Stories from February 2009

Practical. No-nonsense. To the point. These are some of the ways to describe Marybelle Mueller, a woman who raised a family, pursued a career reserved mostly for men more than half a century ago and excelled as a judge while taking an active role in community and church projects...

PERRYVILLE -- Junior Emily Hanquist looked impressive in her first ever start against rival St. Vincent on Saturday evening. Hanquist, a first-year starter for the Pirates who had played off the bench against the Indians the past two years, netted a game-high 19 points...

At the regular Rotary lunch last week, the group at the early table -- ready to eat and nearest the door -- was catching up on the latest news and solving the world's problems. One of the club's most stalwart members announced that the recession had hit close to home: Two of his grandchildren, in Baltimore and St. Louis, were losing their jobs due to cutbacks...

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. Merchants have planned a variety of romantic activities including wine and chocolate samples at Patricia Ann's and refreshments, hand massages and moments of wellness at eDen Spa and Salon. ...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Mary Beth Bohnsack and Bradley Morris Adams were married June 14, 2008, at St. John's Catholic Church in Leopold. The Rev. Bob Landewee performed the ceremony. Organist was Kelly Irvin and soloist was Stan Seiler. A choir also sang...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Heuring of New Hamburg recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The couple received a blessing by the Rev. Normand Varone during Mass celebrated Jan. 11, 2009, at St. Lawrence Catholic Church. A dinner and dance followed at the church parish center...

MAYFIELD, Ky. -- Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear called up his entire Army National Guard on Saturday, tripling his troops with his state still reeling from a deadly ice storm that knocked out power from the Midwest to the East Coast. More than half a million homes and businesses, most of them in Kentucky, remained without electricity from the Ozarks through Appalachia, though temperatures creeping into the 40s helped a swarm of utility workers make headway...

Raw fun at the Show Me Center The wrestlers of WWE RAW will be at the Show Me Center for an afternoon of challenges, championship fights and sheer chaos for their "Pre-Game Pandemonium" match on Super Bowl Sunday. CM Punk takes on Kane in an intercontinental championship match and Rey Mysterio goes after Chris Jericho. The show starts at 2 p.m...

Mitsubishi's smallest sport utility vehicle in the United States is still called a compact. But there's not much that's small about the 2009 Outlander. Stretching more than 15 feet in length, the second-generation Outlander is longer overall than many more popular compact SUVs, such as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. Its 73 cubic feet of cargo area behind the front seats is bigger than those found in the Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Rogue...

Samuel Boyd Samuel A. Boyd, 73, of Jackson died Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009, at the Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 16, 1935, at Potosi, Mo., son of William A. and Leona M. Byrd Boyd Sr. Boyd was a retired auto mechanic. Survivors include two sons, Samuel Boyd of Chicago, Aaron Boyd of Jackson; two daughters, Kimberly Klein of Carrington, Va., Phyllis Bridges of Calumet City, Ill.; four brothers, William Boyd and Danny Boyd, both of Ironton, Mo., Nathan Boyd and Ollie Boyd of St. ...

People can still enjoy Peanut Butter Patties and Peanut Butter Sandwiches Girl Scout cookies ordered from local Girl Scouts, according to the Girl Scout Council. ABC Interbake, the licensed cookie baker for Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland, which serves 21,000 girls in southern and central Missouri, southeast Kansas, and northeast Oklahoma, does not source its peanut butter from the supplier involved in the current peanut butter warning, the council said...

Editor's note: The names of the people featured in this article who are considering bankruptcy have been changed to protect their privacy. By Rudi Keller Southeast Missourian Bankruptcy is a debtor's last resort for relief from the stress of dealing with creditors who can't be paid...

Black and white are timeless, elegant and, in this case, fun. The third annual Penguin Party benefit gala to raise money for Cape Girardeau Public School Foundation will be Saturday. Most people wear tuxes and gowns or suits and cocktail dresses, but some guests take the penguin theme to heart...

Jimmy Crader MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Jimmy Clark Crader, 69, of Marble Hill died Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, in Marble Hill. He was born Sept. 29, 1939, at Burfordville, son of Milton E. and Clarine West Crader. He and Alice Marie Keaveny were married Sept. 29, 2008, at their home in Marble Hill...

Storm help offered to pet owners in region ST. LOUIS -- Pet owners in storm-stricken parts of Southeast Missouri are getting some relief from the Humane Society of Missouri in St. Louis. The group's Disaster Response Team set up animal rescue operations Friday in New Madrid, Mo. ...

Several struggling men's basketball teams have gotten well at Southeast Missouri State's expense this season. Tennessee Tech was the latest to join the list. The Eagles also became the latest squad to pile on the reeling Redhawks. Tech blew open a close game in the first five minutes of the second half and rolled to a 91-75 victory Saturday night at the Show Me Center...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Burglary n A burglary was reported at 1301 Gina Drive. Jewelry was reported stolen. Miscellaneous n A request for service was reported at 353 S. Kingshighway. n A 54-year-old woman was placed in protective custody...

BAGHDAD — Passing through razor-wire cordons and police checkpoints, Iraqi voters Saturday took another step in the nation's quest for stability in provincial elections that were carried off without major violence but tarnished by claims of flaws and threats of challenges...

TORONTO -- Canada, America's top trading partner, is cautiously optimistic it will be exempted from protectionist provisions in the U.S. economic stimulus bill that call on major public works projects to favor U.S. iron, steel and manufactured goods over imports...

Billy Blackwell Sr. Billy G. Blackwell Sr., 79, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 12, 1930, in Cape Girardeau, son of Thomas G. and Mary Craig Blackwell. He and Beatrice Wallace Blackwell were married April 13, 1952, in Forrest City, Ark...

LOS ANGELES -- The woman who gave birth to octuplets this week conceived all 14 of her children through in vitro fertilization, is not married and has been obsessed with having children since she was a teenager, her mother said. Angela Suleman said she was not supportive when her daughter, Nadya Suleman, decided to have more embryos implanted last year...

Lester M. and Patricia A. Wells of Cape Girardeau are observing their 40th wedding anniversary today. They were married Feb. 1, 1969, in St. Louis. The couple has two children, Jason of North Canton, Ohio, and Leslie of St. Louis. They have two grandchildren, Stasia and Adeline...

Pied pipers PRESIDENT Obama has put in charge of the IRS a guy who cheats on his own taxes but will prosecute and persecute any of you middle-class taxpayers if you dare do what he did. Corrupt bankers got bailouts as their reward, and middle-class America gets the shaft. ...

PERRYVILLE -- Perryville didn't put on an impressive performance from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter against rival St. Vincent on Saturday night. But the Pirates made enough free throws while playing strong defense down the stretch and throughout the entire contest to hold off the Indians...

LONDON -- In the face of growing protests and rising unemployment, the British government said Saturday it understands the frustration of energy workers who have walked out over the hiring of foreign citizens. But it warned against protectionism, saying isolating the British economy would only make the downturn worse...

Larry Schwepker Larry Don Schwepker, 69, of Delta died Friday, Jan. 30, 2009, at home. He was born Oct. 19, 1939, at Delta, son of Earnest H. and Adath Amos Schwepker. He and Nelda Jean Sparkman were married in 1959. He later married Sharon Ann Braun...

TAMPA, Fla. -- NBC said on the eve of today's Super Bowl that it has sold the last two of the 69 advertising spots for the game, pushing total ad revenue for the event to a record $206 million. The network said its total of $261 million in ad revenue for all of Super Bowl day also is a record, calling it an especially impressive feat in the middle of the economy's steep downturn...

Jeffrey and Christie Tinsley of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Megan Elizabeth Tinsley, to Kyle Joseph Rees. He is the son of Sandy and Doug Kasten of Jackson and Danny and Colleen Rees of Gordonville. Tinsley is a 2006 graduate of Jackson High School. She is majoring in business at Southeast Missouri State University. She is employed at Commerce Bank in Cape Girardeau...

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team picked up its second win of the season over Tennessee Tech in familiar fashion Saturday night. Just as in the earlier meeting on the road, the Redhawks pulled away late for a 61-55 victory at the Show Me Center...

Southeast Missouri State women's basketball coach John Ishee compares sophomore Tore Fite to former Detroit Pistons guard Vinny Johnson, who was known as "The Microwave" for his ability to heat up in a hurry. Fite was hot Saturday night with 14 points, missing just one shot while tying for the team-high in scoring in the Redhawks' 61-55 victory against Tennessee Tech...

The Southeast Missourian won a dozen first-, second- and third-place awards in the Suburban Newspapers of America's recent 2008 Editorial Contest among daily newspapers. This year's contest included 36 editorial categories. "Congratulations to the newsroom," Southeast Missourian publisher Jon Rust said. ...

WASHINGTON -- President Obama promised Saturday to lower mortgage costs, offer job-creating loans for small businesses, get credit flowing and rein in free-spending executives as he readies a new road map for spending billions from the second installment of the financial rescue plan...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: n At 3:29 p.m., emergency medical service in the 600 block of Boxwood Drive. n At 4:32 p.m., emergency medical service in the 300 block of North Sprigg Street. n At 4:59 p.m., a line down in the 100 block of Cape Rock Drive...

Robert Satterfield CAIRO, Ill. -- Robert D. Satterfield, 78, of Cairo died Monday, Jan. 26, 2009, at Daystar Care Center in Cairo. He was born Feb. 4, 1930, in Cairo, son of Louis Lloyd and Ima Louise Atherton Satterfield. He married Mary Ruth McGinness...

Bethany Ann Brant and Michael Dale Stewart were united in marriage Dec. 20, 2008, at Shadow Rest Ministries in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Gary Hollis performed the ceremony. Music was provided by Andy Baker of London, England. The bride is the daughter of David and Robbie Brant of Scott City. The groom is the son of Mike and Carol Stewart of Scott City...

ORAN, Mo. -- Mr. and Mrs. Robey LeGrand of Oran recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a dinner at Port Cape, hosted by their children. LeGrand and Etber Bernard were married Dec. 29, 1948, at Oran, by the Rev. Herman T. Macke. Their attendants were Irene LeGrand and Robert Schlitt...

Wilma Sweitzer JONESBORO, Ill. -- Wilma Joan Sweitzer, 66, of Jonesboro died Monday, Jan. 26, 2009, at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, Ill. She was born July 11, 1942, in Alto Pass, Ill., daughter of Norman G. and Opal E. Martin Hickam. Sweitzer worked her entire nursing career as an LPN at Jackson County Rehab Center. She was a member of the VFW Post No. 3455 Ladies Auxiliary in Anna, Ill...

Federal bankruptcy laws were changed in 2005 in an attempt to force more people seeking protection from creditors to pay at least a portion of the bills that pushed them into court. The two main types of bankruptcies filed by individuals are Chapter 7, which is a liquidation of assets and debts, and Chapter 13, which imposes a repayment plan lasting up to five years...

25 years ago: Feb. 1, 1984 A two-alarm fire heavily damages the interior of the historic Free Will Baptist Church at 200 Broadway in Cape Girardeau; it is believed to be the result of arson; the north side of the sanctuary of the church, built in 1893, is heavily damaged...

BENTON, Mo. -- In 42 years as a power company lineman, Gary Bickings has lived through a lot of storms. Just in the past year, the AmerenUE troubleshooter has endured the ice storm of Feb. 11 and the damage caused when the remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through in September. But the 36-hour winter storm that caked an area from Springfield, Mo., to the East Coast with ice and snow, leaving as many as 100,000 people in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois without power, is the new standard...

Johnnie Carter Johnnie Darroll Carter, 68, died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009, at the home of his daughter in Oak Ridge. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Southeast Missouri Hospital benefits from volunteers Southeast Missouri Hospital Auxiliary volunteers greet visitors and patients at hospital waiting rooms, lobbies and front desks; give directions to outpatients and visitors, operate the gift shop and deliver flowers, newspapers and email wishes to patient rooms...

Ill. road crews remove Blagojevich's name CHICAGO -- The blue and white signs touting former governor Rod Blagojevich and his open-road tolling project grace dozens of spots along the Illinois Tollway. But after this weekend the name of the ex-governor will be gone, covered up by new panels on the signs. Tollway officials said they're acting on their own, not at the request of Gov. Pat Quinn. Workers are adding aluminum panels to the signs marked with the plaza's name and number...

Organization seeks members of 82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division Association Inc. is looking for people who served in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army in the past 66 years. The association is trying to document the service of the soldiers who have played a part in making the 82nd Airborne the most decorated division in today's military. Call 937-898-5977, e-mail srgabn@aol.com or mail to Airborne 2009, 5459 Northcutt Place, Dayton, Ohio, 45414...

