Stories from Friday, February 13, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Saying "I made a mistake," Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire abruptly withdrew as commerce secretary nominee Thursday and left President Obama suddenly coping with his third Cabinet withdrawal. Gregg cited "irresolvable conflicts" with Obama's policies, specifically mentioning the $790 billion economic stimulus bill and 2010 census in a statement released without warning by his Senate office...

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Sunshine and tranquil conditions turned the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am into paradise Thursday, and it was particularly ideal for big hitters Robert Garrigus and Dustin Johnson. Garrigus reached the uphill, 529-yard seventh hole at Spyglass Hill with a 5-iron and holed a 50-foot eagle putt, then closed out his first round with consecutive birdies for a 7-under 65...

DEAN'S LIST n Andrew Williams of Cape Girardeau made the dean's list at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan. n Caleb Beussink of Jackson made the Dean's list at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Mo. HONOR ROLLS...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- A Cape Girardeau man pleaded guilty to child molestation Feb. 5. James R. Tanner, 49, was charged with performing a sexual act on a 7-year-old boy, according to a news release from Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle...

Shawn Smith can still remember sitting in a Spanish class while incarcerated in a federal prison and seeing his fellow inmates walk by, laughing at him. Their taunting didn't bother him because he was focused on "jacking" as much knowledge as he could, Smith told a group of juveniles housed in Division of Teens Services on Thursday...

Mail those pitches I'M on the no-call list and do not appreciate companies bothering me on my personal phone. If you have a deal you think I can't refuse, put it in a letter and mail it to me. I will consider it. But I will consider no sales pitches over my personal phone...

LOS ANGELES -- An "American Idol" contestant who made the show's top 36 was disqualified. In its news release issued Wednesday night announcing the 36 contenders, Fox TV said that Joanna Pacitti was "ineligible to continue." No reason was given...

Rhodes Daughter to Kevin Chase Rhodes and Monica Jobe of Chaffee, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 10:52 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009. Name, Ashtyn Elizabeth. Weight, 6 pounds, 2 ounces. First child. Ms. Jobe is the daughter of Mike and Danni Jobe of Chaffee. Rhodes is the son of Kevin and Sondra Rhodes and Tom and Melissa Mayberry, all of Chaffee...

Ralph M. McLean, 54, of Tulsa, Okla., died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009, at Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa. He was born March 28, 1954, in Hayti, Mo., son of Richard Melvin and Altha Frances King McLean. McLean served in the U.S. Army. He moved to Tulsa 30 years ago from Cape Girardeau. He was of the Mormon belief...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch both celebrated in Victory Lane, far away from the real winners of the Daytona 500 qualifying races. Jeremy Mayfield choked back emotion. AJ Allmendinger hid his tears behind sunglasses. Scott Riggs felt as if he'd just won NASCAR's biggest race...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Folksy, melancholy Abraham Lincoln would have been dumbfounded by the fuss over his birthday Thursday. Bells tolled, wreaths were laid, speeches intoned and banjos picked to mark the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth in a Kentucky log cabin. He was praised by children and teachers, governors and senators and by fellow Illinoisan President Obama...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri transportation officials have increased to nearly $1 billion the possible projects that could be completed using federal stimulus money. Missouri Department of Transportation chief engineer Kevin Keith said Thursday it's unlikely the state will get enough money to complete every project. But he said the additional projects would be prepared to pick up any money redirected from other states that cannot spend their share...

It isn't a record the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball team wanted. The Redhawks tied the school mark for losses in a season with Thursday night's 84-64 defeat at Eastern Kentucky. Southeast's 14th straight setback, which represents the nation's longest current losing streak, dropped the Redhawks to 3-22 overall and 0-14 in the Ohio Valley Conference...

CLAYTON, Mo. -- His mom raised a hand to God. His dad put his face in his hands and sobbed. Tears streamed down his little sister's face. But 15-year-old Owen Welty looked straight ahead, offering only a faint smile and a handshake to his attorneys, as he was pronounced not guilty late Thursday of second-degree murder and armed criminal action...

