk patio. ...

Last night's Showdown at the Show Me Center was huge — not only the game between Sikeston and Scott County Central, but also the not-so-surprise guest appearances by Sikeston natives Neal Boyd and Blake DeWitt.Semoball.com editor Toby Carrig was there with his video camera. ...

CLAYTON, Mo. -- Jurors have acquitted a Southeast Missouri teen who was one of the youngest people ever charged with murder in Missouri. The jurors deliberated for about 7 1/2 hours Thursday before finding 15-year-old Owen Welty not guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Absentee ballots from military members serving overseas would have more time to arrive in Missouri under a bill supported by the state's top election official. The legislation allows those ballots to arrive seven days after an election and still be counted. Ballots must still be postmarked by Election Day. The bill also allows service members to receive their ballots by fax or e-mail...

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — Thirteen years old or not, Owen Welty had the telescopic rifle, the opportunity and the motive to kill his neighbor, prosecutor Briney Welborn said during closing arguments Thursday in the boy's murder trial. But defense attorney Scott Rosenblum outlined a case he says police bungled from the start. ...