Stories from May 2009

WASHINGTON -- With the go-ahead run on base after Washington's 10th walk of the night, Rick Ankiel was hoping to get something hittable up and over the plate. The way Nationals pitchers had trouble locating, it wasn't an unreasonable expectation...

DEXTER, Mo. -- The search to identify a body found in New Mexico holding three Stoddard County Fair ribbons has been narrowed, at least on the Dexter front, to three individuals. Lt. Det. Trevor Pulley said in a Wednesday interview that the department has received numerous contacts in regard to the case and has been following up on all leads...

Three convenience store clerks and the Cape Girardeau County businesses they work for have been cited for selling alcohol to minors as part of a compliance check by the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control. On Wednesday, agents from the division, using an underage decoy, visited 10 retail locations that sell alcohol. At seven of the locations, clerks did not sell to the underage minor. But at three locations, the minor was able to purchase alcoholic beverages...

A Sikeston man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to a felony pornography charge. Danny Clayton White, 39, of Sikeston, pleaded guilty to one felony count of possession of child pornography, according to a news release from acting Federal Prosecutor Michael W. Reap. White appeared before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- U.S. health officials have confirmed the first case of swine flu in Missouri. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that a Kansas City-area woman in her 30s has contracted the virus, making hers the first confirmed case of swine flu in Missouri...

KENNETT, Mo. -- A Caruthersville, Mo., man was recently sentenced to eight years in prison on involuntary manslaughter charges. Max Arnold, 26, of Caruthersville, appeared in court with his attorney, Andrew Bullard of Kennett, on April 22 and entered a voluntary guilty plea for the accidental killing of Phillip Jarvas, 32, of Sullivan, Mo...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Several Missouri communities near creeks dealt with flash flooding Friday, with scattered reports of some tense moments, but no injuries or widespread damage. In Stoddard County in Southeast Missouri, two creeks overtopped. The Dexter Creek rose unexpectedly in the city Friday morning, prompting employees at the Riddle & Son lumber yard to sandbag part of the 5-acre property. ...

A Delta man was charged Thursday with felony child abuse by the Cape Girardeau County prosecutor's office. William R. Riegert, 43, is suspected of burning a 2-year-old repeatedly with a cigarette, according to a probable-cause statement by Detective Jamie Malugen of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department...

When a Jackson resident returned home April 10 and discovered a burglar, it may have solved a string of jewelry burglaries that have been plaguing both Jackson and Cape Girardeau since the fall. The homeowner chased the burglar from the residence on Country Club Place to a nearby Montgomery Bank in an attempt to recover the thief's loot, according to a sworn statement by Lt. ...

Pom Pom birds, like the ones volunteer Joan Anderson is putting together here, are just one fun craft for children to take part in at the Cape Girardeau Nature Center's Migratory Bird Day Saturday, May 2. Live bird banding will begin at 7 a.m. and the World Bird Sanctuary will show live birds of prey and fly them at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The whole day, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will be packed with fun (and free) activities for all ages...

The deadline has been extended for the Center for the Arts juried art show for high school students in and near Ste. Genevieve. Several artists requested the change because the former date conflicted with another regional high school art show...

See you Saturday at the Cape River Heritage Museum to celebrate the Fire Department's 100th Anniversary.

The month of May is known as National Preservation Month and communities all over the United States are celebrating with the theme, "This Place Matters." Locally, the Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission is holding an annual walking tour to highlight some historically significant places in Cape Girardeau's downtown...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Police have arrested a Sikeston man after he barricaded himself inside a residence Wednesday evening. Sgt. Jim McMillen of the Sikeston Department of Public Safety said in a news release that at around 8 p.m. Wednesday Sikeston police received information that a wanted subject, Demetrius Gerome Patterson, 29, was inside a home in the 700 block of Cotton Square Street...

Drivers on North Sprigg Street will be powered by gravity Saturday as The Rotary Club of Cape Girardeau hosts its annual Soap Box Derby. Competing drivers will race 900 feet, ending near Cape Place Apartments. The races will begin at 9 a.m. near Blanchard Elementary School...

Jackson band students competed against schools from as far away as Utah and Massachusetts during a recent trip to Chicago. "It didn't hit me until we were all in the building," senior Jennie Pitman said. On April 16, about 85 students loaded on to two charter buses and traveled to Chicago to compete in the Heritage Music Festival...

A Saturday celebration marks the 100th anniversary of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department's first firehouse. The party, set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cape River Heritage Museum, 538 Independence St., will include a host of firetrucks, games for children and refreshments...

The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce will honor five teachers at the 16th annual Educator of the Year Banquet on Tuesday. Shawn Brooks, Yvonne Campbell, Susan Cook, Patricia Heisserer and Dr. Jeremy Barnes will be honored at the dinner at the Cape Girardeau Dury Lodge. The teachers will receive the Crystal Apple Award, a $500 check and a commemorative video...

Sherilyn Long, (left) senior at Bell City High School, recently signed to play volleyball at Crowley's Ridge College in Paragould, Arkansas. Sherilyn is pictured here with CRC Volleyball Coach, Cindy Henry. Sherilyn is the daughter of James and Melana Long...

Alison Lee, Bell City High School Senior recently signed to play volleybal at Crowley's Ridge College in Paragould, Arkansas. Alison (left) is pictured here with CRC Volleyball Coach Cindy Henry. Alison is the daughter of Michael and Sabine Lee.

Why does one of these eggs not match the others? Charlie Wilson, a naturalist and volunteer with the Cape Girardeau Nature Center, displays a crafted woodthrush nest that will be used in activities at the Migratory Bird Day, Saturday, at the Nature Center...

From left to right, Gary Gaines, Director of DNR of the Southeast Region; Mr. Herbst, City Council; Tim Gramling, Public Works Director; and Kevin Priester, Manager of Alliance Water in Cape Girardeau. The southeast section of the Missouri Water & Wastewater Conference was held at the Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau on April 22. ...

Took this picture on 4-28-09 at my sister's house in northern Cape Girardeau County on Cty. Rd. 645 around 6 p.m. It looked like a tornado from where we were but I never heard any reports of one being in the area!!

David Hotop-Brown of Perryville, Shelby Reed of Patton, Amelia Camp of Patton and Kyle Roth of Perryville were on their way to Meadow Heights Prom when they stopped by Fruitland Livestock Auction Barn that was rented out for the weekend for an Exotic Animal Auction, put on by Mid-America Animal Sales. Kyle's mom worked in the office and wanted to see them. They stopped the sale to take this picture, Actioneer wanted to auction off the pretty girls and had several bids awaiting him...

The prom goers couldn't get close enough to take a picture with the animals that were there, which consisted of Camels, Zebras, Watusi, monkies and a zedonk and many more, so they took a picture with the next best thing, a Watusi skull.

DONIPHAN, Mo. -- Two Illinois men and an Arkansas woman were killed in the early Wednesday morning in a one-vehicle accident four miles southeast of Doniphan. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said 55-year-old Randy L. Williams of Rockford, Ill., ran off Route E, lost control of his vehicle and struck a utility pole. Williams and his two passengers, Cynthia A. Hall, 48, of Paragould, Ark., and Larry T. McKinney, 65, of Rockford were all pronounced dead at the scene...

Betty B. Williams, 84, formerly of Jackson passed away Wednesday, April 30, 2009, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau, where she had been a resident the past four years. She was born in 1924 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, daughter of Fern and Evelyn Rapp. She married Albert Williams, who preceded her in death...

ANNA, Ill. -- Dr. James Troy Robison Sr., 95, of Lake Ridge, Va., formerly of Southern Illinois, died Wednesday, April 15, 2009, at Westminster in Lake Ridge. He was born Aug. 8, 1913, in Bollinger County, Mo., to Willie Mack and Mary Ann Shelton Robison. He and Edith Vick were married June 3, 1939. They enjoyed 50 years together until her death Feb. 11, 1990...

U.S. Navy retired Lt. Cmdr. Glenn Richard Farrar, 74, of Pensacola, Fla., passed away Wednesday, April 22, 2009, at West Florida Hospital. He was born Oct. 30, 1934, to Percy and Bertha Farrar of Cape Girardeau. He married Janet Adair in 1956. She passed away in 1989. He married Patricia Churchill in 1994...

Marsha K. Davisson, 55, of Alamogordo, N.M., died Tuesday, April 21, 2009, in Alamogordo. She was born Oct. 11, 1953, in Cape Girardeau, to Alvester Baker and Melba Sander Smith. Marsha married John W. Davisson April 15, 1989, in Dexter, Mo. They returned to Alamogordo in 2003 where she enjoyed a career of five years at Community Christian School and Legacy Christian Academy. ...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Pauline Crites, 82, of Puxico died Thursday, April 30, 2009, at her home. She was born Nov. 7, 1926, at Greenbrier, Mo., daughter of Charles Dewey and Icy Kirkpatrick Woodfin. Pauline and Woody Crites were united in marriage June 9, 1942, at Bloomfield, Mo. He preceded her in death April 1, 2003...