ST. LOUIS -- Outfielder Rick Ankiel and the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a one-year contract worth $2,825,000 on Thursday, avoiding arbitration. The agreement was at the midpoint between the $3.3 million Ankiel asked for when the sides exchanged figures last month and the $2.35 million St. Louis had offered. A hearing had been scheduled for Thursday in Phoenix, just hours after the parties agreed to terms...

Rosemary Steimle of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009, at the Lutheran Home. Arrangement are incomplete at Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel.

Mea culpa: Have you ever noticed that when folks write letters of thanks for fundraisers and special community events, they don't list everyone by name "because they are too numerous to mention." That's not the real reason. The real reason is this: No matter how hard you try to remember everyone who needs to be thanked, you will forget someone. And there's a good chance the one you leave out is the one who deserved the most thanks...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team enjoyed a successful season opener Thursday. Whitney Dupuis and Giana Zimmerman combined for a five-inning no-hitter as the Redhawks routed host Jackson State 11-0. Dupuis, a sophomore, received credit for the win. She struck out three and walked two...

25 years ago: Feb. 13, 1984 Proposed changes in Cape Girardeau's city code come under questioning from Councilman Curtis S. Smith, who says he doesn't see the need for such lengthy rewriting; the council this week is expected to consider 13 ordinances updating laws concerning a variety of nontraffic offenses...

ST. LOUIS -- Often-injured ace Chris Carpenter used to be the St. Louis Cardinals' top concern heading into spring training. Now, to borrow one of manager Tony La Russa's pet phrases, it's tied for first. Following Troy Glaus' unexpected shoulder surgery in mid-January and the surprise timing behind the release of second baseman Adam Kennedy on Monday, there's definitely holes to fill no matter how Carpenter fares...

The state's University of Missouri Extension centers can breathe a little easier. Gov. Jay Nixon has recommended the state legislature restore funding to the University of Missouri Extension centers by nearly $9.3 million. The governor had originally proposed cuts of $14.6 million -- half of its state funding -- but that number has been cut to $5.3 million...

LONDON -- They threw him a party at the Natural History Museum, they trotted out a set of stamps in his honor, and a zoo offered free admission to anyone sporting a beard in recognition of his famous facial hair. While more than 600 events took place worldwide Thursday to commemorate "Darwin Day" -- the 200th anniversary of scientist Charles Darwin's birth -- it was a particularly special occasion in his native land...

PERRYVILLE — Courtney Luehmann never swam in high school before joining the Notre Dame team as a senior this year. "I swam when I was little, but I was really into soccer, which I still am, but I just wanted to try something new to see if I would be any good at it," Luehmann said...

Sherry Lynn Biddle, 60, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Bless, O God, those who act with kindness and compassion toward others. Amen.

Coach Vicki Lohmann earned win No. 200 as her Perryville girls basketball team picked up a road win Thursday. Alicia Kueker scored 15 points and Ava Johnson added 14 to lead the Pirates to a 46-40 victory over Crystal City. Perryville (13-7) secured the best record in its conference with the win...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Connie K. Littleton, 53, of Perryville died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 18, 1955, in Red Bud, Ill., daughter of Ferd and June Eggemeyer Moll. She and Michael Littleton were married Oct. 4, 1975...

JERUSALEM -- The Kadima Party of moderate Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni kept its slight lead over Benjamin Netanyahu's hawkish Likud in final election results announced Thursday, but the hard-line bloc in Israel's new parliament will have the power to stymie Mideast peace efforts...

CHICAGO — So you're on a first date and you notice your potential love interest looking down and fiddling with a cell phone under the table. Or maybe he or she isn't even attempting to hide it. Call it a sign of the times. Or maybe just a sign that he or she is just not that into you...