Milder weather helped the region's utility crews Saturday as they continued to repair the damage from the ice storm that knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers. "We're making good progress because of the good melt," AmerenUE spokeswoman Susan Gallagher said...

CENTERVILLE, Utah -- John, a porcelain commode gunned down in an accidental shooting at a fast-food restaurant's bathroom, has died. His age was not immediately known. The toilet was shattered by a bullet Jan. 12 when a man's gun fell from its holster as he was pulling up his pants, police said. Police do not plan to file criminal charges in connection with the incident...

ST. LOUIS -- Notre Dame girls basketball coach Renee Peters did not know what to expect from her team at the Queen of Hearts Tournament. The Bulldogs, who were playing in the eight-team event for the first time, boasted the top seed. But they also came into the tournament after four days without practice because of the inclement weather...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Lindsay Yvonne Albright of St. Louis and Scott Matthew VanGennip of Leopold announce their engagement. She is the daughter of Robyn Seals of House Springs, Mo., and Patrick Albright of Wildwood, Mo. VanGennip is the son of the late Steve and Mary VanGennip of Leopold...

Paul and Diane Kohm Jr. of Perryville, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Dawn Kohm, to Jimmy Lynn Versemann. He is the son of Ronald and Joyce Versemann of Jackson. Kohm is a 2002 graduate of Perryville High School. She received an associate of science degree from Mineral Area College in 2005, and is a 2005 graduate of Mineral Area Regional Medical Center School of Radiologic Technology in 2005. She is a radiologic technologist at Orthopaedic Associates in Cape Girardeau...

NEWARK, N.J. -- The father of three children who have names associated with Nazis is accusing the state Division of Youth and Family Services of taking his children under false pretenses and said one of the children appeared neglected when he saw them recently...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Sen. Claire McCaskill spoke out against Wall Street executives who gave out $18.4 billion in bonuses while accepting a federal bailout and proposed limits on some of their salaries. "They don't get it," McCaskill, D-Mo., said Friday on the U.S. Senate floor. "These people are idiots."...

Hear us, O God, when we call your name, and tend to our needs. Amen.

NEW YORK -- Olivia, the little girl pig with the big imagination, is stepping out of her picture book world into a bold, new and much more colorful life on Nickelodeon. The twirly drama queen and fashionista seems more mature at the ripe old age of 6 and 3/4 in the eye-popping animated series that preserves her can-do spirit and love of red stripes while broadening her social life...

There were 5 tom turkeys in the field next to our house this morning. They were big and beautiful!

The road in front of my house in Jackson, fog along the treeline makes for a beautiful picture.

My horse Smokey enjoying the snow

SIKESTON — Sikeston’s Emergency Operational Command continues to receive reports of carbon monoxide poisoning around the city. Symptoms include dizziness, headaches, nausea, tiredness. "This is a very serious issue and could cause death to everyone in the home," said Sgt. Jim McMillen...

Our lab Ace was curious about the snowman that Lindsay Jo created.

Hungry squirrel enjoying lunch

Cinnamon saying, "Follow me!"

I took this picture Wednesday afternoon. There were 6 deer in my back yard. I got this one as she was looking up.

My neighborhood in Cape

Foxy is playing & romping in the snow.

Power outage and downed trees.

Reesie & Cinnamon enjoying the snow

Outside my home in Cape

POPLAR BLUFF, MO — Administrators at Three Rivers Community College have announced that the college will be closed Monday through Friday in response to massive power outages throughout Southeast Missouri due to the recent ice and snow storm...

Out and about Cape Friday Jan 30th

My son, Jared Ritter, enjoying his day out of school.

Every season I take a pic of this tree because it has so much character whatever time of year. This pic even the background trees are covered in ice and I think it is so white due to the fog the night before. This pic was taken Saturday January 31st...

Oak Ridge R-VI School District will be in session on Monday, with buses using snow routes, according to an email from superintendent Gerald Landewee.

Cape Girardeau near New Lormier Cemetery

Out and about Cape Friday Jan 30th

Fallen trees and power lines have caused the following state roads to close:   Mississippi County · Route AB from Route N to Route J . Highway 77, between Highway 80 and Route DD; between Route D and the north end of Wayatt. . Route Y from Highway 60 to Alfalfa Center...

Oak Ridge R-VI School District will be in session on Monday, with buses using snow routes, according to an email from superintendent Gerald Landewee.

Southeast Missourian BENTON, Mo. — Repairs crews are taking advantage of the relatively mild temperatures to speed ahead with repairs of electric lines damaged during the ice storm. But in some areas, it could be more than two weeks before some get power restored. ...

Out and about Cape Friday Jan 30th

The Southeast Missouri Chapter of the American Red Cross continues to offer shelter and food. As of Sunday, more than 1,200 people had used the shelters and more than 5,000 meals had been provided through the Red Cross by the Salvation Army, Southern Baptist feeding units, other volunteers and businesses...

Southeast Missouri is defined by its special people and special places. One of the special people of our region is Mary Ann Smith of Charleston, Mo. Mary Ann is a model of how to age with dignity, intellect, strength and achievement. In June, Smith commemorated her 80th birthday by joining members of her family on a bicycle ride -- 80 miles in a single day. ...

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon presented his proposed budget last week in Jefferson City. With the state facing a revenue shortfall approaching $350 million, there will have to be some hard choices as the budget makes its way through the legislative process...

Economic sacrifices THE Great Depression was brought on by President Hoover's raising taxes in a mild recession. Then in the 1930 election, he got a Democratic Congress, just like President Bush did. Then the country locked up. It took millions of men dying to give us the economy we have. President Roosevelt may have got the economy going with the war, but a lot of men died to give us this economy in World War II...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Local concealed-carry firearms safety courses are booming. Missouri's concealed weapons law became effective Feb. 26, 2004. Among the requirements to apply for a concealed-carry endorsement is completion of an eight-hour firearms safety course...

After more than eight years of legal skirmishing, a trial is scheduled to open Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by animal welfare groups alleging Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus routinely abuses its performing elephants. The plaintiffs -- including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Animal Welfare Institute -- allege that trainers' use of sharp tools called bullhooks and the prolonged use of chains on the Asian elephants add up to an egregious violation of the federal Endangered Species Act.. ...

By the end of today AmerenUE expects power will be fully restored to customers in 19 Southeast Missouri towns affected by last week's winter storm. Customers in another 11 towns can expect to have electricity by the end of Tuesday, a press release from the St. ...

Some area schools are still dealing with poor road conditions and power outages from last week's ice storm, forcing closings or delayed openings. In Jackson and at the Kelly school district in Benton, school will be out of session not for weather related reasons, but due to a professional development day. ...

Another prediction down the tubes. In last week's column, I called for Southeast Missouri State's first Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball win of the season against visiting Jacksonville State on Thursday. Instead the Redhawks were dealt a 78-68 defeat, and they suffered another home loss two nights later, 91-75 to Tennessee Tech...

LEITCHFIELD, Ky. -- National Guard troops swinging chain saws made their way into isolated Kentucky communities Sunday to check on residents walloped by a winter storm that Gov. Steve Beshear called the biggest natural disaster ever to hit the state...

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico City shut down a main water pipeline under a new conservation program, cutting service to more than 2 million residents Sunday after some reservoirs dropped to their lowest levels in 16 years. The Mexico City government and the National Water Commission will interrupt service for three days every month until May, when the rainy season begins...

Cape Girardeau County Commissioner Paul Koeper promised during his first-district campaign to stay in touch with voters. On Friday, he announced plans for four town hall meetings. He originally planned to start them today, but he said the ice storm pushed everything back a week...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Roger Federer had nowhere to hide. Rod Laver was about to present the cup to Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal. Federer stood on the court, having just missed his first chance to equal Pete Sampras' record 14 Grand Slam singles titles...

Repair crews took advantage of the relatively mild temperatures Sunday to speed ahead with repairs of electric lines damaged during the ice storm. But in some areas, it could be more than two weeks before power is restored. As of 4 p.m. Sunday, AmerenUE's website listed 5,467 without power in Pemiscot County, 4,485 in New Madrid County, 2,698 in Stoddard County, 1,455 in Scott County, 1,081 in Dunklin County and 590 in Mississippi County...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Thelma Lee Niswonger Worley, 86, of Poplar Bluff died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete at Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home of Jackson.

WASHINGTON -- White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama will sign a bill to give consumers more time to get ready for the switch from analog to digital television broadcasts. The switch is set for Feb. 17 under current law. Last week, the Senate passed a bill to delay that until June, but it failed in the House under a procedure that required a two-thirds vote for passage...

TOKYO -- A volcano erupted near Tokyo early Monday, spewing a plume of smoke more than a mile high and raining ash down on parts of the city. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Mount Asama, about 90 miles northwest of Tokyo, erupted at 1:51 a.m. today, according to Japan's Meteorological Agency. Chunks of rock from the explosion were found about 3,300 feet away from the volcano...

Fallen trees and power lines have caused the following state roads to close: Mississippi County Route AB from Route N to Route J Highway 77, between Highway 80 and Route DD; between Route D and the north end of Wayatt. Route Y from Highway 60 to Alfalfa Center...

Johnnie Darroll Carter, 69, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009, at the home of his daughter in Oak Ridge. He was born Sept. 30, 1940, at Parma, Mo., son of Paul Daniel and Lucille Beatrice Ivie Carter. He and Judy Kimbel were married in 1959. He later married Jerry S. Pender in 1963. Carter has been unmarried since 1975...

BENTON, Mo. — Flossie Juanita Kirsch, 90, of Benton died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 20, 1918, in Blodgett, Mo., daughter of Joel and Earsy Simmons Hopper. On May 24, 1946, she married Karl John Kirsch in Benton...

Faught Daughter to James L. and Sheena C. Faught of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 1:20 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. Name, Carsyn Graye. Weight, 8 pounds, 5 ounces. First child. Mrs. Faught is the former Sheena Atherton, daughter of Chuck and Robin Tinnon of Sikeston, Mo., and Yaqui and Tammy Atherton of Whitewater. Faught is the son of Don and Lois Faught of Sikeston. He is self-employed...

Authorities say the men believed to be responsible for a beating and robbery two years ago in Kansas City may be hiding in Southeast Missouri. Kansas City Crime Stoppers has offered a $50,000 reward for information that could lead to a conviction in the cold case, according to Jerry Barham, the victim of the assault...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: n At 6:07 p.m., emergency medical service in the unit block of South Sprigg Street. n At 6:10 p.m., gas odor at County Road 205. n At 6:22 p.m., gas odor at 2554 Independence St...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- As stocks and real estate values tumbled, the assets of Missouri's biggest public employee pension funds plunged by more than $11 billion last year, the Columbia Daily Tribune reported Sunday. The Tribune interviewed executives of the state and local governments' biggest pension funds, which are guaranteed to provide benefits to more than 317,000 current and retired public school teachers, state workers, university professors and local government employees...

Redevelopment of downtown Cape Girardeau is a hot topic these days. One organization seeking to foster revitalization in the 130-block historic district is Old Town Cape. Leading the group is its executive director, Marla Mills, who assumed her role on Sept. 18, 2006...

MOLO, Kenya -- The explosion of an overturned tanker could be felt for miles, and the moments that followed haunted survivors: People ablaze, their clothes burned off, running to the bush in a futile effort to escape the pain and begging for help. More than 100 people were killed and another 200 injured in the inferno that overwhelmed hospitals Sunday, where victims lined the floors, hooked to drips and moaning in pain. ...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The national wave of auto dealership closures has come crashing down on thousands of people who are on the hook for used-car loans that dealers were supposed to absolve. When a car buyer still owes money on a vehicle he is trading in, the dealer promises to pay off the outstanding loan, then resells the vehicle. ...

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Major U.S. banks sought government permission to bring thousands of foreign workers into the country for high-paying jobs even as the system was melting down last year and Americans were getting laid off, according to an Associated Press review of visa applications...

25 years ago: Feb. 2, 1984 The Cape Girardeau City Council last night pulled the plug on Cape Cable TV's proposed $3 rate increase, rejecting it by a vote of 6-1; Mayor Howard C. Tooke maintained the cable company could afford to expand programming without increasing the basic monthly charge from $7.50 to $10.50...

SIKESTON -- Sikeston's Emergency Operational Command continues to receive reports of carbon monoxide poisoning around the city, according to a statement issued Sunday. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include dizziness, headaches, nausea and tiredness...

