Stories from Friday, February 20, 2009

CLIFF VILLAGE, Mo. (AP) -- The mayor of a tiny Joplin suburb says he'll stay put, despite calls for his resignation. A group of Cliff Village residents alleges that a local ordinance legalizing medical marijuana was adopted without a legal mandate. They believe Mayor Joe Blundell misrepresented the critical vote of one board member...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A school district in St. Charles County is being criticized for using padded rooms for special-needs students. The small, padded "time-out rooms" at Francis Howell School District are used for special-needs students who are prone to explosive outbursts...

PERRYVILLE -- Sophomore Anna Esswein noticed she had accomplished something no other St. Vincent swimmer had ever done when she glanced up at the scoreboard to read her time immediately after finishing the 100-yard breaststroke at the City of Roses Invitational in January...

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- Two more people with ties to Missouri's Fort Leonard Wood Army base were treated for meningitislike symptoms, raising more concerns at the base where two soldiers have died this month from the disease. Both soldiers died of a bacterial form of the illness. Speaking Thursday first at a news conference and then at a community forum, base officials said they had just learned of two additional possible cases...

The Jackson wrestling team placed just two of its state qualifiers into the quarterfinals during Thursday's opening action at the state tournament, while Central had two of four win opening matches. Another Central wrestler stayed alive with a wrestleback win while one was eliminated on the first day of the three-day Class 3 tournament. Jackson had one wrestler eliminated in the Class 4 tourney...

Southeast Missouri State athletic director John Shafer said he has fielded hundreds of phone calls and hundreds of e-mails about the men's basketball coaching position in his first 2 weeks on the job. "No exaggeration," he said. "That has been a chore."...

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Al Smith was forklifting a sofa in his moving company's warehouse in Jersey City on Wednesday morning when he heard a sound he thought was a bomb. A chunk of hot metal the size of a brick came crashing through the roof just steps from him...

ST. LOUIS -- Southeast Missouri residents without electricity for more than three weeks have had their power restored. Electric cooperatives and municipal utilities said Thursday that with few exceptions, the remaining 200 customers without power have gotten it back...

More than 16 years have passed since the murder of Angela Mischelle Lawless, a college student found slain in her car near Benton, Mo., but Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter says the crime is still solvable, thanks to DNA advances and the possibility of the right person stepping forward...

BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George W. Bush did not apologize as his trial began Thursday, and instead struck a defiant tone -- telling the judges he wanted to hit back at the humiliation Iraq had suffered at U.S. hands. It was Muntadhar al-Zeidi's first public appearance since he was arrested in mid-December for hurling shoes at Bush during a joint news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki...

For one night at least, Murray State's high-powered offense was no match for Southeast Missouri State's stingy defense. The Redhawks clamped down on the Racers to post a surprisingly lopsided 69-51 women's basketball victory Thursday at the Show Me Center...

OXON HILL, Md. -- It's all over the Internet that Dolly Parton will be in the upcoming "Hannah Montana" movie, but Parton says she didn't make the cut. "I'm not in the movie," she said. "I wish I had been." According to Parton, producers had asked her early on if she would revisit her recurring TV role as Aunt Dolly in the film, due out April 10, starring teen sensation Miley Cyrus...

On Thursday the Cape Girardeau County Commission unanimously approved Coroner John Clifton's request for a $50 increase, for a flat rate of $200, to remove and transport bodies from accidents, suicides, homicides and other death scenes. Since 2005, the county has paid Clifton $150 for removal and transportation of remains, the same rate funeral homes were charging at the time, Clifton said Thursday in a phone interview. ...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: n At 7:22 p.m., emergency medical service in the 3600 block of Engram Street. n At 8:19 p.m., emergency medical service in the 2800 block of Themis Street. n At 11:52 p.m., an alarm sounding at 24 S. Minnesota Ave...

CHICAGO -- A group of black ministers who previously supported U.S. Sen. Roland Burris now plan to ask for his resignation, one of the ministers said Thursday. Many of the city's influential black pastors supported Burris because of his scandal-free reputation -- even though he was appointed by then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich after the governor was arrested...

The Southeast Missouri State gymnastics team clicked on virtually all cylinders Thursday night to beat visiting Ball State. Southeast posted a 195.500-193.100 victory for the third-highest score in school history. The Redhawks, ranked 25th nationally, improved to 8-2...

For more than 30 years, Schnucks and KZIM have held a Valentine's Day party for special couples in Southeast Missouri: husbands and wives who have been married 50 years or more. And there are lots of them. This year, the Arena Building was filled with 250 couples who have celebrated their golden wedding anniversaries -- and then some...

NEW YORK -- If Jimmy Fallon is nervous about the premiere of his new gig as "Late Night" host, he'll have show-biz heavyweights Robert De Niro and Van Morrison to lean on. They'll be the guests for Fallon's March 2 debut hosting the NBC late-night show...

BOLINGBROOK, Ill. -- An emergency transport company is going out of business after being sued by the parents of a girl killed in a medical helicopter crash. More than 30 employees of Bolingbrook-based Air Angels Inc. received 60-day termination notices, the company said in a Thursday statement announcing the immediate end of its operations...

ATLANTA -- Next time you have a case of diarrhea that lasts a day or more, chances are better than 1 in 3 that it was food poisoning. As many as a quarter of Americans suffer a foodborne illness each year -- though only a fraction of those cases get linked to high-profile outbreaks like the recent salmonella-peanut scare, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Fit punishment MY mother feels that a just punishment for the octuplet fertility doctor would be for him to support these children until age 18. Perhaps that would teach him to not bring children into the world who will have to be supported by taxpayers...