Rita Sue Tally, 75, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Mounds, Ill., died Wednesday, April 29, 2009, at Fountainbleau Lodge. She was born May 24, 1933, in Cairo, Ill., daughter of Robert and Jeno Etheridge Parker. She married Jerry D. Tally, who died May 31, 1985...

WASHINGTON -- Justice David Souter has told the White House that he will retire from the Supreme Court at the end of the court's term in June, a source said Thursday night. The source spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for Souter...

By now you know that squirrels and I are not buddies. For years, the squirrels and I have been combatants in a duel of wits. I am smart enough to devise methods to keep squirrels from eating the expensive bird food I put in the feeders in our yard. The squirrels are smart enough to find a way to eat the bird food anyway...

The outbreak of what is now being called the 2009 influenza A subtype N1H1 needs to be taken seriously. The exposure and likelihood of contracting flu of any kind can be minimized with simple precautions. Remember what your mother told you: Wash your hands, eat healthy foods, drink plenty of liquids, avoid congested areas where there is a lot of coughing, stay home if you're ill...

This past evening I watched a story on KFVS12 regarding the risks of the Gardasil vaccine. As a physician I feel it is important that I speak out against potentially misleading information that may be harmful to the public. In the initial story, two parents describe horrific events that happened to their children which they believe were caused by this vaccine. ...

The Perspectives section of the April 26 Southeast Missourian devotes one-third of a page to The Wall Street Journal's opposition to the Missouri Non-Partisan Court Plan and one-third of a page to the Missouri Bar's defense of the plan. You would think The Journal and its supporters would be satisfied with the deep recession they have provided without the added insult of destruction of our highly regarded court system as well...

Cameras, please; Employee safety; Break in the link; Thanks for the fun; America's paranoia

Mary A. Sanders Bull, 80, of Hannibal, Mo., formerly of the Scott City area, died Wednesday, April 29, 2009, at Hannibal Regional Hospital. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. to service time Saturday at Smith Funeral Home in Hannibal. The funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Grand View Burial Park in Hannibal...

CAIRO, Ill. -- James Lewis Posey Jr., 27, of Omaha, Neb., formerly of Cairo, died Monday, April 27, 2009, at the home of his mother in Cairo. Visitation will be from noon to service time Saturday at Cairo High School. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the high school, with Larry Lee Sr. officiating. Burial will be in Spencer Heights Memorial Park in Mounds, Ill...

Larry N. Bode, 76, of Sikeston, Mo., formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Thursday, April 30, 2009, at Hunter Acres Caring Center in Sikeston. There is no visitation. The service will be private. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

CAIRO, Ill. -- Ruben E. Jenkins, 85, formerly of Cairo, died Saturday, April 25, 2009, at Cahokia Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Cahokia, Ill. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to service time today at Massie Funeral Home in Mounds, Ill. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. ...

DETROIT -- After months of struggling to stay alive on government loans, Chrysler succumbed to bankruptcy Thursday, pinning its future on a top-to-bottom reorganization and plans to build cleaner cars through an alliance with Italian automaker Fiat...

For fun and merriment and the joy of warming days, we give thanks, O God. Amen.

Recently, Skip Walther of the Missouri Bar and Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys penned a piece defending the current judicial selection process for our highest courts. I wanted to provide insight as to why Missouri is in desperate need of judicial selection reform...

WASHINGTON -- Oh, Joe. Vice President Joe Biden -- with a well-deserved reputation as someone who shoots from the lip -- made it through the first 100 days of the Obama administration without any major gaffes. But on Day 101 the vice president took a nosedive when it came to the government's talking points on air travel during the swine flu outbreak...

Southeast Missouri State University officials will dedicate the David M. Barton Agriculture Research Center on Monday. University president Dr. Ken Dobbins will speak at the ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m. In October, the university received a multimillion-dollar land donation from Southeast alumna June Barton. Income from the land, an 850-acre farm in New Madrid County, will be divided to develop the research center and provide scholarships to agriculture students...

HONORS, ACHIEVEMENTS -- From staff reports...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon has appointed a former assistant attorney general to the circuit court in Jackson County. J. Dale Youngs will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Circuit Judge John O'Malley. The appointment was announced Thursday...

Southeast Missouri State University provost Jane Stephens will step down from her position in December. University president Dr. Ken Dobbins announced her retirement in a letter to university employees Tuesday. Stephens was named provost in 2000. She worked for Southeast from 1978 to 1994 as a history professor and in the Office of the Provost. She served as executive vice chancellor at the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg before returning to Southeast...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Masters is over. The Tiger & Phil show might just be getting started. Tiger Woods matched the course record with a 30 on the front nine, where he closed with three straight birdies Thursday morning to finish off a 7-under 65 at the Quail Hollow Championship. Phil Mickelson followed in the afternoon by chipping in for eagle and making a remarkable par save from under a video board for a 5-under 67 that put him in a tie for second...

ST. LOUIS -- Just a few days ago, Jason Smith was wearing a suit and tie and posing with a ceremonial No. 1 Rams jersey after being taken with the second pick of the draft. Today, the former Baylor offensive tackle will be on the field for the team's second minicamp as he gets his first taste of the pros. It'll also give new coach Steve Spagnuolo an immediate read on Smith and the rest of his first draft class, and how it fits with the rest of the roster...

NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez refused to address allegations that he used steroids when he was a highly touted high school player and with the New York Yankees. Rodriguez admitted in February to using performance-enhancing drugs while with the Texas Rangers, but insisted he stopped before he was traded to the Yankees in 2004. He brushed off a question Thursday about some details from Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts' upcoming book "A-Rod" that cast doubt on his earlier statements...

LOS ANGELES -- Jeff Weaver is back in the big leagues. The Los Angeles Dodgers purchased the contract of the right-hander from Class AAA Albuquerque on Thursday after he spent 2008 in the minor leagues. The Dodgers also optioned infielder Blake DeWitt to their Pacific Coast League club and activated right-hander Cory Wade from the 15-day disabled list...

WASHINGTON -- The St. Louis Cardinals have placed infielder Brendan Ryan on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. The Cardinals also recalled infielder Tyler Greene from Class AAA Memphis before their game against the Washington Nationals on Thursday night. Greene was in the lineup at shortstop for his major league debut...

Former Southeast Missouri State track and field coach Joey Haines has been elected to the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame, the league announced Thursday. Haines, along with former Eastern Kentucky women's basketball coach Larry Joe Inman, will be inducted at the annual OVC Honors Luncheon on May 29 in Nashville, Tenn...

Southeast Missouri State captured two of the Ohio Valley Conference outdoor track and field postseason awards announced Thursday. Brandon Colbert was named male field athlete of the year and Ashley Brewer was named female field athlete of the year in voting by the league's coaches...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Zack Greinke doesn't like attention. Never has. And not just a mild aversion to it, either. Enough to chase him from baseball, make his bosses wonder if he'd ever come back. So as the spotlight grew with all those zeros he kept putting up on the scoreboard, how did the Royals right-hander handle it? He went deeper within himself, shut off the outside world even more...

PITTSBURGH -- Slippery Rock University will hold a separate graduation for students who recently returned from Mexico because school officials fear that they could have been exposed to the swine flu. So far, the 22 students are in good health, but Saturday's commencement ceremonies fall in the middle of an incubation period during which the students have been advised to limit contact with others, the university said...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Irma T. Buchheit, 89, of Perryville died Thursday, April 30, 2009, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born March 13, 1920, in Perry County, the daughter of the late August and Mary Unterreiner Bohnert. She married Herman Ernst on Nov. 22, 1941. He preceded her in death Jan. 4, 1961. She then married Rudy Buchheit on Dec. 29, 1978. He survives in Biehle...

25 years ago: May 1, 1984 Groundbreaking on a $13 million multipurpose building here should occur at least by next spring now that the Missouri Legislature has approved first-phase financing for the project, says Cape Girardeau Mayor Howard C. Tooke; the legislature, in the final day of the session yesterday, approved the state bond package which includes $3.19 million to finance the first phase of the work on an approximately 7,000-seat civic arena...

Using a few items from around the house you can create a pendulum. Materials Instructions STEP 1: Hang the string from the ceiling. STEP 2: Fill the balloon with water and tie off the balloon so the water stays inside. STEP 3: Attach the water balloon to the free end of the string. Adjust the length of the string so the balloon touches your nose before tightening all knots...

Whril

Susanna Cohen scored a pair of goals to help lead the Eagle Ridge girls soccer team to victory at the Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association state tournament Thursday. The Eagles downed Crosspoint Christian 4-0. Jennifer Galemmo stopped 10 shots to earn the shutout in goal...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Bob Baffert had so much success in his early years at the Kentucky Derby that he thought it would go on forever. Three wins in six years will do that. Then karma caught up and sent him into a humbling slide. He's hoping to change his luck Saturday, when he saddles Pioneerof the Nile, the early co-second choice in the morning line. The colt is Baffert's first serious contender since he won his third Derby in 2002...