Remove the shadows from our thoughts, O God, and send us heavenly light. Amen.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Arizona Cardinals were achingly close. They needed to hang on for just 2 minutes to complete a stunner of a Super Bowl comeback. It wasn't to be. This miracle of a season would have no perfect ending. Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald, the pass-and-catch combination that was so spectacular in the playoffs, connected for two touchdowns in less than five minutes against the fierce Pittsburgh defense to give the Cardinals a 23-20 lead Sunday night...

For the record: Jimmi's Restaurant in Cape Girardeau is open for business. I wrote an article a few weeks ago about the building that houses Jimmi's being up for sale. Some readers thought that meant the restaurant was closing. In fact, the owners plan to continue operating the restaurant as usual...

CINCINNATI -- An 82-year-old steamboat that's been designated as a National Historic Landmark is poised to make a final trip to its new position as a riverfront hotel. The Delta Queen, which once ran up and down the Mississippi River but docked in Cincinnati, will leave its winter home in New Orleans on Wednesday for Chattanooga, Tenn. In October, the mostly wooden boat -- the last of its kind -- lost its exemption to operate overnight river cruises for up to 176 passengers...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Inside the gates of the White House grounds, the closing months of then-president Bush's second term were bittersweet for one Poplar Bluff resident. Whitney Hampton joined the White House staff in mid-August for a four-month internship she describes as both exciting and sad. She was one of more than 3,000 to apply for 100 positions...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- After the first two playoff holes, neither Kenny Perry nor Charley Hoffman looked capable of winning the FBR Open. They were 1 over, and it looked as if they might have to play until dark. "The playoff was ugly," Perry said. "We were hitting it everywhere, having to scramble from all over the place."...

While many teachers and students had a bad-weather hiatus for the better part of last week, Christina Green never missed a beat with her students. First, she had them shovel the driveway Wednesday — part chore, part physical education — followed by lunch and a series of assessment tests...

TAMPA, Fla. -- Santonio Holmes sat on the grass alongside the end zone -- legs outstretched, head bowed, arms wrapped tightly around the ball. He'd come too far to let go. The kid who once sold drugs on a street corner had grown up to become MVP of a most remarkable Super Bowl...

TAMPA, Fla. — The winning play of the Super Bowl was right out of a schoolyard. Scamble right, scramble left, find someone open. The perfect unscripted ending to a game of improbable swings. Their Steel Curtain shredded, Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes improvised the 6-yard touchdown with 35 seconds left that gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a record-setting sixth Super Bowl victory, 27-23 over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night...

Local surgeon inducted into American College of Surgeons Dr. W. Ray Silliman was among 1,189 people who recently became fellows of the American College of Surgeons during convocation ceremonies at the college's recent annual Clinical Congress in San Francisco. ...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Administrators at Three Rivers Community College have announced the college will be closed today through Friday in response to massive power outages throughout Southeast Missouri as a result of last week's ice and snow storm. College president Joe Rozman made the announcement in a written statement issued Sunday afternoon. The closure affects the main Three Rivers campus in Poplar Bluff and all sites, including Campbell, Kennett, Malden, Portageville and Sikeston...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Geologists monitoring Alaska's Mount Redoubt say the volcano is rumbling and emitting steam but has shown no dramatic burst of energy in the last 24 hours. Geologist Tina Neal at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said no flyovers were planned for Sunday unless activity increased significantly...

PULASKI, Ill. — Lloyd "Pete" Pullett, 85, of Pulaski died Monday, Jan. 26, 2009, at his home. He was born Jan. 12, 1924, at Pulaski, son of Toby and Catherine McDaniel Pullett. Pullett worked for the Pulaski County Highway Department until his retirement in 1989. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Kayran Andora Smith, 35, 1221 S. Pacific St., was arrested on suspicion of harrassment. Burglaries n A burglary and the theft of jewelry was reported at 1445 Pemiscot St...

The United Way's traveling gnome, How-We Live United, has recently gone missing while promoting Live United around Cape County. "Everyone at the office is upset with the thought that How-We may never turn up," said Marketing Specialist Nicolette Brennan. "We have checked every location we can think of to find our little buddy and we haven't had any luck."...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — After a man of the cloth was recently attacked, area clergymen decided it was time to fight back against crime in Poplar Bluff. Pastor John McCain of Conley Grove and New Life Missionary Baptist churches and a U.S. postal worker by profession, was picking up his teenage daughters from a birthday party at Operation Off Street on the corner of 5th and West Harper streets on Jan. ...

This little Bunny sits here every morning, regardless of the weather!

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Tens of thousands of people are still displaced from their southern Missouri homes after last week's ice storm. But hundreds of animals were also left with no place to go. Many shelters won't take dogs and cats. The Humane Society of Missouri recently took 60 animals from the Caruthersville shelter...

The Jackson wrestling team had nine finalists in the SEMO Conference wrestling tournament Saturday, but only one of them had no idea he would even be wrestling last weekend. Junior Mitchell Hazelwood, a member of Jackson's powerhouse junior varsity team, stepped into the varsity lineup for the conference tourney due to an illness. He went on to win six matches and claimed the championship at 135 pounds...

I managed to capture this photo as the sun was shining and the ice was melting. I think the vividness of the red berries and the crystal quality of the ice against the whiteness of the snow is beautiful!

The Miracle King Air. Arrow points to buckling in the aircraft's rear fuselage.

A car wreck during rush hour Monday left one child dead and three others injured, said Sgt. Jason Selzer, spokesman for Cape Girardeau Police Department. The accident occurred when a minivan traveling westbound on Highway 74, near the entrance of Shawnee Sports Complex at Minnesota Avenue, struck a parked vehicle, Selzer said...

Emergency personnel are responding to a major accident at Minnesota Avenue and Highway 74 in Cape Girardeau, according to police scanner traffic. Radio communication indicates there are serious injuries and the accident is affecting traffic.Look for more information later on seMissourian.com...

A car wreck during rush hour Monday left one child dead and three others injured, said Sgt. Jason Selzer, spokesman for Cape Girardeau Police Department. The accident occurred when a minivan traveling westbound on Highway 74 near the entrance to the Shawnee Sports Complex at Minnesota Avenue struck a parked vehicle, Selzer said...

VDAY of Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri State University are proud to announce auditions for "The Vagina Monologues," to be held Thursday, February 5 at 6 pm in the Ervin Resource Room. The Ervin Resource Room is located on campus, in room 113 in the Grauel Building on Pacific Street...

Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) crews and heavy equipment were deployed by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on Saturday to assist Southeast Missouri and Ozark communities with the clearing of debris from Winter Storm 2009. According to SEMA, about 54,000 homes and businesses remained without electricity as of Sunday evening and AmerenUE estimated the ice storm downed at least 16,000 power poles and hundreds of lines in the Bootheel region...

Last week's ice storm was a big hassle. It still is for some people, especially the thousands still without power in areas south of Cape Girardeau. ...

The winter storm that left much of the Bootheel, Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois without electricity brought an economic boon to Cape Girardeau. Hotels and hardware stores in Cape Girardeau and Jackson saw a surge in business as early as Jan. ...

We took some time out from shoveling the recent storm and played with our german shepherds. Who needs a frisbee? They love to chase down a snowball thrown into the air and catch it.

By now, everyone knows about "The Miracle on the Hudson", the fantastic emergency landing that occured on January 15th, when Captain "Sulley" Sullenburger glided his powerless Airbus 320 airliner to a safe ditching in the Hudson River, saving all on board after a total, double engine failure. The entire event was a study in pilot discipline, and quickly making the right choices as events tick off your options...

Lonely snow bird sitting on frozen branches.

Taken in the morning on the new Main St extension in Jackson, Mo

CAIRO, Ill. — Elsie M. Swoboda, 89, of Cairo died Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Barkett Funeral Home in Cairo is in charge of arrangements.

Mary Voelker of Sikeston, Mo., never envisioned spending her Monday afternoon at a Cape Girardeau laundry facility. But last week's winter storm knocked out power at her home, forcing her to make the 35-mile trek to wash laundry and complete her college assignments from Southeast Missouri State University's Sikeston center at the Cape Girardeau campus...

BENTON, Mo. -- A tractor-trailer struck a car being pushed by two men Monday evening on Interstate 55 south of Benton, killing one of the men and sending the other for treatment at Saint Francis Medical Center, Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said...

Eric Holder won Senate confirmation Monday as the nation's first black attorney general. The vote was 75-21, with all the opposition coming from Republicans. Holder's chief supporter, Sen. Patrick Leahy, said the confirmation was a fulfillment of civil rights leader Martin Luther King's dream that everyone would be judged by the content of their character...

The world's most famous groundhog saw his shadow Monday morning, predicting that this already-long winter will last for six more weeks. Punxsutawney Phil emerged just after dawn in front of an estimated 13,000 witnesses. The annual ritual takes place on Gobbler's Knob, a tiny hill in Punxsutawney, a borough of about 6,100 residents some 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. — Everett M. James, 58, of Marble Hill died Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at his home. He was born Dec. 15, 1950, in Lutesville, Mo., son of Earnie and Beatrice Hill James. He first married Shirlene Hodge on March 10, 1973. He later married Norma Sitze on Sept. 6, 1998. She died Sept. 27, 2002. He then married Patricia Diana Long on July 19, 2003...

Irene R. Beussink, 78, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born March 15, 1930, in Leopold, Mo., daughter of Henry John and Frances Helena Seiler Wubker. She and Ernest Henry Beussink were married July 1, 1950, at St. John's Catholic Church in Leopold...

Virginia Ann Smith, 79, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Advance, Mo., died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Feb. 29, 1929, near Advance, daughter of Comelous and Althea Zimmerman Cox. She and Billy J. Smith were married Sept. 22, 1948, in Piggott, Ark. He died June 1, 2007...

I would like to take this time to lament the loss of an important landmark during the recent winter storm: the Willow Grove Skating Rink in Chaffee, Mo. The skating rink has been a source of fun for generations of residents from not only Chaffee, but also the many surrounding communities...

Kelly W. Lilly, 26, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Jan. 8, 1983, in Perryville, Mo., son of James Lilly and Tina Glastetter. Survivors include a son, Kristopher Lilly of Cape Girardeau; his mother of Phoenix; a sister, Amanda Lilly of Festus, Mo.; maternal grandmother, Caroline Allbritton of Cape Girardeau; paternal grandmother, Velma Lilly of Perryville; and fiancee, Sandy Enlow of Cape Girardeau...

Bill and Sharon Hopkins of Marble Hill, Mo., members of the Cat Ranch Art Guild, are the featured artists for the First Friday reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 6 at WESTRAY Art Gallery. Bill Hopkins is a writer and photographer. Sharon Hopkins paints landscapes and other subjects. The gallery, 1930B Broadway, is open Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m., and remains open until 9 p.m. on First Fridays...

TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey lawmakers are singing the same old tune -- nothing. They put off a vote Monday on choosing four state songs, leaving the state the only one without an official ditty. A state Senate panel considered a bill that would have adopted an official state anthem, children's song, popular song and ballad...

BERTRAND, Mo. — Mabel Ann Peters, 92, of Bertrand died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. She was born May 10, 1916, in Monette, Ark., daughter of William Theodore and Florence Jane Pitts Woods. She and John Albert Peters Sr. were married Oct. 19, 1935. He died April 3, 2005...

WEEHAWKEN, N.J. -- After five years fielding thousands of calls to one of rock 'n' roll's most celebrated phone numbers, disc jockey Spencer Potter is hanging up on Jenny. Her seven digits are familiar to anyone who paid attention to pop music in the early 1980s: 867-5309, immortalized by the band Tommy Tutone...

Today Preparation for Childbirth class The class is intended as a guide to expected bodily changes, labor signs and stages, pain control options, labor techniques and basic infant care. Tips on relaxing, positioning and breathing will also be discussed. Refreshments will be provided. Bring the "Pregnancy, Childbirth and Parenting Kit" provided by your physician office...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Efforts to bring the Missouri Senate into the computer age have crashed, again. Senate leaders pulled the plug Monday on a proposal to let senators have laptop computers at their chamber desks, after opponents attached restrictions...

ANNA, Ill. — Kenneth L. Meskill, 78, of Anna died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, at Union County Hospital. He was born May 6, 1930, in Phillips, Wis., son of Bert and Lena Zapfe Meskill. He owned Meskill Construction Co. in the Chicago area 45 years. He retired in 1997 and moved to Southern Illinois...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Jo Ann Hayden, 76, of Perryville died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born Nov. 1, 1932, in Perryville, daughter of William and Irene Buehler Lurk. She and Donald Hayden were married July 20, 1956. He died Nov. 13, 1997...