WASHINGTON -- Vaccines aren't to blame for autism, a special federal court declared Thursday in a blow to thousands of families hoping to win compensation and to many more who are convinced of a connection. The special masters who decided the case expressed sympathy for the families, some of whom have made emotional pleas describing their children's conditions, but the rulings were blunt: There's little if any evidence to support claims of a vaccine-autism link...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday: n At 4:21 p.m., emergency medical service in the unit block of South Sprigg Street. n At 4:42 p.m., emergency medical service in the 300 block of North Clark Avenue. n At 6:15 p.m., emergency medical service in the 2500 block of Lynwood Drive...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Jo Mason, 87, of Cairo died Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009, at Huntsville Hospital in Huntsville, Ala. She was born Feb. 19, 1921, in Peoria, Ill., daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Bagosy Kantor. She married J.W. "Hootsy" Mason, who preceded her in death...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Lorraine Vivian Krekel, 82, of Marble Hill passed away Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009, at Heartland Care Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 9, 1926, at Shrum, Mo., daughter of Joseph C. and Nora Long Shrum. She and the Rev. Perry L. Krekel were married Oct. 19, 1946, in St. Louis. He preceded her in death June 22, 2008...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Rodney L. Glover Jr., 20, 2407 Albert Rasche Drive, was arrested on a Jackson warrant for failure to appear on revoked operator's license and no turn signal...

John W. "Bill" Bollinger, 85, of Jackson died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Oct. 14, 1923, in Mayfield, Mo., son of John Henry and Grace "Gertie" Mayfield Bollinger. He and Glenda Ludwig were married Jan. 19, 1946...

Any questions about creating a charter form of government for Cape Girardeau County may be answered by a report from the League of Women Voters. The league delivered an 11-page draft report, set forth in a question-and-answer style, to the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors, which voted to accept it this week...

SYDNEY -- Australia's most famous beach reopened Friday, hours after a surfer's arm was shredded by a shark -- the second shark attack in Sydney in as many days. The 33-year-old man, whose name was not released, was bitten Thursday around dusk at Sydney's popular Bondi Beach and suffered severe arm injuries, police said. Other surfers helped him to shore, where volunteers helped to stem his bleeding. He was in serious condition at a hospital Friday...

PERRYVILLE -- Central senior Tara Volkerding established herself as the top local diver all winter, and she continued her dominance in her final high school competition. Volkerding placed first with a score of 324.15 in the diving event at the Show Me Conference meet Thursday at the Perry Park Center...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Jason Arnott tied it with 3 seconds left in regulation, and Steve Sullivan scored the only goal in a shootout to give the Nashville Predators a 4-3 victory against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. Sullivan, playing in his 14th game of the season after nearly a two-year layoff due to a back injury, beat Chris Mason with a wrister low to the glove side...

The statistics are remarkable: Fatalities from crossover accidents on Missouri's interstate highways have dropped dramatically, from 55 in the year before cable barriers were installed to two since hundreds of miles of the cables were put in medians...

NEW YORK -- Americans bought a sweater or two, ate out a little more, purchased some gadgets and turned to the Internet in search of bargains in January. These small indulgences nevertheless provided some relief to suffering stores, boosting retail sales by 1 percent...

CHICAGO -- Monkeys perform mental math, pigeons can select the picture that doesn't belong. Humans may not be the only animals that plan for the future, say researchers reporting on the latest studies of animal mental ability. "I suggest we humans should keep our egos in check," Edward A. Wasserman of the University of Iowa said Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science...

Most of us are happy to see the salt trucks out when Old Man Winter visits, but have you ever wondered how salt melts ice? Grab a few items from around the house for an experiment that will show you why salt is important during the winter. Materials...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Moonwalking on national television wasn't what Steve Proctor went to Hollywood for. He had gone there to be a guest speaker at West Coast Baptist College. But when he wound up winning more than $40,000 in cash and prizes on "The Price Is Right," it apparently brought out a different kind of spirit in the Westwood Baptist Church pastor...