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico's top medical officer voiced optimism Thursday that swine flu has slowed in the nation hardest hit by the virus, but the World Health Organization cautioned there is no evidence the worst of the global outbreak is over. The U.S. caseload rose slightly to 109 as hundreds of schools nationwide shut their doors...

WASHINGTON -- Propelled through the House by antibusiness sentiment in tough economic times, legislation putting new reins on the credit card industry now goes to the Senate, where the bill's prospects appear promising. The legislation, which has President Barack Obama's backing, would eliminate abrupt increases in interest rates and other practices decried by consumer advocates. It could be taken up in the Senate as early as next week...

The Cape Girardeau floodwall repair project could be finished six to 12 months ahead of schedule thanks to the federal stimulus bill approved by Congress in February. The $10 million project, which includes making it easier for the wall to handle expansion and contraction due to weather and rehabilitating the Merriwether Street pumping station, is close to being fully funded thanks to an allocation of $4 million from the stimulus bill, said George Stringham, spokesman for the U.S. ...

After an evening of advice on property maintenance, tenant screening and how to practice nondiscrimination, a group of Cape Girardeau landlords heard words that some don't like -- regular inspections to make sure rental units comply with city codes...

Area travel agencies are reporting few cancellations of trips to Mexico, which has reported deaths from swine flu. Carolyn Kempf of Elite Travel Services in Cape Girardeau returned Monday from a weeklong stay in Cancun, the Mayan Riviera and Playa del Carmen areas of Mexico. During her stay, Kempf met with representatives who reassured her that travel to that area is relatively safe...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Local and federal authorities seized four computers Wednesday as they investigated threats posted on the Internet against the president, local law enforcement officials and a school. Four posts, titled "Homicide1," "Homicide2," Homicide3" and "Homicide4," were placed on the Internet message board Topix from Poplar Bluff by the screen name "Mel" between 9:10 and 9:20 p.m. Tuesday...

Central junior right-hander Josh Meyer leaned on his defense to help him escape trouble. And when Kelly threatened to put together a big inning, Meyer slammed the door with a strikeout. Meyer scattered three hits over seven innings as the Tigers downed the Hawks 6-3 in the opening round of the SEMO Conference baseball tournament Friday...

This summer could be the swan song for the pool at Capaha Park. The pool has been plagued by repeated breakdowns in recent years and the possibility of lower attendance when the new aquatic park opens near the Osage Community Centre in 2010, and city officials are uncertain whether the 52-year-old Capaha Pool will operate through the summer or even open at all.

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- In an effort to leave their rocky past behind, officials at Three Rivers Community College and Southeast Missouri State University signed an agreement to establish a joint bachelor's degree program in social work Friday. "We look forward to this as just the beginning," said Southeast president Dr. Ken Dobbins...

Cape Girardeau allowed unpaid rent on Commander Premier's 52,000-square-foot building to grow to $354,000 because the company assured the city repeatedly it was on the verge of finding investors, members of the Cape Girardeau City Council said.At the same time, restrictions on how the building can be used meant that having a tenant making promises of future payments was a better option than evicting Commander Premier with no prospects for a replacement tenant...

Cape Girardeau police obtained an arrest warrant this week for Edwin T. Patterson, 37, 423 S. Hanover St., in connection with a stabbing that occurred last weekend on Fountain Street. According to a probable-cause statement by Sgt. Rick Price, police responded to 115 N. Fountain St. early April 27 in reference to a stabbing...

Three convenience store clerks and the Cape Girardeau County businesses they work for have been cited for selling alcohol to minors as part of a compliance check by the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control. On Wednesday, agents from the division used an underage person to visit 10 retail locations that sell alcohol. At seven of the locations, clerks did not sell to the minor. But at three locations, the minor was able to purchase alcoholic beverages...

Southeast Missourian A Sikeston, Mo., man pleaded guilty Wednesday to one felony count of possession of child pornography, according to a news release from the acting federal prosecutor Michael W. Reap. Danny Clayton White, 39, appeared Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. in Cape Girardeau. White now faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. Sentencing has been set for July 17...

DEXTER, Mo. -- The search to identify a body found in New Mexico holding three Stoddard County Fair ribbons has been narrowed, at least on the Dexter front, to three individuals. Lt. Det. Trevor Pulley said in a Wednesday that the department has received numerous contacts in regard to the case and has been following up on all leads...

Jim Maevers of Cape Girardeau with his Grandson Vincent Baliva of Jackson having a fun day visiting the Fort D Reinactment.

Captain Shawn Morris played his bagpipes as part of the opening ceremonies commemorating the 100th year celebration of Station #1 and the beginning of full time fire fighting personnel. The Cape Girardeau Honor Guard also provided the flag raising ceremony that coincided with this music. Fred Kraft son of Barney Kraft, Fire Chief in 1909 attended the festivities...

getting ready for cannon fire at Fort D Reinactment

Claire and Madison team up on the hoseline at the kids game during the Cape Girardeau Fire Department's celebration on Saturday.

The swine flu outbreak that has alarmed the world for a week now appears less ominous, with the virus showing little staying power in the hardest-hit cities and scientists suggesting it lacks the genetic fortitude of past killer bugs. President Obama even voiced hope Friday that it may turn out to be no more harmful than the average seasonal flu...

NEW YORK -- Attorneys for Chrysler LLC said the company will file a motion by today to sell substantially all of its assets to Italian automaker Fiat Group SpA, but that won't include eight plants, including five that the automaker revealed it will close by the end of next year...

NEW YORK -- Traders put in more of the "buy" orders Friday that propelled the market in April to its best one-month performance in nine years. Stocks ended higher on a day of quiet back-and-forth trading as investors determined that mixed economic data and earnings reports were reason enough to extend the gains seen in March and April...

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Hundreds of Venezuelan police and National Guard troops broke up an opposition march in the capital Friday with volleys of tear gas and water cannon blasts. Thousands of opponents of President Hugo Chavez retreated as clouds of gas spread out over an avenue in downtown Caracas...

KABUL -- Three Americans and two other international troops were killed Friday in an attack in eastern Afghanistan, officials said. Insurgents attacked Afghan and international forces Friday with rocket-propelled grenades and guns, NATO forces said in a statement. The troops called in air support, forcing the militants to withdraw. They are being pursued, the statement said...

CHICAGO -- Ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich's lawyer made a fresh plea Friday for permission to tap campaign money to pay legal bills, saying defending the corruption charges against the former governor requires even more courtroom muscle than a death penalty case...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The rolls of packing tape and boxes scattered on his office floor suggest a man in a hurry. For those who don't know Abdullahi Ali Ibrahim, the University of Missouri history professor could be just another obscure academic preparing for an overseas sabbatical...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Just as the world watches a new influenza scare, an exhibit in Kansas City will look at a 1918 pandemic that killed 50 million people. Part of an upcoming exhibit at the new National Archives near Union Station deals with the Spanish flu pandemic that swept the world -- and is widely believed to have originated in Kansas...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Six police officers who died in the line of duty last year will be honored at the 22nd annual Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial Service. Ceremonies start at 10 a.m. today and will include the adding of the officers' names to the law enforcement memorial on the north side of the Capitol Building...

PADUCAH, Ky. -- A former soldier on trial for the rape and murder of an Iraqi teenager and the shotgun deaths of her family told others he would take full blame for the attacks if necessary, a one-time private said Friday. Bryan Howard, a former private first class in the 101st Airborne Division, told jurors Friday that defendant Steven Dale Green offered to take the blame for the slayings if they were traced back to American soldiers...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri has received a $156 million payment as part of a nationwide settlement with tobacco companies, raising its total share to $1.5 billion so far. But there are legal questions both about the way Missouri is spending its settlement proceeds and whether it can continue to receive the annual payments...

WASHINGTON -- President Obama pledged Friday to name a Supreme Court justice who combines "empathy and understanding" with an impeccable legal background to succeed liberal David Souter, whose abrupt retirement announcement set off speculation the next justice could be a woman, a Hispanic or both...

WASHINGTON -- Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is no longer alone. The Senate on Friday confirmed another Obama Treasury nomination. By voice vote, the Senate approved the nomination of David S. Cohen to be Treasury's assistant secretary for terrorist financing...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. manufacturing activity in April posted its best showing since September, when the financial crisis erupted. The performance was driven by a rise in new orders reflecting higher business and consumer spending. The strength in forward-pointing new orders was especially encouraging. It indicated that after slashing inventories in the first quarter, manufacturers see the need to place new orders for other businesses and consumers...

Southeast Missourian The Missouri Department of Transportation said in a news release that some roads and highways in Southeast Missouri will be closed or reduced for repairs. The section of roadway will be closed while the contractor, Joe's Bridge and Grading, removes the existing structure and constructs the new bridge...

KENNETT, Mo. -- A Caruthersville, Mo., man was recently sentenced to eight years in prison on involuntary manslaughter charges. Max Arnold, 26, of Caruthersville appeared in court April 22 with his attorney, Andrew Bullard of Kennett, and entered a guilty plea for the accidental killing of Phillip Jarvas, 32, of Sullivan, Mo...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday: Jackson Firefighters responded to the following call Thursday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday:...