A car wreck during rush hour Monday in Cape Girardeau left one child dead and three other people injured, said Sgt. Jason Selzer, spokesman for the Cape Girardeau Police Department. The accident took place when a minivan traveling westbound on Highway 74 near the Shawnee Sports Complex entrance struck a parked vehicle, Selzer said...

LONDON -- It was hardly a blizzard, but it still shut down the city that beat the Blitz. The biggest snowfall to hit London in 18 years idled the city's buses and Underground trains Monday, stranded thousands of airline passengers and raised the question of why a predicted winter storm caught authorities unprepared...

Thousands of people in Southeast Missouri remain without power a week after ice and snow swept through the area, damaging 4,000 electric poles and causing six weather-related deaths in Missouri. But utility crews continue to work feverishly to restore power, and shelters remain open for those residents who are struggling to keep warm...

Bless, O God, those who make decisions about those who are in authority. Amen.

Jackson Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday: n A false alarm at Lee Avenue. n A false alarm at Lee Avenue.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Mary A. Seabaugh, 70, of Perryville died Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at Independence Care Center of Perry County. She was born Sept. 6, 1938, in Palm City, Fla., daughter of Augusta Alice Gilliard. She and Troy L. Seabaugh were married Jan. 31, 1961. He died Sept. 18, 1993...

I had the opportunity on Jan. 24 to work with and witness the outstanding service of two Southeast Missouri State University sororities: Gamma Sigma Sigma and Alpha Chi Omega. These sorority members volunteered their Saturday night to help at the benefit auction for my niece and her family whose daughter is a patient at St. ...

Southeast Missouri State's opponent for its final home men's basketball game of the season has been revealed. The Redhawks (3-20) will play Northern Illinois (6-13) on Feb. 21 in the annual ESPN BracketBusters series. The tipoff is set for 7:45 p.m. at the Show Me Center...

Perryville guards Ava Johnson and Alicia Kueker combined for 33 points to lead the Pirates girls basketball team to victory Monday. The Pirates outscored Grandview by nine points in the third quarter on their way to the 74-54 win. Johnson scored 17, while Kueker added 16. Makenzie Schirmer chipped in 13 points...

Hearts take center stage in February, and not just in the form of chocolate-filled boxes or lacy cards to loved ones. February is American Heart Month, drawing attention to that hard-working organ that we use so often in love and life but sometimes ignore when it comes to healthy practices...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Anita de la Garza, 81, of Perryville died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born Jan. 20, 1928, in Penitas, Texas, daughter of Hipolito and Catarina Rivas Zamora. She and Rodolfo de la Garza were married July 19, 1952...

One of the aims of a residential historic district is to preserve the character of a neighborhood and protect it from whims that could destroy the essential elements that make an area worth preserving. To that end, the Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission has been working on guidelines for the city's first residential district. ...

The first half was one to forget for Notre Dame's Jane Morrill. The junior went 1 of 11 from the field and her team was down to the hot-shooting Central girls basketball team. But Morrill and her Bulldogs teammates heated up in the second half on offense and defense, emerging with the 56-43 win at the Show Me Center...

Revised history IT is sad to read revisionist histories of FDR's administration in Speak Out, all designed to undermine President Obama's aggressive and pragmatic action to deal with the Bush recession and stop it from steamrolling into a depression. There's a long way to go, but I predict future historians will rank President Obama as up there with the greats like Washington, Lincoln and FDR...

MILWAUKEE -- Michael Phelps doesn't seem to be in much hot water with his sponsors following his public apology despite being photographed inhaling from a marijuana pipe. From apparel company Speedo to luxury Swiss watchmaker Omega, several sponsors are standing by the 23-year-old swimming phenom -- at least for now. Other big companies, like Visa Inc., Subway and Kellogg Co., aren't talking yet...

PERRYVILLE, Mo.— Billy G. McClure, 70, of Perryville died Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009, at his home. He was born April 21, 1938, in Bragg City, Mo., son of Virgil Thomas and Edith Ferguson McClure. He and Charlotte J. Casey were married Oct. 8, 1960...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Jerry L. Curry, 44, 812 Good Hope Street, was arrested on a warrant. n A subject is in custody pending charges for operating a motor vehicle without a valid license...

WASHINGTON -- Chocolate for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day? Folks may be surprised to know how far back chocolate goes -- perhaps 1,000 years in what is now the United States. Evidence of chocolate was been found in Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, N.M., the earliest indication of the tasty substance north of Mexico, Patricia L. ...

CAIRO, Ill. — Alice Marie Johnson, 29, of Charleston, Mo., formerly of Cairo died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. She was born Oct. 21, 1979, daughter of Chester Johnson and Sheila Brown McKinley. She attended Jamp Special Education and graduated from Egyptian High School in 1999...

WASHINGTON -- Senate Republicans circulated a plan to drive down the cost of mortgages by expanding the federal government's role in the industry, officials said Monday night as debate opened on an economic stimulus bill at the top of President Obama's agenda...

An article in Sunday's Southeast Missourian incorrectly listed the e-mail address of attorney Gordon Glaus, who is compiling the names of potential volunteers for the September visit of the Tour of Missouri bicycle race. The correct e-mail address should have been gordonglaus@yahoo.com...

Charges were filed last week against a Cape Gir­ardeau woman who was allegedly caught shoplifting more than $700 worth of beauty items from Kmart. Angela D. Richards, 22, of 1413 William St., was charged Thursday with third-degree assault and theft...

ST. LOUIS -- Sylvester Croom, who resigned under pressure as coach at Mississippi State in November, is returning to the NFL as an assistant coach for the new-look St. Louis Rams. Coach Steve Spagnuolo announced the hiring Monday, along with four others -- Tom McMahon as special teams coordinator, Rock Gullickson as strength and conditioning coach, Brendan Daly as defensive line coach and Matt House for defensive quality control...

With a light agenda, the Cape Girardeau City Council on Monday evening reviewed the city response to last week's ice storm and concluded that it went about as well as it could. As the public works department sought to clear streets, the city's newest snowplow broke at the welds holding it to a mounting bracket, public works director Tim Gramling told the council. ...

WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to nominate Sen. Judd Gregg as commerce secretary today, the White House confirmed Monday as the New Hampshire Republican disclosed an apparent deal to keep his seat out of Democratic hands "I have made it clear to the Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle and to the governor that I would not leave the Senate if I felt my departure would cause a change in the makeup of the Senate," Gregg said in a statement. ...

Annie Luvenia Jenkins, 96, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, at the Lutheran Home. She was born July 28, 1912, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Frank and Lydia Runnels. She married Fred L. Jenkins, who died in 1949. Survivors include three sons, Harold and Samuel Jenkins of Cape Girardeau, William Jenkins of Cleveland; two daughters, Charlotte Wade and Peggy Primm of Cape Girardeau; 19 grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren...

WASHINGTON — Trying to keep his Cabinet nomination, Tom Daschle presented his case Monday evening in a closed meeting with former Senate colleagues after publicly apologizing for failing to pay more than $120,000 in taxes. President Obama said he was "absolutely" sticking with his nominee for health secretary. ...

25 years ago: Feb. 3, 1984 State legislative leaders are optimistic funds for a Cape Girardeau multipurpose building will be approved this session, a Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce gathering is told; further, it is learned Gov. Kit Bond has said he will sign a general appropriation bill for the facility if one is passed by the legislature...

Some area schools are still dealing with poor road conditions and power outages from last week's ice storm, forcing closings. Among the schools verified by the Southeast Missourian as closed on Tuesday are:Advance R-IV...

The AARP Tax-Aide has announced dates for its free income tax assistance in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and other locations. Free assistance is available for low- to moderate-income people, senior citizens 60 years and older and handicapped individuals. Service also may be available for the homebound...

We received word today that Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder will be the featured speaker at this month's First Friday Coffee event, coming up this Friday morning. Kinder is going to speak before local business leaders about this summer's Tour of Missouri stop in Cape Girardeau.Click here for details on the time and location of Friday's event, and check back Wednesday for more details on Kinder's appearance.. ...

Administrators at Delta public schools in Cape Girardeau County have reported the school district will be closed Wednesday, the only school district that has reported a closing to the Southeast Missourian so far.

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder will be the speaker at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee. Kinder will discuss the upcoming Tour of Missouri bicycle race that will occur Sept. 7-13. Cape Girardeau has been selected as one of the stops on the tour...

Alex Bader made sure his last chance to play in the Show Me Center was a game to remember. The senior guard knocked down five 3-pointers in a 17-point effort to lead Notre Dame past city rival Central 70-34 on Monday night. Bader knocked down three 3-pointers in a row in an 83-second span in the third period, when the Bulldogs turned a comfortable margin into a rout...

In radio and television ads, some companies claim they know "the secret credit card companies don't want you to discover" that can reduce the amount owed and the interest rates being charged if you will use their services. If you have an experience with one of these companies, contact...

Verla B. Kinder, 86, of Daisy died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home in Jackson. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home...

This Cardinal was waiting to get to the birdseed at our feeder.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Walter F. Schubert, 87, of Perryville died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 7, 1921, in Perry County, Mo., son of Max and Irma Bergmann Schubert. He was married Dec. 25, 1946, to Vivian Schamburg, who died April 29, 1987...

Valentines Day can be a trying time for victims of domestic violence. A holiday designed to celebrate love between two people can bring unneeded pain to those trying to recover from abusive relationships. Therefore, the Safe House for Women is turning Valentine's Day on its ear with a weeklong celebration entitled "Love Yourself." The week of February 8-14, we will encourage clients throughout the region with education presentations designed to promote self-empowerment and financial independence. ...

The Southeast Missouri State University Foundation has acquired two properties on Broadway in Cape Girardeau that will be used for future parking for the university. The foundation received Howard's Athletic Goods at 900 Broadway and the former Sinclair gas station at 834 Broadway through a charitable trust from owner Dave Howard. ...

Cape County Joins 2009 National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week Observance February 2-6, 2009, is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week (TDVAPW), and victim advocates throughout the country are using this week as an opportunity to educate the public about the pervasive crime that inconspicuously affects teenagers worldwide...

Cape Girardeau County was excluded Tuesday from the list of Missouri counties with ozone pollution bad enough to require new regulations. The Missouri Air Conservation Commission, meeting in Jefferson City, accepted the recommendations of the Department of Natural Resources's Air Pollution Control Program that Cape Girardeau County be listed as "unclassifiable" for ozone pollution...

I thought I would make a postcard type picture from a photo I took in my front yard last week.

Cape Girardeau police released more details this afternoon about why a 7-year-old Jackson girl wasn't wearing her seatbelt before she was killed in a Monday evening crash and why a vehicle was parked along the side of Highway 74, causing the crash. The wreck occurred around 5 p.m. Monday on Highway 74 about a tenth of a mile west of the intersection at Minnesota Avenue, when a minivan struck a vehicle parked on the side of the road...

According to Sweet Sounds Management, which represents former SCORPIONS drummer Herman Rarebell, Herman's new project HERMAN ZE GERMAN AND FRIENDS will perform at this year's Rocklahoma festival on Friday, July 10. The band will reportedly play one of the side stages after POISON's main-stage set and before DEF LEPPARD's performance. ...

bjbjN Title: 3-2-1 time s up, did you make it? Content: Dear Sam: I have been struggling for the last four years to find a teaching job. I want to find a way to make myself stand out from the crowd and I was hoping to be able to do that with my r...

GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- Would a dose of herbal tea slow the march of beetles killing millions of acres of pine trees across the West? Sort of. But instead of brewing up a cup, U.S. Forest Service scientists found that sprinkling tiny flakes containing the pheromone verbenone over lodgepole pine forests cut the number of trees attacked by bark beetles by two-thirds...

Handling cards IN regard to the Christmas cards being torn up in the mail: I work for the U.S. Postal Service. The biggest problems that I saw with Christmas cards are they were not sealed properly and came open during processing. Also, they are not flat. ...

Verla B Cobble Kinder, 87, of Daisy died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 24, 1922, in Oak Ridge, daughter of Joseph and Frieda Wills Cobble. She and Glen Stephen "Dude" Kinder II were married June 13, 1947, after he returned from World War II. He died Jan. 26, 1999...

KELSO, Mo. -- Marie Elizabeth Hibbing, 86, of Riverside, Calif., formerly of Kelso, died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, at Kaiser Medical Center in Riverside. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements.

NEW YORK -- Was "MacGruber" a "Saturday Night Live" sketch or Pepsi commercial? Depending on when you were watching television over the weekend, it was hard to tell. On Saturday night's "SNL," the recurring bit starring cast member Will Forte aired three times during the show, each time with comical over-the-top promotion for Pepsi...