Is there more air pressure in a smaller balloon or a larger balloon? Grab a few items from around the house for the answer. Materials n 2 balloons n Thread spool n Twist ties Instructions STEP 1: Completely blow up one of the balloons and tie it off with a twist tie...

FRIDAY n New movies "Fired Up" Rated PG-13 @ Cape West 14 Cine "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail" Rated PG-13 @ Town Plaza Cinema n Destroy the Runner, The Demonstration, Blind Witness, I Am Abomination @ 4-H Building, Arena Park, 7 p.m...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- William A. "Bill" Whitson, 83, of Sikeston died Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009, at Sikeston Convalescent Center. He was born Sept. 26, 1925, in Ramseytown, N.C., son of David and Queenie Belle Peake Whitson. He first married Lilyan Bartles Feb. 1, 1948, in North Carolina. She died March 19, 1982. He and Joyce Imogene "Jean" Lomax Dixon were married July 31, 1982, in Sikeston. She died Oct. 22, 2002...

WASHINGTON -- The number of laid-off workers receiving unemployment benefits hit an all-time high of nearly 5 million this month, and new jobless claims are at levels not seen since the early 1980s. The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of people receiving regular unemployment benefits rose by 170,000 to 4.99 million for the week ending Feb. 7, marking the fourth straight week continuing claims have hit a record...

First, Arthur Santa-Maria called Bank of America to ask how to check the balance of his new unemployment benefits debit card. The bank charged him 50 cents. He chose not to complain. That would have cost another 50 cents. So he took out some of the money and then decided to pull out the rest. But that made two withdrawals on the same day, and that was $1.50...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Mary Elizabeth Burnley, 87, of Cairo died Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009, at her home. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Jones Funeral Home in LaCenter, Ky. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Jones Funeral Home, with Dr. Larry L. Potts officiating. Interment will be in Woodville Cemetery...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — A Poplar Bluff woman has received a $125,000 settlement resulting from her discriminatory employment practices lawsuit against Sheriff Mark Dobbs, the Butler County commissioners and Butler County. The settlement was reached before the case went to trial in U.S. District Court at Cape Girardeau...

SEOUL, South Korea -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said North Korea's leadership situation is uncertain and the United States is worried the Stalinist country may soon face a succession crisis to replace ailing dictator Kim Jong Il...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n A 14-year-old boy was cited into juvenile court for assault and peace disturbance. n Darcell C. Moore, 21, 1080 S. Ellis St., was arrested on Cape Girardeau warrants for contempt of court for no operator's license, no seat belt, no insurance, improper registration and prohibited acts, contempt of court for no license, no insurance and no registration, contempt of court for no license, for contempt of court for revoked license and for contempt of court for failure to appear.. ...

25 years ago: Feb. 20, 1984 Burton J. Gerhardt, a longtime Cape Girardeau contractor who was instrumental in the development of the Town Plaza shopping center and in several other commercial and residential projects in the area, dies at age 73. A five-year city beautification plan for Main Street and the Main Street parking lot is unanimously approved by the Scott City Council; the plan, drafted by parks director Pat Kinder, calls for planting a variety of trees, shrubs, bushes and flowers along the street.. ...

Bless those who teach, O God, in schools, in our jobs and in our churches. Amen.

As the anniversary of the murder of Chabreasha Egson approaches, the Cape Girardeau Police Department hopes an increased reward for her suspected killer will lead to new clues. Tambra Turner, 30, is charged with first-degree murder for the shooting death of Egson, who died in her home at 1523 N. Spanish St. early in the morning of Feb. 22, 2008. Turner is accused of killing Egson out of romantic rivalry over the affections of Turner's estranged husband, Lloyd Gilmore...

You wait until the night before a test to study, so why not wait until the days before prom to go for your tuxedo? There's a good reason not to: You probably won't get the one you want, said Kathy Wright at Garber's Menswear in Cape Girardeau. The company stores order from may be out of a color and if you're an odd size the order can be delayed...

The emergency communication center at fire station No. 3 in Cape Girardeau resembles something out of science fiction. Each dispatch station is equipped with six flat-screen computer monitors, each serving a different purpose, and a map projection in the center of one wall depicts the exact location of every fire hydrant...

Anderle Daughter to Justin Ray and Jaime Rebekah Anderle of Moulton, Texas, DeTar Hospital in Victoria, Texas, 5:31 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29, 2008. Name, Jillian Suzanne. Weight, 9 pounds, 13 ounces. First child. Mrs. Anderle is the former Jaime Glueck, daughter of Jim and Pat Glueck of San Antonio, formerly of Scott City. ...

Miss Kitty has had a good week. She has found more ways to toy with her humans. As you know, our calico cat is an outdoor cat who, thanks to the tender sympathies of my allergic wife, spends a lot of time indoors, particularly when the temperature is low...

Missouri's state treasurer wants to rewrite the program that uses state tax money deposits to support loans to small businesses in an effort to make more companies eligible for the low-cost cash. Treasurer Clint Zweifel visited General Sign Co. in Cape Girardeau today to explain how his ideas would help support job creation while increasing yields for taxpayers. ...

Perryville High School Junior Lyndsey Weisbrod spent much of today away from the classroom and in Cape Girardeau serving as CEO of Izumi Inc. Throughout the day her team of five made decisions on how much to spend on research, development, marketing and charitable giving. By the end of the day Izumi was hoping to create a halo generator, but you won't find the product in a store...

Perryville High School Junior Lyndsey Weisbrod spent much of today away from the classroom and in Cape Girardeau serving as CEO of Izumi Inc.Throughout the day her team of five made decisions on how much to spend on research, development, marketing and charitable giving. ...