Cape Girardeau: Arrests; Summonses; Assault; Thefts; Property damage; Miscellaneous; Jackson: Arrests; Theft; Property damage; Miscellaneous; Cape Girardeau County: DWI; Arrests

A company called Free Flow Power Corp. is looking into the feasibility of placing 180,000 small turbines in the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New Orleans -- including a batch off Cape Rock Park in northern Cape Girardeau -- to generate up to 1,800 megawatts of electricity. The cost estimate is $3 billion...

"Have somebody to love, something to do, something to look forward to." What you have just read is a philosophy of life -- and a good one. Its source is a good woman living in Cape Girardeau, whom I am fortunate to know. We live in a time of mission and vision statements, of core values and empowering ethos. ...

Green event; Thanks for help; Business support; Wonderful event; Apologies are good; Delivery tips; Dumbing down; Time to disband?; College morals; Prayer rituals; Hidden motives; Blaming unions

William B. Giddings Jr., 90, of St. Charles, Mo., died Tuesday, April 28, 2009. Beloved husband of the late Virginia D. Crites Giddings; dear father of Sue (Richard) Harris, William III (Linda), John (Patricia), James (Patricia), Robert (Karen) Giddings; dear brother of Mildred Jones and the late Clyde, William, James and Mary Vera; loving grandfather of seven; great-grandfather of three; our dear brother-in-law, uncle, great-uncle, cousin and dear friend to many...

Ella A. Beel Prince, 95, was baptized into the hope of Christ's resurrection Thursday, April 30, 2009, at Fountainbleau Lodge. She is the beloved wife of the late Howard B. Prince; dear sister of Agnes Elfrink, the late Clara Spooler, Mary "Mayme" Stause, Rose Cobb and Henry Beel; dear sister-in-law to Mildred Schmitz; dear aunt, great-aunt and friend to many...

FROHNA, Mo. -- Elvira S. Scholl, 92, of Frohna died Friday, May 1, 2009, at Independence Care Center of Perry County in Perryville, Mo. She was born Oct. 15, 1916, daughter of Rudolph and Bertha Kaufmann Popp. She was married Dec. 28, 1941, to Arthur R. Scholl. He preceded her in death Dec. 17, 1987...

ORAN, Mo. -- Sarah Marie Holmes, 94, of Oran died Friday, May 1, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Visitation will be after 5 p.m. Sunday at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Oran. Funeral will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the First Baptist Church in Oran...

Dorothy Ingemanson, 84, of Scott City died Wednesday, April 29, 2009, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements.

Lela B. Loiseau, 103, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, April 30, 2009, at the Lutheran Home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Scott Moon officiating. Burial will be in Marcus Memorial Cemetery in Fredericktown, Mo...

Green; Huckstep; Carlisle; Smith; Haupt

25 years ago: May 2, 1984 A proposal before the Cape Girardeau City Council to lease a 90-acre site along Highway 177 north of here as a landfill is unearthing strong opposition from area residents and Nell Holcomb School District officials. Fire in a metal storage warehouse containing ground polyvinyl chloride plastic prompts authorities to evacuate homes and businesses in a large area of west central Cape Girardeau during the night because of a threat of toxic gas emission; the three-alarm fire occurred at the Blair Industries Inc. ...

"Rain, rain, go away. Come again some other day." The childhood song rings out with a sigh of desperation. On any other day children would beg to watch TV and play video games, yet for some reason being imprisoned by the rain turns the ordinarily calm child into a caged lion roaming back and forth through the halls looking for something or someone to devour...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- "Is that the one-horse guy?" a visitor asked as he walked past Tom McCarthy's rented stall on the backstretch at Churchill Downs. Indeed, it was. The 75-year-old owner-trainer signed a few autographs Friday under the watchful gaze of his big gray colt, General Quarters, who cost him all of $20,000...

WASHINGTON -- Ryan Ludwick can't find an obvious flaw in the St. Louis Cardinals lineup -- or in their pitching staff. The potent combination has the team off to its best start in 65 years. Albert Pujols hit one of the Cardinals' season-high four home runs, backing Todd Wellemeyer's seven effective innings in a 6-2 win against the Washington Nationals on Friday night...

Acting federal prosecutor Michael W. Reap released the following items. Pleaded guilty n Name: Isiah Mathis n Summary: Mathis admitted that Feb. 13, he entered the Citizens Bank in Charleston, Mo., and approached a window teller. He slid a vinyl bag and a note to the teller saying "fill the bag up with money." The teller placed $3,275 in cash in the bag, and Mathis left the bank on a bicycle. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Several Missouri communities near creeks dealt with flash flooding Friday, with scattered reports of some tense moments, but no injuries or widespread damage. In Stoddard County in Southeast Missouri, two creeks overtopped. The Dexter Creek rose unexpectedly in the city Friday morning, prompting employees at the Riddle & Son lumber yard to sandbag part of the five-acre property. ...

Top-ranked Notre Dame watched its perfect regular season end with a 13-8 loss to No. 8 seed Poplar Bluff in the first round of the SEMO Conference baseball tournament Friday. Notre Dame (16-1) committed six errors and surrendered nine unearned runs...

Southeast Missouri State and Eastern Illinois met in the final round of last year's Ohio Valley Conference baseball tournament. This weekend, when the teams square off in Cape Girardeau, there again will be plenty on the line. The series that features a 1 p.m. doubleheader today -- River Eagle Distributing will provide free food and beverages -- and a 1 p.m. contest Sunday will go a long way toward determining the OVC's regular-season champion...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri now has one confirmed case of swine flu and three probable cases, the latest involving two members of a family who recently traveled to Mexico, the state health department reported Friday night. Earlier Friday, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta announced Missouri's first confirmed case -- a 30-year-old woman from Platte County in the Kansas City area who recently returned from Mexico...

MEXICO CITY -- Televisa is cutting all "nonessential" kisses from its soap operas. A song called the "Influenza Cumbia" is climbing the charts. Cringe-worthy swine flu jokes are spreading faster than the illness ever could. As Mexicans lock themselves inside in fear of the virus, they can't help but have a little fun with it as well...

Help us, O God, to focus on the goodness of all of your creation. Amen.

In an earlier column I complimented President Obama on his speaking ability. That still holds true. But I mentioned having certain apprehensions. Those are now showing up. The president seems to be trying to turn the U.S. into a socialistic nation. ...

Southeast Missouri State hopes for a strong finish to its spring football practices with today's noon intrasquad game at Houck Stadium. For the third straight year, Southeast's spring game will pit the offense vs. the defense under a scoring system that allows both units to score points. There is no admission charge...

To some, prayer is a private activity. Thursday it becomes a national act. Area churches and organizations plan to observe the 58th annual National Day of Prayer with group activities throughout the day. "People pray individually all the time, but the National Day of Prayer is a time when individuals come together as a whole and pray for our country," said Debbie Tracy, who helped organize one of the events. "It is a scriptural invitation to prayer and a response to the Pledge of Allegiance."...

The Southeast Missouri State men's and women's track and field teams enjoyed a successful first day at the Ohio Valley Conference meet Friday in Richmond, Ky. Both the men's and women's teams sit atop the standings after the first day. The women's team got titles from senior Juli Koenegstein in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (10 minutes, 45.45 seconds), junior Samantha Espiricueta in the javelin (144 feet, 11 inches) and junior Ashley Brewer in the shot put (50-07 1/4)...

An article in Friday's Southeast Missourian omitted some sponsors of a landlord workshop Thursday at the Osage Community Centre. Hartle Management and Cape Girardeau city government also sponsored the event.

Fire in the hole. Fort D Reinactment

Retirees of CGFD cut the birthday cake for the 100th year celebration of Old Firestation #1 and the beginning of paid personnel. Left to Right are Herb Sanders, Max Jauch, Mike Morgan, Jerry Emerson, and Ed Serandos. Dozens of retirees attended the ceremonies along with hundrends of other participants on Saturday...

Southeast Missouri mirrored the national economy in the first three months of the year as job losses mounted, increasing demand for safety net services and cutting into sales at many retailers. And more robust businesses can attribute part of their success to the misery of others -- restaurant and hotel receipts showed strong growth in Cape Girardeau at the same time areas to the south were caked in ice...

Two drivers will compete in the national Soap Box Derby after winning Saturday's races on North Sprigg Street in Cape Girardeau. Ally McHughs, 10, of Jackson won the stock division, and her cousin, Zachary McHughs, 9, of Thebes, Ill., took first place in the super stock division. This was Zachary's first competition. They will compete in the national race in Akron, Ohio, on July 25...

Jim Baker arrived at the 100th anniversary of Cape Girardeau's first fire station and "could barely wait to get out of the car," said his daughter, Jodie Kimbel, of Jackson. Jim "Bake" Baker, 81, made captain two years after joining the department in 1951. ...