Despite last week's winter storm that glazed much of Southeast Missouri with a crippling layer of ice, tickets for the Feb. 11 high school boys basketball game between Scott County Central and Sikeston have sold out. At 12:10 p.m. Tuesday, a full week before the first boys basketball meeting between the schools in 38 years, the Show Me Center announced all 6,844 tickets for the event had been sold...

CAIRO -- Hamas officials said Tuesday they are ready to commit to a cease-fire with Israel for at least a year in exchange for a full opening of Gaza's borders, as the group began a new round of truce talks with Egyptian mediators. At the same time, foreign ministers of pro-U.S. Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, met in the United Arab Emirates in a show of unity in support for Egypt's efforts to forge a long-term truce and against Iran, Hamas' most important ally...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Angela A. Espinoza-Velasques, 24, 2863 Whitener St., Unit B1, was arrested on suspicion of driving without a license, failure to show proof of insurance and unlawful tint of windows...

WASHINGTON -- The House on Tuesday approved creation of an office in the Justice Department to help university security forces train for and prevent violent incidents such as those at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University. The National Center for Campus Public Safety would issue grants to campus safety agencies, encourage research into improved college safety and conduct training...

Sikeston Public Schools plans to resume classes on Thursday, a district employee said this morning. The school district last held classes on Jan. 26, before last week's storm knocked out power to residents in the community.Southeast Missouri State University reported in a news release today that its College Goal Sunday event scheduled for Saturday at its Sikeston campus is postponed to Feb. ...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran sent its first domestically made satellite into orbit, the president announced Tuesday, a key step for a space program that worries the U.S. and other world powers because the same rocket technology used to launch satellites can also deliver warheads...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Construction workers are anxious, and investigators are puzzled. Someone has been sending San Francisco's portable toilets up in flames in a wave of potty pyromania. "It's an outrage," said Scott Johnson, a 57-year-old contractor who has been working on apartment building renovations on Russian Hill, the elegant neighborhood that is home to famously crooked Lombard Street and has had most of the fires...

Hailey Lynn Dacus, 7, of Fruitland, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau from injuries received in an automobile accident. She is the daughter of Mitchell and Victoria Linhart Dacus...

The Special Olympics basketball tournament was held at the Osage Community Centre in Cape Girardeau Jan. 24. "Special" is the perfect word to describe the event. My grandson, Dalton Myers, played for the SEMO Wolf Pack team. The team received the silver medal for the tournament...

WASHINGTON -- The latest round of layoffs and cost-cutting measures came Tuesday on the heels of tens of thousands of layoffs ordered by a slew of companies last week alone. However, in a positive sign for the housing market, an index that tracks signed contracts to purchase existing homes rebounded in December as buyers snapped up properties at deep discounts...

Jackson came out on top in a battle of state wrestling powers Tuesday night. The Indians won five of the last seven matches to rally past host Farmington after the Knights had captured four of the first seven bouts. Jackson's 40-27 victory kept the Indians perfect in dual matches on the season at 7-0...

PATTON, Mo. -- William "Bill" Lindell Garland, 60, of Patton died Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born June 2, 1948, in Cape Girardeau, son of William Vern and Thelma Loraine Barks Garland. Garland worked for VIP industries and was a member of the Little Whitewater Baptist Church...

On Valentine's Day, true love tends to speak in chocolate. But what works well when time to toast to that love? "A good rule of thumb when pairing chocolate with a beverage is to look for one that is very low in tannins as well as acidity," said Thierry Muret, executive chef for Godiva Chocolatier...

Heavy ice and snow from last week's storm caused a roof to collapse at Blair Packaging at 24 S. Sheridan Blvd. in Cape Girardeau, and it could be six to eight weeks before the roof is repaired. Marketing director Joe Bullock said the company's vacuum-forming capabilities and high-speed manufacturing are at a standstill. Because of the instability of the roof, the company is unable to retrieve equipment...

With the American Junior Golf Association's marquee event coming to Dalhousie Golf Club this summer, a few different wrinkles will be part of the mix, but Dalhousie still plans to be able to give back to the local golf community. The AJGA's Rolex Tournament of Champions is scheduled for June 30 through July 4, bringing the top 144 junior golfers in the association to town. The event also will include a junior-am event to raise money for local high school and junior golf programs...

SAN FRANCISCO -- California's highest court will hear oral arguments next month in legal challenges to the state's voter-approved same-sex marriage ban. The state Supreme Court has scheduled a March 5 hearing date for arguments in a series of lawsuits trying to overturn Proposition 8...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Barbara Jean Moore, 50, of Chaffee died Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at her home. She was born July 10, 1958, at Randles, daughter of Bill Lancaster and Violet Standley Moore. Moore had worked at the former Carr-Textile in Chaffee. Survivors include her mother of Chaffee; two brothers, Joe Crader of Chaffee, Randy Moore of High Ridge, Mo.; two sisters, Margie White of Cape Girardeau, Brenda Moore of Sikeston, Mo., and fiance, Andy Schlosser of Chaffee...

ATLANTA — A millionaire by the time he was 30, Millard Fuller gave up his fortune and invested his life in Habitat for Humanity — a Christian charity that has built more than 300,000 houses and turned poor people into homeowners by using "sweat equity" and no-interest loans...

HOUSTON -- Football coaches love recruiting. What they don't love is baby-sitting recruits for months after they've committed to play for them. Many wish there was an early signing period so they could lock down recruits in December and leave behind the business of holding their hands to make sure they don't change their minds before it can be made official Feb. 4...

25 years ago: Feb. 4, 1984 A five-year, $25 million-plus capital improvement program that city manager Gary Eide describes as "an investment in the future of our community" was presented to members of the city council Friday; the plan includes improvements at the Municipal Golf Course, two new fire trucks, a disaster warning system, various sanitary sewer projects and street and airport items...

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team spent nearly two months getting its record back above .500. Now the Redhawks want to start putting some distance between themselves and the break-even point. The Redhawks (11-10) will shoot for their third straight win tonight against NAIA Harris-Stowe (4-13)...

In response to news from area charities that needs for services are outweighing funds available, the United Way will hold a kettle campaign at businesses in Cape Girardeau and Jackson this weekend. "We [are] getting the buckets back out but not the bells this time," United Way director Nancy Jernigan said during a Tuesday morning news conference attended by leaders of area charities and businesses inside her organization's headquarters at 430 Broadway in Cape Girardeau. ...

Despite Monday's fatal accident on Interstate 55, Missouri highways are statistically the safest they have been in nearly four years. The number of fatal traffic accidents has dropped from 1,257 in 2005 to 941 in 2008, according to a report by Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety. This year, the state will push for more seat-belt use; 479 people killed in 2008 were not using them...

Gary Wayne Cook, 61, of Burfordville passed away Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009, at his home. He was born Feb. 3, 1948, north of Burfordville, son of Orville and Mildred Hanners Cook. Gary attended the former Burfordville School. He worked at Jackson Co-op, Sailer Roofing Co., Drury Construction and Contrend Inc. in Cape Girardeau. He had been unable to work the past nine years due to his health...

ANNA, Ill. -- Clifford Leo Benefield, 84, of Anna died Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Ill. He was born April 9, 1924, in Thebes, Ill., son of Claude and Nettie Benefield. He and Minnie Lou Schiro were married in September 1951 in Piggott, Ark...

LOS ANGELES -- Where is the lifetime supply of diapers, formula and baby wipes? The free van? The brand-new house? Women who give birth to six, seven or eight babies are often showered with gifts from big corporations, local businesses and strangers. But that is not happening with the Southern California mother who delivered octuplets last week...

As the fallout of a devastating ice storm enters its second week, about 24,200 homes and businesses in the region still are without power. The number Tuesday included 1,500 who get their service from AmerenUE, 16,500 who belong to rural cooperatives and 6,200 served by municipal utilities...

GORHAM, Ill. -- L. Lucille Scholz, 89, of Gorham, passed away Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro, Ill. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Pettett Funeral Home in Murphysboro. Burial will be in Goodbread Cemetery...

Southeast Missouri political and business leaders won a split decision Tuesday when the Missouri Air Conservation Commission named two counties as having excessive ozone pollution but excluded two others, including Cape Girardeau County. The decision, which ratified the revised staff recommendation from the Department of Natural Resources' Air Pollution Control Program, must be approved by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. ...

The Southeast Missouri State University Foundation has acquired two properties on Broadway in Cape Girardeau that will be used for university parking. The foundation received Howard's Athletic Goods at 900 Broadway and the former Sinclair gas station at 834 Broadway through a charitable trust from owner Dave Howard. ...

A salmonella-triggered recall of foods that might contain contaminated peanuts has people looking askance at a number of foods. The lesson is a familiar one to those with food allergies: Peanuts and peanut products can appear in all manner of unlikely foods...

Until I got involved in gardening, Valentine's Day always evoked images of hearts, chocolates, Hallmark cards, a dozen roses and a sweetheart to give them to. Sorry, sweetheart, but you're going to have to share. Valentine's Day really means it's the start of vegetable gardening season because Feb. 14 you must plant lettuce seed...

"Once in a lifetime" is losing some of its edge in describing the ice storms that have hit Southeast Missouri and surrounding areas in recent years. This year's blast of freezing rain, sleet and snow was, without a doubt, a monster. Hundreds of thousands of homes, businesses, schools and other public buildings have been without power across several states...

A fatal crash that claimed the life of a 7-year-old girl Monday is still under investigation, police say. Hailey Dacus, 7, of Jackson suffered extensive head injuries when the passenger side of a 2004 Chevrolet Venture minivan driven by her mother, Victoria Dacus, 25, struck a Hummer parked by the roadside, said Sgt. Jason Selzer, spokesman for the Cape Girardeau Police Department...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday: n At 3:44 p.m., carbon monoxide call in the 100 block of Longview Drive. n At 4:34 p.m., emergency medical service in the 2800 block of Bloomfield Road. n At 4:35 p.m., emergency medical service in the 500 block of Good Hope Street...

NEW YORK -- In his first public comments about what it was like to safely land a passenger jet in the Hudson River, US Airways pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger described the ordeal as "surreal" and said the silence in the cockpit after both engines lost power was "shocking."...

Nona Mae Walls, 70, of Scott City died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 1, 1939, at Chaffee, Mo., daughter of Elmer Dale and Dorothy Katherine Grojean Crites. She and James Curtis Walls were married May 13, 1961, in Memphis, Tenn. He died Dec. 13, 2007...

Jones Son to Hugh and Gina Jones of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro, 9:25 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009. Name, Matthew Edward. Weight, 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Third child, second son. Mrs. Jones is the former Gina Lage, daughter of Wally and Dori Lage of Cape Girardeau. She is an adjunct professor at Middle Tennessee University. Jones is the son of Lee and Sue Jones of Murfreesboro. He is publisher of the Shelbyville Times-Gazette and the Marshall County Tribune...

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge plans to unseal hundreds of pages of court documents at the heart of the government's case against home run king Barry Bonds, who's accused of lying to a grand jury about using performance-enhancing drugs. Among the documents to be released today are a transcript of a recorded conversation between Bonds' personal trainer Greg Anderson and Bonds' former business partner Steve Hoskins, as well as positive drug test results that prosecutors say belong to Bonds...

WASHINGTON -- In the midst of promoting his $800 billion-plus economic proposal, President Obama chose for his new commerce secretary a Republican senator with such a reputation for fiscal discipline that he once voted to shut down the department. If confirmed by the Senate, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire will take over an agency charged with everything from creating jobs and regulating trademarks to conducting the 2010 census and issuing weather forecasts...

ROSENDALE, N.Y. -- A mysterious and deadly bat disease discovered just two winters ago in a few New York caves has now spread to at least six northeastern states, and scientists are trying to find solutions before it spreads across the country. White nose syndrome poses no health threat to people, but some scientists say that if bat populations diminish too much, the insects and crop pests they eat could flourish. ...

Monday's TBY story on senior discounts should have read, "Ryan's Steakhouse in Cape Girardeau offers a discount buffet for seniors ages 60 and up. The buffet is $5.99, drink included, and available from 1-3 p.m. Monday through Saturday."

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has released the name of a man killed Monday night in an accident on Interstate 55 in Scott County. Morris S. Maltzman, 62, of St. Charles, Mo., was killed when the car he and Justin C. Brown, 24, of Pennsylvania, were traveling in was struck by a tractor-trailer...