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea appears to be assembling its most advanced long-range missile and could conduct a test launch this month, a newspaper reported today, amid U.S. and South Korean warnings against disturbing regional stability. The Taepodong-2 missile has recently been moved to the east coast Musudan-ni missile site, but has not yet been seen near the launch pad, the mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo reported, citing an unidentified South Korean government official...

It wasn't easy, but the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team continued its dominance of Eastern Kentucky on Thursday. The Redhawks overcame a one-point halftime deficit to beat the Colonels for the eighth straight time, 66-56 in Richmond, Ky...

EULESS, Texas -- Officials cleared out a Dallas-area elementary school briefly Thursday morning after a second-grade student brought a deactivated hand grenade for show and tell. Euless police Lt. John Williams said the student walked into his classroom with the grenade at Oakwood Terrace Elementary School. The school was evacuated until police inspected the object. Williams said the grenade was empty -- the sort of thing that might be used as a paperweight...

YEA, Australia -- Police arrested a suspect today in connection to one of the deadly wildfires in southern Australia that killed more than 180 people and left about 7,000 homeless. Police did not release any details about the suspect, but a newspaper report said he was a 39-year-old man who would likely be charged with arson causing death in what police call the Churchill fire...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Marvin E. McElvain, 72, of Marble Hill died Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 22, 1936, in Glenallen, Mo., son of Jess Edward and Ella Mae Kirkpatrick McElvain. He and Peggy Green were married Jan. 7, 1961...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Handing the new administration a big win, House Democrats passed President Barack Obama’s $787 billion plan to resuscitate the economy on Friday despite a wall of Republican opposition. The bill was approved 246-183 and sent to the Senate, where a vote was scheduled late Friday afternoon. ...

The 246-183 roll call Friday by which the House passed a $787 billion economic stimulus bill. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the measure. Voting yes were 246 Democrats and no Republicans. Voting no were seven Democrats and 176 Republicans...

Some state routes in Southeast Missouri remain closed due to the flooding that occurred earlier this week, according to a MoDOT news release. As of 3 p.m. the following roads remained closed, sorted by county.Butler County·        Route NWayne County·        Route FF - US 67 at GreenvilleA couple of routes also remain closed due to downed power lines from the recent ice storm.  Those routes are: Mississippi County·        Route DDStoddard County·        Route HH . ...

Students at Cape Central High School assembled yesterday for this photo in observance of "Red Hand Day", the global effort to end the use of child soldiers. The photo and 300 paper red hands were sent to the United Nations along with others from around the world. The event was part of the school's community literacy event for February, which discussed the book, "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier."...

Less than 500 customers of the SEMO Electric Cooperative remain without power as of this morning, according to an email sent to media outlets by SEMO's communication manager Glenn Cantrell.At the height of power outages in the wake of the January ice storm, 14,000 cooperative customers were without power. ...

The state will release $2.4 million needed to build the Southeast Missouri State University Autism Center, Gov. Jay Nixon announced Friday. The decision, the result of a review of construction projects being funded by payments from the Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority, means the $2.6 million project can move forward. ...

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The commuter plane that crashed into a home near Buffalo, N.Y., was new and had a clean safety record, officials said Friday, leaving investigators few immediate clues about why it suddenly plunged just minutes before its planned landing, killing 50 people...

On February 12, students at Cape Central High School participated in Red Hand Day, the global effort to end the use of child soldiers. This photo and 300 red hands will be sent to the United Nations along with millions of others red hands from around the world as we stand in solidarity against this atrocity. This event was part of our community literacy event for February as together we continue to read and discuss: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier...

President Obama passed a big hurdle today, as the House passed his stimulus bill on the strength Democratic votes. No Republicans voted for the bill.You can read about the bill's passage right now on seMissourian.com, where you can also find a list of what legislators voted how.. ...