During Saturday morning's chilly showers, about 180 people dressed in their rainy-weather gear met in downtown Cape Girardeau and ventured out for a wet walk in support of March for Babies. As early as 8 a.m., teams gathered at the Riverfront Park Pavilion between Main and Water streets to take part in the two-mile walk following Broadway to Houck Stadium and back...

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com Civil War re-enactors, members of the Turner Brigade with the 1st Missouri Engineers Company E, fire a 3/4-size replica of a 3-inch ordnance rifled cannon Saturday at Fort D. Activities at the historic earthworks fort in south Cape Girardeau continue today from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m....

Editor's note: This series will address community college needs in the Cape Girardeau area. Part one will look at underserved students. On subsequent Wednesdays the series will analyze issues with employers and other education providers....

Alissa Anne Colwell and James Bradley Thompson were married Sept. 6, 2008, at Immaculate Conception Church. The Rev. John Harth performed the ceremony. Parents of the couple are Sid and Helen Colwell of Fort Scott, Kan., and Brad and Paula Thompson of Jackson...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Mitch and Gail Nanney of Marble Hill and Rusty and Betty Hendrickson of Delta announce the engagement of their daughter, Sara Elizabeth Hendrickson, to Russell Brown. He is the son of Doug and Teresa Brown of Jackson. Hendrickson is a 2007 graduate of Meadow Heights High School. She is employed at Lacey's on the Hill Restaurant at Southeast Missouri Hospital...

Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Snider and Mr. and Mrs. Roger Short of Dexter, Mo., announce the engagement of their children, Heather Michelle Snider and Jessey Don Short, both of Cape Girardeau. Snider is a 2002 graduate of Dexter High School. She is branch manager at First State Community Bank in Cape Girardeau...

Robert Bruegging of Cleveland, Ohio, and Kathryn King of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Madalyn King Bruegging, to Brock Tyler Howard. He is the son of Roy and Gail Howard of Jackson. Bruegging is pursuing a bachelor of science degree in recreation at Southeast Missouri State University...

Mary Fowler and Mike Avery of Scott City announce the engagement of their daughter, Jodi Ann Avery, to Daniel Glyn Ferrell. He is the son of Glyn and Kim Ferrell of Benton, Mo. Avery is a 1996 graduate of Scott City High School. Ferrell is a 2007 graduate of Kelly High School, and is attending Boyce College in Louisville, Ky...

Danny Hale and Ruth Powers of Jackson and Dana Davis and Colin Stoner of Commerce City, Colo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Carey Hale of Arlington, Va., to B.J. Rudell of Washington, D.C. He is the son of Joel and Marcie Rudell of New York City...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Joe and Shirley Gorman of Red Bud, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Lisa Marie Gorman, to Brad Alan Elfrink. He is the son of Nick and Geri Elfrink of Marble Hill. Gorman is a lab technician at Affordable Dentures in Cape Girardeau...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Dwayne and LouAnn Abner of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Heather Marie Foster, to Jason Frank Lee Sr., both of Charleston, Mo. He is the son of Frank and Suzanne Lee of Charleston. Foster is also the daughter of the late Nancy Abner of Oran, Mo...

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Crites of Bloomington, Ind., will celebrate their 64th wedding anniversary with a party May 9, 2009, at the Water's Edge in Cape Girardeau. Their children will host the event. Crites and Sylvia Henry were married April 29, 1945, at the Henry home in Sedgewickville, Mo...

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth L. Siebert of Jackson celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a dinner March 14 at Jackson Senior Center. Approximately 125 guests attended from Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Scott City, Oak Ridge and Perryville, Mo. Siebert and Elda Mae Nitsch were married March 15, 1959, at Emanuel Evangelical Church in Jackson, by the Rev. M.A. Tobitzky...

The River Heritage Museum in Cape Girardeau has a busy schedule of events planned this year, including special anniversary commemorations, concerts and other programs. Recently the museum kicked off its 2009 season with a performance by the Jerry Ford Orchestra, which is marking its 50th anniversary. Seven other concerts are planned as part of the museum's "Saturday Mornings at the Museum" programs on the last Saturday of the month through November...

Luke Sievers, son of Brian and Joanna Sievers of Jackson, is a Jackson Boy Scout Troop 311 Eagle Scout who recently received his Eagle rank at a court of honor held at Southeast Missouri State University. He is the brother of Troop 311 Eagle Scout Jake Sievers. His project consisted of 101 hours refurbishing an outdoor area at St. Paul Lutheran School. He used pavers to design an area around the school, painted a flagpole, added a bench and added a new rope...

Tom Gilliland, son of Benjamin and Connie Gilliland of Jackson, is a third-generation Jackson Boy Scout Troop 311 Eagle Scout who received his rank recently at a court of honor held at Southeast Missouri State University. His Eagle Scout project consisted of 70 hours of woodworking. Gilliland built five benches used for a long bow building class at the Missouri Department of Conservation...

The Missouri State Society Children of the American Revolution held its 58th annual state conference in St. Louis. The Byrd Settlement Society of Jackson, represented by six members and seven adult senior members, received seven first-place awards; two second-place awards; a third-place award; a national merit award and an honorable mention award. ...

Jacob Ward, son of Treye and Carol Ward Eagle of Jackson is a second-generation Eagle Scout. His project consisted of 74 hours of building agility equipment for dogs at Safe Harbor Animal Santuary and installing the equipment. ...

What recession?; No man's island; Ending Cold War; Using city workers; Money argument; Helping students

By William B. Ketter CNHI News Service To social theorists predicting the collapse of newspapers, we've become more than an endangered species. We're prime evidence of the fading way the public consumes information. Day by day, they argue, can no longer compete with minute by minute. The popularity of instant stories about crime, conflict, crackpots and celebrities prove it. No time to wait and read what the news means...

This coming week, Bishop Thomas Wenski of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando, Fla., will take the unusual step of celebrating a Mass of Reparation, to make amends for sins against God. The motivation: to provide an outlet for Catholics upset with what Wenski calls the University of Notre Dame's "clueless" decision to invite President Obama to speak at its commencement and receive an honorary doctorate May 17...

MIAMI -- Thousands of immigrants and their families marched in cities from coast to coast, hoping to channel the political muscle Hispanics flexed last fall as President Obama won election. This time, they hoped to jump-start an old cause: forging a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S...

DEL CITY, Okla. -- Chris Stiles' 8-year-old son met his dad at the door of their Oklahoma City home May 3, 1999, pleading with his father for a plan as a tornado approached: "You need to do something about it." Stiles, then the football coach at nearby Westmoore High School, had planned to ride out the storm in a bathtub in his house. ...

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Diane Sammer and her partner, Pam Dennis, were careful to sign papers giving Sammer power of attorney over Dennis' affairs. Yet after Dennis died of a heart attack and her body was to be cremated, the undertaker refused to accept Sammer's signature...

THA GYAR HIN OH, Myanmar -- The monsoons are due any day now, and for the hundreds of villagers with fresh memories of last year's deadly Cyclone Nargis, an emergency shelter that opened Saturday was yet another reminder that their huts -- and their lives -- remain fragile...

SAO PAULO -- Officials say floods and mudslides from heavy rains in northeastern Brazil have killed at least 14 people in the last month and driven tens of thousands from their homes. Regional Civil Defense departments report that at least 62,600 people are homeless in five northeastern states...

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lankan forces shelled a makeshift hospital in the war zone Saturday, killing 64 civilians despite a pledge to stop using heavy weapons in its battle with the Tamil Tigers, a rebel-linked website said. A health official in the war zone confirmed the hospital was hit twice by artillery throughout the day, though the official declined to say who was responsible. The military denied launching the attack...

NAIROBI, Kenya -- Special forces on a Portuguese warship seized explosives from suspected Somali pirates after thwarting an attack on an oil tanker but later freed the 19 men. Hours later and hundreds of miles away, another band of pirates hijacked a cargo ship, a NATO spokesman said Saturday...

BAGHDAD -- An Iraqi soldier opened fire on a U.S. military team Saturday, killing two American soldiers and wounding three, the U.S. military said. Iraqi officials described the attacker -- who was killed in the gunbattle -- as a soldier who also served as a Sunni Muslim preacher for his unit near Mosul, which is one of the last urban strongholds for Sunni insurgents...

WASHINGTON -- Awaiting President Obama's first Supreme Court pick, activists expect a less-spirited nomination battle than would have been anticipated if a conservative justice had stepped down or Democrats held a slimmer edge in the Senate. Retiring Justice David H. Souter is part of the court's liberal wing, and his replacement by a Democratic administration probably won't change the ideological balance...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Health officials in Missouri have confirmed a second case of swine flu. The Kansas City Health Department said Saturday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta had confirmed that a 19-year-old Kansas City man hospitalized in Nebraska has the H1N1 virus...