After six years, our son Ross has his braces off. Thanks to Drs. Noffel and Feuerhahn, and all of their great staff, he has a big bright beautiful smile. I think getting the braces off makes him look older, which I am not so excited about. Every time I see him it is a surprise to me how different he looks. ...

By Michael Jensen Since this column originates in Sikeston, Mo., all talk of the massive chaos from last week's ice storm may be somewhat lost on readers outside this community. But Cape Girardeau and other areas have also had their share of natural disasters, so everyone reading this can appreciate the sense of isolation and frustration being felt by many this week...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- St. Louis' Brad Boyes was just glad to finally contribute. Boyes scored twice and added an assist to help the Blues beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 Tuesday night. "It's been awhile since I put one in so it felt good," Boyes said of his first goals since Jan. 15. "We've been playing well. We've been playing solid. For us right now unless everyone goes, we struggle. If everyone picks up what they've got to do, that's when we're succesful."...

Friends, family and members of the National Guard will be among Friday's invitees to a memorial for Staff Sgt. Brad Skelton. The memorial is being organized by Ross Gartman, who once served with Skelton in Iraq. Skelton, 40, of Gordonville, was serving in Iraq with the Farmington, Mo.-based Missouri National Guard's 1138th Engineer Company when he died Feb. 6 after his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad...

BLAKELY, Ga. -- This rural stretch of southwest Georgia has long been tied to the peanut, and to give the region's famed cash crop due reverence, an 8-foot monument topped by a peanut carved from marble sits in the shadow of the town's historic downtown courthouse...

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama on Tuesday abandoned his nomination fight for Tom Daschle and a second high-profile appointee who failed to pay all their taxes out of fears of ugly confirmation battles. "I screwed up," Obama said. "It's important for this administration to send a message that there aren't two sets of rules -- you know, one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks who have to pay their taxes," Obama said in one of a series of interviews with TV anchors...

Doyle W. Sample, 71, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2009, at his home. He was born Aug. 27, 1937, in Cape Girardeau, son of Leonard and Lola Mungle Sample. He and Cora Lee Moore were married June 16, 1957, in Cape Girardeau. Mr. Sample served in the National Guard...

BEIJING -- After hesitating over the sensitive footage of a protester in Britain shouting "dictator" and throwing a shoe at Premier Wen Jiabao, China's carefully controlled state broadcaster ran it Tuesday. The move was a display of openness, but the footage already was leaking into China via satellite television and the Internet. Critics said it showed the increasing power of such media to erode information controls...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- As Missouri prepares for a road game at No. 16 Texas tonight, the Tigers are trying to figure out how they can be so dominant at home and so mediocre away from Mizzou Arena. Missouri is 14-0 this season at home, the longest winning streak to start the season since the arena opened in 2004. And those victories have been by an average margin of 28 points...

NEW YORK -- Three straight BCS breakdowns aren't keeping the big-time recruits away from Ohio State. Coach Jim Tressel is set to turn another batch of blue-chippers into Buckeyes, putting together a class that should rate among the best in the nation today, the first day high school players can make their verbal commitments to colleges official...

the morning after the storm

While thousands are coming home to electricity for the first time in days, thousands more in Southeast Missouri will likely be without power for weeks.We've heard reports that members of SEMO Electric Cooperative could be in the dark for another four to six weeks, including some in Scott County. ...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. — A boil water order that has been in effect for parts of Marble Hill since Thursday was lifted at 11 a.m. this morning, city collector Carla Watt reported today.The order resulted from a main break on High Street that happened at 4 p.m. Thursday...

All persons interested in the production of meat goats are invited to attend the next meeting of the Southeast Missouri Meat Goat Producers Association. The meeting will be held on Sunday, February 15 at the Ryan's Family Steak House in Farmington, MO. ...

Two New Madrid County residents were found dead in their home this morning, likely due to carbon monoxide poisoning, according to New Madrid County Sheriff Terry Stevens. The names of the two individuals have not been released pending notificatin of family members, Stevens said, but authorities believe they were mother and daughter...

A 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 charge of animal abuse for poisoning a Sheppard mix named Lola...

Ice and snow on the tree. Scott City

"Fanboys" isn't so much a cohesive movie with a plot as it is a shoddily shot litany of random geek arcana. The year is 1998, and four friends schlep from Ohio to California to break into George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch and sneak an early peek at "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace." There's Eric (Sam Huntington), who's on the verge of reluctantly taking over his dad's car dealerships; Linus (Christopher Marquette), who's still bitter with Eric for bailing on their plan to create a comic book series; the furry, portly Hutch (Dan Fogler), who still lives in his mom's garage (he repeatedly insists it's a carriage house, a joke that's not even funny once); and the scrawny Windows (Jay Baruchel), who's obsessed with the online girlfriend he's never met.. ...

DUNKLIN COUNTY, Mo. — Hundreds of splintered and leaning utility poles line the highways of Dunklin County today, as communities work toward what officials say will be a lengthy recovery. Power has been returned to 90 percent of Malden and Clarkton, while Campbell stands at 50 percent and Kennett at 20 percent, according to Emergency Management Director Larry Kelly. All of the towns in the southern part of the county remain in the dark...

Ice built up on the bird feeder. Scott City

Sugar & Spice are 7 week-old Papillon mixes. They also have 2 brothers available for adoption. Contact The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, 573-334-5837.

For those unable to attend the Jan. 31 placement exam because of icy conditions, Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau will offer another placement exam for the class of 2011 for Saturday at 8:15 a.m. According to a press release from development director Tony Buehrle, all eighth graders interested in taking the exam should report to the school at 8 a.m. Test takers are asked to bring two No. 2 pencils. For more information call the school office at 335-6772...

SEMO’s culinary commentator Tom Harte is shown here training the domestic chefs of tomorrow! Tom works with Dr. Georganne Syler presenting a monthly cooking program at Schnucks in Cape Girardeau. During the twice-annual ‘Cooking With Kids’ event, they team-up with United Way’s Born Learning group to promote fun and learning to parents with young children...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. - Citing a sudden unforeseen drop in sales for the first quarter of 2009, officials with TG Missouri announced it will temporarily lay off more than 140 production and support team members effective Feb. 9.After the layoffs the manufacturer of automobile safety systems and interior/exterior automotive parts will employ about 900 senior and top performing team members...

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A woman and her teenage daughter are found dead in their New Madrid County home, apparent victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. Authorities were dispatched Wednesday to the home in Matthews when the two didn't show up for the first day of class at East Prairie High School in neighboring Mississippi County...

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...

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...

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...

@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.". ...

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. ...

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. ...

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...

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. ...

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. ...

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...

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. ...

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?...

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.

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...

A lazy day on White Water River

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. ...

BAGHDAD -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's allies swept to victory over Shiite religious parties during last weekend's provincial elections in Iraq -- an endorsement of his crackdown on extremists, according to official results released Thursday...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Ruth Heitman, 83, died Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, in Dexter. She was born Dec. 18, 1925, in St. Louis, to William and Lydia Horstbrink. She was a graduate of Beaumont High School and a 1947 graduate of Central Bible College in Springfield, Mo. During her internship in college, Mrs. Heitman taught children on the Blackfoot Indian Reservation in Idaho. She has been a licensed minister with the Assemblies of God for 52 years...

Winford R. Keesee, 76, of Fanning Springs, Fla., died Monday, Jan. 26, 2009. He was born Sept. 13, 1932, at Fornfelt, son of Clyde and Essie Mullinax Keesee. Keesee served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and was a veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam War...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Commissioners from Cape Girardeau and Scott counties asked state lawmakers Thursday for the full amount authorized by the legislature to pay for housing state inmates. They got the same answer: It isn’t going to happen any time soon, if ever...

SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge says she might toss some of the strongest evidence against Barry Bonds, a blow to prosecutors trying to prove the home-run king lied when he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said her "preliminary thoughts" were to exclude from trial three 2000-2001 positive drug tests that prosecutors say belong to Bonds unless there is a direct link that the urine samples came from the former San Francisco Giants slugger...

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder will be the speaker at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee. Kinder will discuss the upcoming Tour of Missouri bicycle race that will take place Sept. 7 to 13. Cape Girardeau has been selected as one of the stops on the tour. The program will begin at 7:40 a.m. inside the Show Me Center, and a continental breakfast is available...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Just a few months after the November election, some Missouri lawmakers are pushing to significantly change the way initiative petitions work. The proposals would change how a petition's ballot summary is approved, make some petitions harder to pass and prohibit petition circulators from being paid on a per-signature basis...

BOSTON -- The New England Patriots placed the franchise tag on Matt Cassel on Thursday. The move means the quarterback remains a free agent, but the Patriots can match any offer made by another team or allow him to sign with that team in exchange for two first-round draft picks...

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Longhorns are struggling. A team that spent most of the first half of the season in the Top 10 has lost two straight games at home for the first time since the 2001-2002 season and finds itself stuck back in the pack in the Big 12...

Jackson snow removal I don't know if I should blame the mayor of Jackson or the street department, but this has been the absolutely worst-handled snow removal ever. I drive to Cape Girardeau and the streets look great. Jackson, surely you can do better than this...

When it comes to prom dresses this year, anything goes. Ball gowns, flowing dresses, floral print, animal print, Grecian-style gowns, "everything sells," according to Sandy Schilling, owner of Weddings & Parties Complete in Jackson. She said the styles are similar to 2008, but the Grecian gowns, with a long, pleated skirt and bunched fabric or a bejeweled top, are new and the prints have gotten "just a little bit more out there."...

INDIANAPOLIS — Saddlebrook Golf Course took a look at the bottom line and decided it was time to cut some deals, offering a two-year membership for nearly 80 percent off the normal daily rate. In neighboring Illinois, greens fees at the Greenview Golf Club in Centralia are down from $35 a round to $23, which includes a cart...

Cheerleaders at Notre Dame Regional High School and Cape Girardeau's Central High School in 2006 started a wonderful tradition. The two squads perform a dual cheer. Cheerleaders from both schools learn a new cheer made up by the host school. Of course, the cheerleaders are just as competitive as the teams they represent. ...

BOSTON -- James W. Lewis has a habit of getting into trouble. And a knack for getting out of it, too. He was charged with killing and dismembering a man in Kansas City, Mo., in 1978, but the case was thrown out. He was jailed on rape charges decades later in Massachusetts, but went free when the victim refused to testify...

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved contracts for two Southeast Missouri road projects as well as a contract for improvements to guardrails and guard cables throughout the Southeast District. A $6.7 million project for improvements to U.S. ...

TOKYO -- Sumo wrestlers with pot bellies, yes. Sumo wrestlers with pot? Now that's harder to grapple with. In the past six months, four wrestlers have been kicked out of the ancient sport for allegedly smoking marijuana, creating the biggest drugs-in-sports scandal Japan has ever seen...

25 years ago: Feb. 6, 1984 A polar blast blew into Southeast Missouri yesterday but pushes eastward today, leaving behind snow and bitter cold temperatures; the low yesterday was 11 degrees, but wind gusts approached 36 miles per hour, sending the chill factor to minus 26 degrees...

Eric Christopher Going, 41, of Las Vegas passed away Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, at his home. He was born Feb. 19, 1967, in St. Louis, son of Chester "Chet" Going and Kathleen Reed Peterson. He and Maribel Rodriguez were married June 30, 1990, in Las Vegas...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Mere months ago, the University of Missouri routinely touted chemical engineering professor Galen Suppes for his innovative research into renewable energy. Now the school considers him a renegade scientist trying to keep the university from getting its fair share of profits from his inventions. Missouri is suing the professor in federal court...

SCHOLARSHIPS n The following students received a scholarship to attend Southeast Missouri State University for the 2009-2010 academic year: Douglas McDonough of Benton, Mo., received the President's Scholarship; Annabelle Criddle of Cape Girardeau received a President's Plus Scholarship and a MAP Scholarship; Angela L. Morton, Brooke V. Morris, Alicia N. Dunn, John M. Unterreiner and David M. Martin Jr. of Cape Girardeau received Regents' Scholarships...

BAY CITY, Mich. -- An attorney says a 93-year-old Michigan man who froze to death after a power company restricted electricity to his home over roughly $1,000 in unpaid bills left an estimated $600,000 to a hospital. Marvin Schur's attorney, Cathy Reder, told the Detroit Free Press the World War II veteran bequeathed his entire fortune to Bay Medical Center...

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Free agent right-hander Ben Sheets could be headed for elbow surgery after contract negotiations with the Texas Rangers fell through because of the injury. Texas had been discussing a two-year deal with Sheets, the NL starter in the All-Star game last season, a person familiar with the talks said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity...