SEDALIA, Mo. -- She is the queen of green. Valerie Larm, of rural Pilot Grove, Mo., lives a fairly self-sustainable life by gardening and canning; hunting and fishing; and sewing clothes, blankets and "eco-bags." To Larm, being environmentally responsible is important...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- A teenager charged with firing an assault weapon in a Joplin middle school will get a second mental evaluation. Jasper County Circuit Judge David Mouton ordered the second evaluation to determine if 16-year-old Thomas White is capable of helping his defense...

For all the wondrous sounds of this holy day, we give thanks to you, O God. Amen.

A friend of mine, Tom McCrackin III, was president of Associated General Contractors of Missouri in 1995. During his tenure, he wrote a profound article for the AGC titled "Viewpoint" for the Missouri Construction Advisor. In his article, he discussed all of the state and federal laws, regulations, codes, acts, agencies, paperwork and plain old burdens of government with which he had to comply while building a bridge project he had going at the time...

Eric Welch, Kids in Christian Karate School black belt instructor, teaches karate to children for free at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday at Heartland Gymnastics, Cape Girardeau along with other instructors. Welch said the students start everyclass with the Lord's Prayer. ...

When Jay Knudtson became mayor of Cape Girardeau seven years ago, I'm sure he harbored some concerns about how he might be depicted in the newspaper -- specifically in this column. After all, I had, during the eight years Al Spradling stood at the city's helm, a great deal of fun at the mayor's expense. ...

The Associated Press LOS ANGELES -- With movie theaters in Mexico shut down to contain the spread of swine flu, Hollywood studios have delayed plans to kick off the summer movie season there. The country is regularly among the top 12 foreign markets for U.S. movies...

FULTS, Ill. -- The first day of last year's firearm deer season yielded an oddity for Glenn Voelker. Voelker, a 64-year-old grain farmer from Fults, shot a 10-point buck from a ground blind in Monroe County on Nov. 21. The buck field-dressed at 184 pounds, and the rack was one of the biggest of Voelker's hunting career, which began in 1964...

PUYALLUP, Wash. -- A small airplane dropping from the sky after its engine failed wound up on a cushioning bunch of portable toilets -- and the pilot was able to walk away apparently unhurt. Gary Mayor of the Federal Aviation Administration said the Cessna 182 crashed Friday afternoon in Washington state after taking off from Thun Field, an airfield owned by Pierce County southeast of Tacoma...

The Historic Fort de Chartres near Prairie du Rocher, Ill., joins 10 other historic sites in reopening after budget cuts shut them down. Fort de Chartres, the location where the French built three forts during their occupation of the land, will hold its first public event at 1 p.m., Sunday, May 10. ...

FREMONT, Neb. -- Police say a woman arrested in Nebraska on suspicion of drunken driving hit fences, garages and a house as she left a $26,000 trail of damage. Sgt. Ed Watts said the woman's car struck a fence while she was trying to turn into an alley Thursday night. He says the car next hit a utility pole and then a garage while trying to turn into it. Wyatt said the car then crossed a yard, rammed a fence and hit a house and garage...

WASHINGTON -- Jack Kemp, the ex-quarterback, congressman, one-time vice presidential nominee and self-described "bleeding-heart conservative" died Saturday. His spokeswoman Bona Park and longtime friend and former campaign adviser Edwin J. Feulner confirmed that Kemp died after a lengthy illness...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: Jackson Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday:...

Cape Girardeau: Arrests; Summonses; Assault; Burglary; Thefts; Property damage

August M. Sticht Jr. ALTENBURG, Mo. -- August M. Sticht Jr., 70, of Altenburg died Saturday, May 2, 2009, in Perryville, Mo. He was born in Perry County, Mo., on Jan. 30, 1939, son of the late August and Paula Stelling Sticht Sr. He was married Aug. 15, 1970, to Mary A. Stueve Sticht, who survives in Altenburg...

Sarah Holmes ORAN, Mo. -- Sarah Marie Holmes, 94, of Oran passed away Friday, May 1, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau due to injuries sustained in an automobile accident. She was born to the late James T. and Florence Hubbard Yarbrough on March 17, 1915, at Casa, Ark. She married Willis T. Holmes on Sep. 8, 1934, and he preceded her in death July 13, 2003...

Lela B. Loiseau Lela B. Loiseau, 103, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, April 30, 2009, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 13, 1905, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Vince and Martha Kelly Chapman. She and Herman Loiseau were married Jan. 19, 1955, in Springfield, Ill. He died Sept. 15, 2005...

Kenneth Brown Kenneth R. Brown, 74, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, May 2, 2009, at his home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Dorothy Menz Dorothy Menz, 78, of Chaffee, Mo., died May 2, 2009, at Landmark Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee.

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico said a swine flu epidemic appears to be easing, but urged citizens Saturday not to let their guard down against a virus that has killed 17 people and is spreading across Asia and Europe. Experts warned the virus could mutate and come back with a vengeance...

According to Leola Twiggs, hugs are one of the best parts of her job. The children at East Missouri Action Agency in Cape Girardeau seek her out when she's not teaching, just to give her a hug. Her positions at Head Start have included site manager, bus driver and teacher. Three generations have passed through her classrooms...

Notre Dame bounced back after suffering its first loss of the season Friday to beat Kennett in the consolation bracket of the SEMO Conference baseball tournament Saturday. The No. 1 Bulldogs (17-1) fell behind 4-0 after just a half inning, but staged a 10-4 comeback win over No. 7 Kennett to advance to play Kelly at 4 p.m. on Monday...

Jackson pitcher Zach McDowell started to settle down in the top of the fourth after he allowed two runs and five baserunners in the first three innings Saturday. The sophomore southpaw struck out the side that inning, getting Central's Andrew Williams and Hide Tanaka swinging and Shawn Prince looking...

Ashley Brewer finished off a big weekend at the Ohio Valley Conference outdoor track and field meet in Richmond, Ky. Brewer, a Southeast Missouri State junior who was named the OVC outdoor female field athlete of the year Thursday, was a two-event winner...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team continued its rampage Saturday. Southeast swept a doubleheader at Tennessee State, 9-1 in six innings and 4-3, as the Redhawks extended their winning streak to 14 games. Southeast (26-19, 15-8) pulled into a second-place tie with Morehead State in the Ohio Valley Conference entering today's series finale against TSU, which ends the regular season...

The defense again got the better of the offense Saturday during Southeast Missouri State's spring football game at Houck Stadium. It wasn't as lopsided as last year, but that didn't detract from the delight junior linebacker Patrick Maloney took in retaining bragging rights for the Redhawks' defense...

Southeast Missouri State coach Mark Hogan and Eastern Illinois coach Jim Schmitz agreed on one thing following Saturday's doubleheader at Capaha Field. The first-place Ohio Valley Conference showdown lived up to its billing. But only Schmitz was able to savor what had just transpired after EIU claimed a pair of 8-7 victories to establish a firm grip on the OVC lead...

A Civil War reenactor at Fort D.

Mike Watson folds a cartridge during the Civil War reeinactment at Fort D.

25 years ago: May 3, 1984 Bowing to the request of a standing-room-only crowd of Nell Holcomb School District residents who voiced opposition to the proposed lease of a city landfill site near their school and homes, the Cape Girardeau City Council last night agreed to delay action for 30 days on leasing the 90-acre site...

St. Paul Lutheran School Scholastic Honor Roll 5th grade: Emelia Baer, Jack Bagley, Chloe Kasten, Elizabeth Kiefner, Grace Mirly, Brianna Mueller, Wade Petzoldt, Grant Strange 6th grade: Mollie Cunningham, Haley Lynch 7th grade: Alexis Engelhart, Josh Friess, Amanda Krewson, Samuel Lowes, Jackson Voss...

Central Junior High School Term 5 A Honor Roll 7th grade: Aleksandra Aleksandrova, Jacklyn Allen, Bailey Bliss, Dalton Buchanan, Catherine Crites, Alisha Deshazier, Abigail Goeckeler, Joshua Greaser, Emily Hagan, Jasmine Hamilton, Megan Heuring, Colin Keele, Kendra Kelch, Truman Kinsey, Rebecca Kitchen, Bailey Kralemann, Courtney Limbaugh, Rachael Long, Jesse Mahan, Aaron Mehner, Alex Mehner, Sydney Messerli, Seiya Miyata, Andrea Morales, Cassandra Morris, Alexander Ogle, Mackenzie Patterson, Nicole Rich, Abby Ritter, Vikas Rudrappa, Jessica Shirrell, Madeline Siefert, Jordan Stone, Caleb Strickland, Kristin Thompson, Sable VanMeter, Taylor Welker, Ashley Westbrook, Bo Wilferth, Brendan Williams.. ...

Scott City High School High Honor Roll 9th grade: Adam Bowers, Jenna Cummins, Taylor Glueck, Lindsay Kern, Brittany Kiefer, Tyler Schwettman. 10th grade: Courtney Bentley, Zachary Bradshaw, Brooke Dohogne, Miranda Foshee, Stacey Heisserer, Courtney Holder, Melanie Lacey, Mallory Reddick, Corey Rogers, Garett Schaefer, William Scholz...

ST. LOUIS -- It's early May, so Marc Bulger can afford to be optimistic about the St. Louis Rams' changes. Not too optimistic. The Rams have made several upgrades on offense, signing big-ticket free agent center Jason Brown and drafting tackle Jason Smith with the second pick. They've added a fullback and a blocking tight end to protect their highest-paid player...

A proposal to increase dumping fees for wastewater haulers drew objections Monday night at the Cape Girardeau City Council meeting as septic cleaners and a portable toilet provider asked for relief. The city has allowed companies operating in Southeast Missouri to deliver truckloads of waste to the sewage plant at 429 Cooper St. for a flat fee of $10. The fee has remained unchanged since 1991 despite the use of larger tanker trucks to collect and dispose of the waste...

Five of a litter of twelve solid black german shepherd puppies pause for a photo opportunity on the porch of their breeder Karen Belcher.

Don't know what to get Mom for her special day May 10? Come to Franklin School on May 9 between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. for a family photo to give to her for Mother's Day! Any size family or families with pets are welcome. A 10" by 13" photo is only $10 and benefits the D.A.R.E. program in private and public schools in Cape Girardeau. Programming expenses for the D.A.R.E. program come from donations...

Yellow finches out in Saxony Villages

WASHINGTON -- President Obama's commitment to take on climate change and put science over politics is about to be tested as his administration faces a politically sensitive question about the widespread use of ethanol: Does it help or hurt the fight against global warming?...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- The Jasper County Health Department has confirmed four cases of whooping cough in the area and is investigating four additional cases. All of the cases were reported in Jasper County in April with the first case April 16. The cases have been reported in residents ranging from infants through senior citizens...

Creative Edge is celebrating its 10th year in business. The full-service marketing and video production agency serves mostly real estate clients, though it has clients in a range of other industries. Business editor Brian Blackwell recently sat down with owner Jason Wray to learn more about the company's rise from a house to a 14,000-square-foot facility in Jackson, where its 14 employees work. ...

PERRY COUNTY, Mo. - A Perryville woman sustained serious injuries in a one-vehicle accident on Route K Sunday evening. The Missouri State Highway Patrol crash reports website reported that at around 6:01 p.m. a 16-year-old female was traveling two-and-a-half miles south of Interstate 55 when the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse she was driving ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a culvert. ...

Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter hopes contact DNA analysis will help to narrow the field in the search for killer in the Mischelle Lawless case, after DNA testing on blood evidence and other DNA material in the case has failed to pinpoint any one individual.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Rain shortened the annual May Procession of St. Vincent de Paul School students, but it didn't shrink the ceremony. The Rev. Henry Grodecki said the intent of the Perryville tradition did not change once it moved to St. Vincent de Paul from The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal...

Calling all veterans of the 96th Infantry Division! The veterans of the 96th Infantry Division. nicknamed the Deadeyes, will have their annual reunion in Branson, Missouri, July 23 to 27, 2009. It is our fifth reunion in Missouri, including the first one in 1958. ...

(A desperate plea for justice and humanity and decency in the treatment of our 4-legged friends) I love dogs in general and Beagles in particular at least as much as the next person. Which is why, at the moment, my heart feels heavy when I consider the steady hum of what has been going on for years... and what has increased in volume to a deafening roar of late. In a word, the state of the shelter system in the U.S. is simply atrocious...

ST. LOUIS -- A motorcycle gang called the Invaders has been at the center of separate investigations into the 2007 deaths of two St. Louis-area men and the disappearance of the third, a newspaper says. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sunday that court documents the newspaper obtained showed that for more than a year investigators have suspected members of the gang of killing Randy Greenman, 39, and George Whitter, 36...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: Jackson Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday:...

Cape Girardeau: DWI; Arrests; Summonses; Thefts; Jackson

Two Cape Girardeau wine distributors earn distinction Johanna Boslin and Steve Kirchhoff of Cape Girardeau have been awarded an exclusive wholesale and retail distributorship of Durso Hills wines for the Cape Girardeau, Jackson and surrounding area. All Durso Hills wines are estate-bottled from Durso Hills vineyards in Madison County, Mo...

Dorothy Menz CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Dorothy L. Menz, 78, died Saturday, May 2, 2009, at Landmark Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 30, 1930, the daughter of John and Mary Annie Sadler Gramlisch. She married John Menz on Jan. 13, 1947. She was a retired assembly line worker for Roeper Corp. in Bradley, Ill., and a member of First Assembly of God in Chaffee, Mo...

Kenneth Brown Kenneth R. Brown, 74, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, May 2, 2009, at his home. He was born Sept. 28, 1934, in Cypress, Ill., son of Jess Eugene and Daisy M. Davis Brown. He and Carol Pippins Brown were married Nov. 24, 1956, in Corinth, Miss...

Mildred Miget PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Mildred M. Miget, 84, of Perryville died Saturday, May 2, 2009, at Independence Care Center in Perryville. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m., with parish prayers at 7:30 p.m. today and from 6:30 to 9:50 a.m. with a rosary at 9 a.m. Tuesday at Miller Family Funeral Home in Perryville...

Shelley Nichols Shelley Jean Nichols, 51, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, May 2, 2009, in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Chapel. The funeral will be 2 p.m. Thursday at LaCroix United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Ron Watts officiating...

Revitalization was the topic of discussion at last week's First Friday Coffee. Old Town Cape executive director Marla Mills held another discussion on the plan to revitalize sections of downtown Cape Girardeau. Regardless of how many times such meetings are held the public never seems to tire of learning more about ambitious plans to transform the downtown into an amazing place to work, play and visit...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- First-quarter earnings so far from across the market are coming in better than expected -- largely as a result of a low bar. The results have some people now uttering economic buzzwords like "deceleration," "signs of recovery," "the bottom" and the very precise "less bad."...

ROME -- Fiat Group SpA confirmed Sunday it was in talks to acquire General Motor's European operations with the aim of possibly creating a new company to also include its newly acquired Chrysler automaker. Combined, the new automaker would have $105 billion in annual revenue, Fiat said in a statement...

BILLINGS, Mont. -- Wolves in parts of the Northern Rockies and the Great Lakes region come off the endangered species list today, opening them to public hunts in some states for the first time in decades. Federal officials say the population of gray wolves in those areas has recovered and is large enough to survive on its own. The animals were listed as endangered in 1974, after they had been wiped out across the lower 48 states by hunting and government-sponsored poisoning...

DENVER -- Colorado is one of 10 states that have considered abolishing the death penalty this year to save money, but Colorado's proposal has a twist: It would use the savings to investigate about 1,400 unsolved slayings. The measure has sparked fierce debate between prosecutors and some victims' families. Prosecutors want to keep capital punishment as an option for heinous crimes, and they say the bill has raised unrealistic hopes about solving cold cases...

INNSBRUCK, Austria -- Six people were killed when an avalanche trapped them under eight feet of snow as they hiked in the Alps of Western Austria, according to authorities. A 45-year-old man was the sole survivor when the group was hit by the avalanche at an altitude of about 9,850 feet rescuers said Sunday...

KATMANDU, Nepal -- Nepal's prime minister fired the army chief Sunday after a struggle over admitting former Maoist rebel fighters to the military, sparking mass protests and jeopardizing the survival of the country's first elected government. President Ram Baran Yadav, meanwhile, rejected the ouster of army chief, Rookmangud Katawal, in a letter, calling it unconstitutional. ...

WASHINGTON -- President Obama's search to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter should extend beyond the current roster of federal judges, senators from both political parties said Sunday. "I would like to see more people from outside the judicial monastery, somebody who has had some real-life experience, not just as a judge," said Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee that will hold hearings when Obama makes his nomination...

People living in Southeast Missouri appear to be taking reports of a new flu virus in stride. While hospital officials from New York to California say emergency rooms are being swamped by frightened patients, Cape Girardeau's hospitals are not seeing that...

BEIJING -- More than 70 Mexican travelers have been quarantined in hospitals and hotels in China as part of sweeping anti-swine flu measures, the country's ambassador to Beijing said Sunday. Mexicans were being asked to identify themselves on arriving flights and isolated from other travelers after landing, Mexican ambassador Jorge Guajardo said in an interview...

FAIRDEALING, Mo. -- No commute. No tee times. No impatient golfers waiting one hole back. This is what Fairdealing resident Herbert Webb looks forward to every time he steps out his front door and onto his very own course to tee off for nine relaxing holes of golf. And it is something the 74-year-old would like to share with other seniors...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Think your telephone bill is too high? Your phone company might agree. For every minute on many long-distance calls you make, your phone company is paying another phone company for your privilege to chat. Some telecommunications companies think they are being charged too much by their rivals...