WHITTIER, Calif. -- The veil of secrecy octuplets' mother Nadya Suleman shrouded herself in for more than a week was lifted Thursday with the release of public documents showing that the 33-year-old woman struggled with depression for years until she finally began to realize her childhood dream of having a huge family...

WASHINGTON -- More people sought unemployment benefits than expected last week and laid-off workers found it harder to land new jobs as the economy struggled to show signs of life. Sour economic indicators Thursday also plagued the retail industry: Weak factory orders were reported for December and sales declines last month for many major stores raised concerns about the industry's health...

NORMAL, Ill. -- Mitsubishi Motors North America has offered a third round of buyouts to employees at a central Illinois plant. Spokesman Dan Irvin says employees at the plant in Normal have until April 1 to accept the lump sum of $85,000 and three months of medical bills...

The ice storm that ravaged Southeast Missouri and left thousands without power also left many dogs, cats and livestock throughout the region without heat or water. The Sikeston Area Humane Society has been without power for more than a week, and it could be another week until electricity is restored, said director Lanette Baker...

WASHINGTON -- Fixing the nation's food safety woes may not be possible this year unless President Obama makes it a top priority, a senior lawmaker warned after a hearing Thursday exposed loopholes in government oversight that contributed to the ongoing national salmonella outbreak...

For those who provide aid and comfort, we pray to you, O God. Amen.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon is seeking to consolidate various scholarship and grant programs under the state Department of Higher Education. Among the scholarship programs being transferred is the A+ Schools Program, which has been run by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The program provides two years of free community college tuition for graduates of certain high schools who had good grades and good attendance and performed volunteer tutoring or mentoring...

Record Son to Darryl Spencer and Kayo Record of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Chuden Hospital in Hiroshima, Japan, 5:38 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008. Name, Benjamin Matsuura. Weight, 9 pounds, 2 ounces. First child. Mrs. Record is the former Kayo Matsuura, daughter of Kazuo and Yuriko Matsuura of Hiroshima. Mr. and Mrs. Record are missionaries. He is the son of Roger and Constance Record of Benton, Mo...

Have you ever wondered how polar bears and other animals keep warm in the cold weather? They use blubber, a thick layer of fat that helps insulate. You can make a blubber bag by using a few items from around the house. Materials n Shortening n Ice n Water...

INDIANAPOLIS -- The estranged wife of an indicted Indiana money manager withdrew tens of thousands of dollars from bank accounts that also included investor money in the week before she filed for divorce, a judge ruled Thursday in freezing her assets in hopes that clients can recoup their losses...

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Authorities said an Iowa City man may not have picked the best time to get loaded when he showed up drunk to serve a public intoxication sentence. Now he faces another charge. Police said the 19-year-old showed up Tuesday at the Johnson County Jail on to serve his three-day sentence and officials smelled alcohol on his breath. According to court records, tests showed the man had a blood-alcohol content of 0.101 percent when he arrived at the jail...

Glenn David James, 71, of Cabool, Mo., died Monday, Jan. 26, 2009, at his home. He was born Jan. 7, 1938, in Mayfield, Mo., son of Davy and Oma Jones James. He and Virginia Ann Maness were married Dec. 24, 1959. James had lived in Cabool since 1957. He helped build the Thompson Poultry Plant, where he worked several years. He had also worked at the Ford dealership, Honeycutt Chevrolet and Matherly Sand and Gravel...

We are near the point where we have to stop fretting about the money our government is spending to save our economy. It would be nice if everyone would lay off poor FDR, too. The New Deal saved us. The government created thousands of good jobs with projects that brought flood control and cheaper energy, not to mention more jobs in support businesses and raw materials...

NAIROBI, Kenya -- As U.S. Navy ships looked on, Somali pirates sped away Thursday with $3.2 million in ransom after releasing an arms-laden Ukrainian freighter -- ending a four-month standoff that focused world attention on piracy off Somalia's lawless coast...

JERUSALEM -- The Israeli navy intercepted a ship carrying humanitarian supplies from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip and towed the vessel into port Thursday, foiling a new attempt by international activists to break Israel's blockade of the Palestinian territory...

WASHINGTON -- Members of Congress were quick to shame corporate executives for over-the-top extravagance during the economic crisis, flying private jets and taking luxury junkets. But some lawmakers are strolling fancy resorts spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars and mingling with lobbyists...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Pat Summitt now has 1,000 victories, an unprecedented height even she finds dizzying. "It's a hard number to even comprehend," the Tennessee coach said. Summitt became the first Division I basketball coach -- men's or women's -- to win 1,000 career games Thursday night as her 12th-ranked Lady Vols beat Georgia 73-43. It was their second chance in four days at giving their coach her latest and one of her greatest milestones...

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the residents and property owners for their assistance and cooperation in removal of the snow and ice this past week. Many individuals provided hard work with their shovels, trucks and tractors in clearing portions of the county roads before our equipment was able to get to their roads. ...

NEW YORK -- Although the Grammys were slow to recognize hip-hop, over the past decade, rap acts have enjoyed a bevy of Grammy nominations, often emerging as the leader when nominations are announced. This year, rap leads the way again, with the omnipresent rapper Lil Wayne receiving eight nominations...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: n At 5:26 p.m., a gas odor in the unit block of North Henderson Avenue. n At 6:07 p.m., a carbon monoxide alarm in the 500 block of Olive Street. n At 6:08 p.m., emergency medical service in the 2500 block of Lynnwood Drive...

Patience is the reward of those who last long enough. As someone who has lived by newspaper deadlines for more than 40 years, I have never tolerated tardiness or detours well. Nor I have I been comfortable with the schedule-clogging pace of others. Now that I am comfortably advanced in birthdays, I am beginning to understand that my hurry-up life hasn't always been worth the frustration that comes from being a slave to punctuality. ...

Southeast Missouri State University and Three Rivers Community College announced Thursday the scheduled reopenings of their campuses closed due to power outages caused by last week's ice storm. The Southeast Missouri State University campuses in Sikeston and Malden will reopen Monday, while the Kennett campus will remain closed until Feb. 16. Southeast programs in Poplar Bluff at the Three Rivers campus will also resume Monday...

Southeast Missouri saw more signs of life returning to normal Thursday as the number of people without power continued to decrease and major institutions reported plans to return to regular operations. The State Emergency Management Agency reported Thursday afternoon that 14,861 customers of rural electric cooperatives remain without power, with a total of just under 20,000 customers without power statewide. ...

NEW YORK -- The one-shoulder look has gone from toga to trend in mere months. Asymmetrical styles were all over the runways during the spring previews and then Michelle Obama, now the first lady of fashion, wore a one-shoulder gown by Jason Wu to the inaugural balls last month...

WASHINGTON -- Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and other top officials are putting the finishing touches on a plan to overhaul the government's $700 billion financial rescue program. A Treasury official said Geithner will deliver a speech Monday outlining the new plan...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Robert McCrite, 47, of Tamms died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, at his home. Crain Funeral Home in Tamms is in charge of arrangements.

ST. LOUIS -- The Edmonton Oilers got the two points they needed. Robert Nilsson and Sam Gagner scored in a shootout for Edmonton, and Dwayne Roloson stopped both St. Louis attempts in the Oilers' 2-1 victory Thursday night. Gagner ended the shootout with a goal on his first attempt of the season, giving the Oilers a full two points in the standings...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The House passed a job-creation package backed by Gov. Jay Nixon on Thursday, but confirmation of the governor's economic development director remained snagged in the Senate. The House legislation expands a popular business incentive program while sprinkling other tax breaks to employers. It's a key component in the type of pocketbook issues that Republican legislative leaders and the Democratic governor have said will be the session's priority...

William Dale "Bill" Niemann, 62, of Athens, Ala., formerly of Jackson and Gordonville, passed away Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009. He was born Nov. 23, 1946, son of William John and Tavia Lange Niemann. He was baptized at Christ Lutheran Church in Gordonville. He attended Gordonville grade school and graduated from Jackson High School. He attended Lebanon Church in Athens...

ZALMA — Larry Nussbaum said that no matter how much he practices, there's no way to simulate the pressure of free throws in overtime. Nussbaum and his Leopold teammates looked like pros at handling the pressure Thursday. The Wildcats hit 12 of their 14 free throws in the second half and overtime as they squeaked out a 74-68 victory over Oak Ridge in the semifinals of the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament...

KIRKWOOD, Mo. -- One year after a gunman opened fire at city hall, this St. Louis suburb will remember six victims with a candelight service Saturday night. But many Kirkwood residents have focused on something more intangible -- trying to heal divisions in their community...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Detrayous D. Curry, 24, 1423 Luce St., No. 2, was arrested on a probation violation warrant. n A subject is in custody pending charges of receiving stolen property...

Friday n New movies "Coraline" Rated PG @ Cape West 14 Cine "Frost/Nixon" Rated R @ Town Plaza Cinema "He's Just Not That Into You" Rated PG-13 @ Cape West 14 Cine "Push" Rated PG-13 @ Cape West 14 Cine n First Friday art walk @ various galleries, check SE Live for specific times and places...

Meadow Heights' Ethan Mayfield stepped to the line with 1.7 seconds left and his team down two. Mayfield nailed the front end of the 1-and-1, but missed the second shot. Zalma snagged the rebound for the 77-76 victory in the semifinal round of the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament Thursday in Zalma...

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- A young American diplomat has been found dead at his house in the Ethiopian capital and foul play is suspected, U.S. and Ethiopian officials said Thursday. A U.S. State Department official in Washington said the body of Brian Adkins was discovered Saturday in Addis Ababa on his 26th birthday. The official said Adkins had not been the subject of any threats but foul play appeared to be involved...

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 business leaders and a handful of school-aged children at the monthly First Friday Coffee at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. ...

A man sought for taking a child from a Scott City convenience store was captured on Interstate 44 near Cuba, Mo., the Scott City Police Department said.An Amber Alert was issued this morning for Dallis Michael Harris, 1 year old, who police believed was taken, along with his mother, Samantha Rhea Harris, 22, from the Rhodes Travel Center on Nash Road."All I can give you is that the vehicle has been stopped on I-44 outside Cuba," said officer Mike Culler of the Scott City Police Department. ...

An AMBER alert that was issued this morning after a man allegedly abducted his wife and infant child in Scott City was canceled early this afternoon after police found the suspect and stopped him on Interstate 44 near Cuba, Mo.We're following the situation this afternoon, and should have more information as to motive and the nature of the alleged abduction later today.Click here to read what details we have now. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sikeston Board of Municipal Utility workers continue to log long days in their efforts to restore electricity to the city. BMU General Manager Ed Throop said Thursday afternoon about 70 percent of the city had electrical power. Throop asked residents without power to please be patient...

Ashland, Missouri - February 6, 2009 - Many public water and wastewater systems from southwest Missouri to the eastern boot heel were brought to a halt as a result of the ice storm that blanketed the region during a 36 hour period. Water and wastewater operators worked day and night that week to restore flows in their systems. ...

This story would be better if Brad Skelton was telling it. He was quick with a smile, able to make a good story even better and draw a laugh while doing it. On Friday, his family and friends told the tales. They cried and they laughed. They recalled telling details...

JEFFERSON CITY -- Memorial services will take place in Gordonville and Jefferson City to honor a Gordonville man who died in Iraq one year ago today. Family, friends and others will gather at 4 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Cemetery, 248 Albert Lane in Gordonville, for an informal service to remember Staff Sgt. Brad Skelton...

Law enforcement spent Friday morning searching for a Sikeston man that police believe abducted his 1-year-old son and wife from an area gas station. Dallis M. Harris, 1, and Samantha R. Harris, 22, were recovered during a vehicle stop on Interstate 44 near Cuba, Mo., according to Scott City officer Jessica Martin...

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Gov. Jay Nixon has asked President Barack Obama to declare 22 Missouri counties as 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. 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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."...

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...

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...

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. ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Veda Jewell Chailland, 84, of Bell City, Mo., died Thursday, Feb. 6, 2009 at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 20, 1925, at Kennett, Mo., daughter of Perry Ransom and Pearl Brotherton Bennett. She and Herman Lee Chailland were married Nov. 9, 1944, in Piggott, Ark...

RIO DE JANEIRO -- A small plane crashed Saturday in the Amazon with 20 people on board -- 16 of whom are still missing, a Brazilian official said. The plane went down in a river about 50 miles southwest of state capital Manaus, said a spokesman for the Amazonas state government, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with department policy...

Pillowcase partnership helps pediatric patients feel more at ease Members of Procter and Gamble's WAVE group (Women Achieving Excellence) recently made 65 pillowcases for pediatric patients at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Thrivent community service team director, Joyce Clark, obtained a $300 grant for the supplies and over 30 women, equipped with sewing machines spent an evening sewing the pillowcases, which patients brought home...

In some communities, the ice storm shut down everything. And while a significant dent has been made in restoring essential services that mostly rely on electricity, the recovery effort continues. Even areas that were less hard hit endured business and government closings. And most schools districts were closed because it was simply too dangerous to transport students even if schools had heat and lights...

County commissioners across the state want more funding for 911 centers. But they aren't going to get it without making hard choices, according to Sen. Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau. Crowell wants to see 911 centers across the state consolidated, a message he delivered to Cape Girardeau County Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones during a meeting in Jefferson City on Thursday and repeated later that day during a Senate hearing. ...

Mary Donze ST. LOUIS -- Mary Kathryn "Kay" Wilkerson Donze passed away Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, succumbing to cancer at the age of 62. Kay was born in Farmington, Mo., on April 26, 1946, the sixth child of the late John Adam and the late Mary Chapman Wilkerson. She and Jerry C. Donze were married Aug. 3, 1963...

Husband-and-wife journalists Bob Miller and Callie Clark Miller use this space to offer their views on everyday issues. SHE SAID We'll be just like the Tool Time Taylors, was stepson Drew's response to our ultrasound results this week. That's right. I'm resigned to being the only source of femininity in our household...

Austin Greer poured in 20 points and Jacob Tolbert netted 13 points to help Notre Dame beat Anna-Jonesboro, Ill., 62-48 on the road Saturday in boys basketball action. John Unterreiner added 13 points for Notre Dame. The score was tied 28-28 at halftime, but Notre Dame (13-7) broke it open in the third quarter when it outscored the home team 16-4...

Melvin Onderdonk PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Melvin J. Onderdonk, 81, of Perryville died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 13, 1927, in Belgique, Mo., son of the late Albert and Bertine Fuytinck Onderdonk...

Here's why I don't like the IRS or the U.S. Tax Code: They promote sin. There are so many temptations in our lives. Why do we need a government bureaucracy to lure us down paths of unrighteousness? I am not defending any wrongdoing regarding complete and accurate tax returns. I may not like paying taxes, but I'm not going to risk a stay in a federal pokey to protest the complexity and inequity of our nation's tax laws...

Mary E. Quail, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Feb. 6, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 14, 1922, in Pasco, Wash., daughter of Raymond and Dica Root Banks. She and Bob Quail where married in Newport, Ore. He died in 1982...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Ralph and Fimble Enderle of New Hamburg announce the engagement of their daughter, Nancy Shy, to Richard Hanneken, both of St. Louis. He is the son of Jill Benefield of Thebes, Ill., and Rich and Mary Hanneken of Ste. Genevieve, Mo...

SYDNEY -- Walls of flame roared across southeastern Australia, razing scores of homes, forests and farmland in the country's worst wildfire disaster in a quarter century. At least 35 people died and the toll could rise further, police said. Witnesses described seeing trees exploding and skies raining ash as temperatures hit a record 117 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday in Victoria state and combined with raging winds to create perfect conditions for uncontrollable blazes...

Jesse "Booner" Teague Jr. of Rolla, Mo., and Peggy Teague of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Jamie Wynne Teague, to Thomas Jeffery McBrayer, both of Wewahitchka, Fla. He is the son of Thomas and Jennifer McBrayer of Youngstown, Fla...

Southeast Missourian Interstate 55 will be reduced to one lane Monday through Friday while MoDOT crews repair pavement in the southbound lanes. The work will be from exit 67 in Miner, Mo., to exit 80 in Benton, Mo. Weather permitting, work will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- It's a challenge, all right. In a charity race Saturday, more than 5,000 runners ran two miles to a downtown Raleigh Krispy Kreme shop, ate a dozen glazed doughnuts each and returned to North Carolina State University in less than an hour...

A voice on the radio offers hope to the desperate. A simple phone call to the debt settlement company can stop harassing collection calls and eliminate a big slice of credit card debt. "Find the secret credit card companies hope you won't discover," the reassuring male voice announces, offering a toll-free telephone number for Dallas-based Debt Consultants of America...

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. -- Betty Luellen Cobb, 67, of Broken Arrow, formerly of Wagoner, Okla., died Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009, at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Okla. Cobb was born April 7, 1941, in Wagoner, daughter of Floyd and Elizabeth Luellen. She and Donald Cobb were married Dec. 28, 1985, in Broken Arrow...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Denver and Kelly Cook of Marble Hill announce the engagement of their daughter, Molly Caroline Cook, to Craig Alan Davidson, both of Jackson. He is the son of Jackie Davidson of Kennett, Mo., and the late Juey Kay Davidson. Cook is a graduate of Meadow Heights High School. She is a supervisor at National Asset Recovery Services in Cape Girardeau...

City animal shelter open for adoptions alternate Saturdays Volunteers from the Animal Welfare Alliance will staff the Poplar Bluff, Mo., Animal Shelter on alternating Saturdays for people to adopt pets. No drop-off animals will be accepted on Saturdays. The shelter will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on alternating Saturdays through March. For more information, call the shelter at 573-686-8635...

Ashley Weist Shearer and Trevor Charles Blattner were united in marriage Dec. 28, 2008, at Loose Mansion in Kansas City, Mo. Judge Sherman Phipps, grandfather of the bride, performed the ceremony. Vocalists were Chris Beck of Portland, Ore., Seth Iliff and Emily Tummons of Kansas City. Musicians were Melek Ta'us Ensemble of Kansas City...

MARQUAND, Mo. -- Dennis and Angie Mouser of Marquand announce the engagement of their daughter, Kyla Sue Mouser, to Dustin Alan Estes. He is the son of Alan and Linda Estes and Nancy Estes, all of Jackson. Mouser is a 2007 graduate of Meadow Heights High School. She is majoring in agribusiness at Southeast Missouri State University. She is employed at Mouser Steel Supply in Patton, Mo...

Difficult job MY heart goes out to all in the Sikeston area with no power and the difficulty of living without it. To those who complain about the linemen: Try sleeping in your truck for two nights and working around the clock with no shower, no toilet and poor food. ...

The Missouri Association for Family and Community Education hosted a fourth-grade essay and art contest with the theme "responsibility." The contest encouraged students to strive for excellence and creativity in reading, writing and drawing, and to understand the practice of responsibility. The first-place winner was Katherine Carns of Clippard Elementary School; second place, Caleb Schnurbusch from Immaculate Conception School; third place, Katie Kinder from Clippard Elementary School...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n A subject is in custody pending charges for driving while revoked. n Sandy Janease Strong, 53, 105 N. Clark Ave., Apt. 204, was arrested on suspicion of attempted theft of food at Schnucks...

Mark and Christy Bock of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Erin Unverferth, to Andrew Thomas Reynolds. He is the son of Don and Freda Reynolds of Odessa, Mo. Unverferth is also the daughter of the late Paul Unverferth. Unverferth is a 2000 graduate of Jackson High School. ...

WASHINGTON -- Republicans and Democrats offered different assessments of President Obama's newly renegotiated economic recovery plan Saturday, as the Senate held a rare weekend debate in advance of a key vote Monday. Lawmakers are already looking past Senate action to House-Senate negotiations that will test the mettle of a handful of Senate moderates against House Democrats unhappy over more than $100 billion in spending forced from the bill...

MOSCOW -- Russia is ready for more nuclear weapons cuts and welcomes President Obama's push for talks on an arms reduction treaty, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Saturday. Russia is believed to have fewer warheads than the U.S. and has indicated it wants a binding deal on further reductions, but Lavrov's remarks were the clearest statement in the issue since Obama took office last month...

LUBBOCK, Texas -- A hacked electronic highway sign in northwestern Texas carried an international message that seemed to predate, well, the use of electricity. The sign Friday briefly flashed: "OMG The British R coming. They R watching you." KCBD-TV reports the sign was in a construction area in southwest Lubbock...

Richard Conley Richard Elwood Conley, 83, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Feb. 6, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 11, 1925, in Cape Girardeau County, son of Huey Lynn and Bertha Martha Froemsdorf Conley. He and Virginia L. Jo Conley were married July 20, 1949, at Cape Girardeau. She died Aug. 25, 2008...

Former Scott City resident debi Baker earns a living as an animal wrangler, finding and photographing animals for advertising. . She spends her leisure time as a volunteer. "For 33 years animals have made me a living," she said. "This is the only way I can pay them back."...

The Eastern Illinois women's basketball team had little trouble extending one of the nation's longest home-court winning streaks. EIU's fun came at Southeast Missouri State's expense. The Panthers pulled away from a six-point halftime lead Saturday and rolled to a 73-53 victory in Charleston, Ill...

Southeast Missouri State University has given the impression that parking lots with some green space weaved within make it acceptable to demolish Cape Girardeau's existing building stock -- forever changing the historic character of Broadway and Pacific Street. In truth, the university is taking down a piece of the architectural history and a piece of the cultural fabric of our community, replacing it with a vast cavity...

What's better than a sporty coupe that gets decent mileage? A sporty sedan by the same name. Honda's 197-horsepower 2009 Civic Si sedan carries a city/highway rating of 21/29 miles per gallon and has more cargo space and second-row legroom than a Civic Si coupe...

Jackson trailed Charleston by as many as 19 points during the third quarter, but the Indians stormed back to get within five points with a little more than a minute and a half left in the fourth quarter Saturday. But Charleston converted all six free throws it attempted from there to post a 66-57 victory at Jackson High School...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers want to impose greater oversight on the funeral industry after the failure of a company that had promised families hundreds of millions of dollars worth of funeral and burial services. The legislation would require funeral contract sellers to undergo regular and random state audits, to keep larger amounts of money in trust and ensure consumers receive greater refunds if they cancel their preneed funeral contracts...

John A. and Jane Blattner of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Laura Beth Blattner, to Timothy Joseph Schmitt. He is the son of JoAnn Schmitt of Chaffee, Mo. Blattner is a 2004 graduate of Notre Dame High School. She received a bachelor's degree in health promotion from Southeast Missouri State University in 2008. She is employed at Noffel/Feuerhahn Center for Orthodontics...

For those who have weathered the ice and cold, we pray to you, O God. Amen.

Catfish supper Immanuel Lutheran Church will hold its annual pond-raised catfish dinner and country store at 2:30 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church basement at New Wells. The price is discounted for children. The event is sponsored by Fellowship Club, Lutheran Women Missionary League and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans...

Norman and Jeannie Tanner and Fred Glueck of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Casey Jean Glueck, to Justin Lee Davidson. He is the son of Rick and Jerri Davidson of Colorado Springs, Colo. Glueck is a 1997 graduate of Notre Dame High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in nursing from St. Louis University in 2002. She is employed in labor and delivery at Saint Francis Medical Center...

Dear Dr. Dobson: My son and his girlfriend have been talking about getting engaged, but he's worried about the high divorce rate that threatens every new marriage and asked me how he could lower the risk. What advice would you have given? Dear Reader: The answer to that question could go 600 different ways, but I'll be content to offer just one suggestion. ...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday: n At 7:14 p.m., emergency medical service in the 500 block of North Clark Avenue. n At 7:21 p.m., emergency medical service in the 600 block of North Spanish Street. n At 8:05 p.m., emergency medical service in the 300 block of North Henderson Avenue...

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. -- A Michigan judge said he's learned a lesson about locking his car after a 16-year-old prisoner who escaped from a courthouse cell was found hiding in the vehicle's trunk. The Macomb Daily reports the teen had vanished Friday after appearing in juvenile court in Mount Clemens...

Elizabeth Catherine Bishop and Ryan Buchanan McClure were married June 28, 2008, at Centenary United Methodist Church. The Rev. Jeff Long performed the ceremony. Readers were Jennifer Jackson of Columbia, Mo., and Joe Thompson of Lenexa, Kan., cousin of the bride...

OAK HARBOR, Ohio -- A miles-wide ice floe broke away from Lake Erie's shoreline Saturday, trapping more than 100 fishermen, some for as long as four hours. One person fell into the water and later died. The rest of the 100 to 125 fishermen were safe by late afternoon; many were plucked from the ice by rescuers who glided along in air boats...

The United Way of Southeast Missouri and the Salvation Army teamed up Saturday to man donation kettles for the second time this winter at five shopping areas in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. "I thought it was a good thing to do for those who have so little," said Kathy McMillan of Jackson, who volunteered to stand beside a kettle Saturday at the Jackson Wal-Mart...