It sounds like the Southeast Missouri State men's basketball program is getting a pretty good new player without having to even use a scholarship. Coach Dickey Nutt's son, Lucas, a senior at Jonesboro (Ark.) High School, will play for his father as a walk-on next season...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Mine That Bird stood regally, his ears pricked, his gaze fixed on the rows of clicking cameras. Then the 50-1 upset winner of the Kentucky Derby put his head down and began munching on grass, leaving his human handlers still in shock about his stunning 6 3/4-length victory a day earlier...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Standing on the 18th tee, Sean O'Hair asked his caddie where he stood in the Quail Hollow Championship and got word that he had a one-shot lead. "Over who?" O'Hair replied. It wasn't Tiger Woods. It might not have mattered. Five weeks after blowing a five-shot lead at Bay Hill against the world's No. 1 player, O'Hair was determined to keep putting himself in contention until he figured out how to win down the stretch...

WASHINGTON -- John Lannan was prepared to face the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. Instead, the Washington Nationals left-hander waited out a nearly 2-hour rain delay, then turned his attention to watching video of an unexpected opponent. Sunday's scheduled game between the Cardinals and Nationals was postponed by rain after a delay of 1 hour, 54 minutes. Lannan's start was pushed back to tonight, when he'll face the Houston Astros at Nationals Park...

Southeast Missouri State hoped to salvage something from its three-game Ohio Valley Conference baseball series against Eastern Illinois. The Redhawks never got the chance as Sunday's series finale at Capaha Field was rained out. It will not be made up, per OVC rules...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team waited out a rain delay of nearly three hours to end the regular season with one of the program's longest winning streaks. Southeast slipped past host Tennessee State 8-7 on Sunday to complete a three-game Ohio Valley Conference sweep...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- When he was 14, Jacob Zagorac was diagnosed as being bipolar and having attention deficit disorder. That was his first mental health diagnosis. During the next 14 years, nine more would follow. He was diagnosed with conditions including having multiple-personality disorder, having adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, social anxiety disorder, major, severe and chronic depression, general anxiety disorder and dissociative disorder...

MEXICO CITY -- The swine flu epidemic spread deeper into the United States, Europe and Latin America -- and in Canada, back to pigs -- even as Mexico's health chief hinted Sunday it may soon be time to reopen businesses and schools in the nation where the outbreak likely began...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama plans changes to tax policy certain to be unpopular with corporations with international divisions and individuals who use tax havens. Obama's two-part plan, which he is slated to unveil at the White House on Monday, also calls for 800 new federal tax agents to enforce the system...

ROME -- Fiat Group SpA will be on the path to becoming a global automotive powerhouse if Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne has his way. Marchionne is set to meet Monday in Berlin with German economic and foreign ministers to discuss Fiat's offer for General Motors Europe's German unit, Opel...

DALLAS -- Poking through antiques stores while traveling through the Texas Panhandle, Bill Waters stumbled across a tattered old ledger book filled with formulas. He bought it for $200, suspecting he could resell it for five times that. Turns out, his inkling about the book's value was more spot on than he knew. The Tulsa, Okla., man eventually discovered the book came from the Waco, Texas, drugstore where Dr Pepper was invented and includes a recipe titled "D Peppers Pepsin Bitters."...

Authorities allege Max Ellison Jr., a former Stoddard County sheriff's deputy, killed Cape Girardeau woman Deborah Martin in 1979, in part based on a phone call Ellison made to Ralph Mouser, former Stoddard County sheriff, from a federal prison in 1985...

25 years ago: May 4, 1984 The Cape Girardeau Multipurpose Building Committee recommends that the St. Louis architectural firm of Hastings and Civetta be hired to design a new civic arena for the community, now that the Missouri General Assembly has approved state funding for the facility...

Pinch-hitter Travis Hurst legged out an infield single with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was just the opening Hurst and his Jackson teammates needed. The Indians capitalized on four hits and two walks to score five runs in the sixth inning to beat Sikeston 6-5 and win the SEMO Conference baseball tournament title Monday at Capaha Field...

KENNETT, Mo. -- A Campbell, Mo., woman charged with second-degree murder was to appear in court today, after being arrested Wednesday in connection with the death of her one-month-old infant. According to Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Sokoloff, Joanna Faucett, 24, was arrested after authorities discovered that the infant appeared to have been strangled to death...

ARCADIA, Mo. (AP) -- Police and volunteers on horseback and all-terrain vehicles renewed the search Tuesday for a 3-year-old boy who wandered out of his rural Southeast Missouri home. Joshua Childers was reported missing by his parents shortly after noon Monday. Searchers were looking in a rugged area near the Madison-Iron County line near Arcadia, 75 miles south of St. Louis...

PUXICO, Mo. -- A Puxico man who was a passenger in a vehicle that crashed on Highway 51 Friday night was pronounced dead at the scene by Stoddard County Coroner Morgan Sifford. Dead is 54-year-old Tommie J. Bates. Sustaining moderate injuries was the vehicle's driver, 22-year-old Nickolas J. Jackson of Zalma, Mo. He was transported by ambulance to a Cape Girardeau hospital...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A 66-year-old Bloomfield man charged in connection with a relationship with a 15-year-old girl will have his case heard by a new judge. Charlie Glass, arrested in late February, recently filed a motion for a change of judge. His case will now be heard by Judge John C. Spielman of Dunklin County...

Back row left to right: Lindsay Strieker,Brooke Simpson, Cassie Simpher, Charis Stewart, Meghan Dohogne, Holly Schermann, Danny Poole, Coach. Front row left to right: Julie Brandmeyer, Club Director, Abby Horrell, Ashley Humphrey, Cody Lancaster, Adeline Yates, Erica Woods (Bridgett Ninninger unavailable for photo)...

Violet enjoys reading mystery novels.

Sgt Kinnison: To tell you a little about myself, I am a 25 year old local business owner. I am about to have my first child, due in September, with a wonderful woman. This is a letter of appreciation. I have called on the Cape Girardeau Police Department more in the past month, than I have ever called on any police department in my life...

Seven exceptional young men and women were confirmed into a life of discipleship with New McKendree UMC on Sunday, April 26. Class members completed a course of study through weekly Sunday afternoon meetings with Senior Pastor John Rice. Several of the confirmands prepared for this training by completing a pre-confirmation course the previous year under the tutelage of Ms. Laura Jo Smith...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Adam Lindsay of Cape Girardeau has enlisted in the Missouri Army National Guard. Lindsay will serve with Company E of the Recruit Sustainment Program in Jackson. Through the program, he will learn basic Army skills and values and become more familiar with his role as a Soldier in the Missouri Army National Guard...

When her 17-year-old son committed suicide in a Missouri prison one year and four months ago, Tracy McClard vowed to help raise awareness of what happens to teens incarcerated as adults. The Jackson woman received national recognition for her efforts Monday when she was presented with the National Mother of Distinction award by the Campaign for Youth Justice and the National Juvenile Justice Network...

This just in (via a news tip) from the internet: "Senator Charles Shields has blocked Representative Jim Guest's legislation in the Senate by not calling it out of the Rules Committee, Anti Real ID (HB361) and the 10th Amendment state sovereignty (HCR 13)...

The following is the first in a series of articles and features on chronic back pain. "Tell someone who is suffering from ongoing low back pain that it is all in their head and you are likely to get yours bitten off." That is what I heard from Dr. James Flowers, the director of Sierra Tucson's Pain Management Clinic, during a lecture I endured recently at a San Diego conference while vainly shifting around in my chair, trying to relieve my shrewish lower back pain...

Cape Girardeau County Associate Circuit Judge Gary Kamp ordered Max Ellison Jr. to stand trial Monday after finding there was enough evidence to support the charges against him.

Students and staff of the Alternative Education Center recently hosted a Red Cross blood drive in honor of Barb Lohrmann, a long-time district teacher who is recovering from surgery. Thirty-six students and faculty participated, and 22 units of blood were collected. ...

Cape Girardeau School District's 33rd Annual Retirement Dinner was held April 30 at the Cape Country Club to recognize 19 retirees. Senator Jason Crowell presented proclamations, and President of the Board of Education, Mr. Kyle McDonald, provided the invocation...

A prominent Missouri preacher with an extensive network of homeless shelters, free stores and broadcast stations wants to use the the old federal building in Cape Girardeau as a shelter. The Rev. Larry Rice, who has his headquarters in St. Louis, said Monday he had made a formal application to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to get the building at 339 Broadway ...

While the number of building permits issued in Cape Girardeau and Jackson has seen a 50 percent decline so far in 2009, construction of area medical facilities remains strong. Cape Girardeau's two largest health-care providers are moving forward with plans to build new multimillion-dollar facilities...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers have approved a bill barring evicted tenants from suing landlords for disposing of property they leave behind. The measure goes to the governor after winning House approval Monday on a vote of 158-1. Landlords would be protected from lawsuits for selling, removing or otherwise disposing of personal property left behind by evicted renters. But such tenants could still sue if the landlord's actions were willful, wanton or malicious...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House has narrowly endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment requiring that union elections be conducted by secret ballots. The measure cleared the House on Monday on a vote of 82-76 -- the minimum needed for passage -- and headed to the Senate with less than two weeks left in the legislative session. If approved by both chambers, the proposed change to the Missouri Constitution would go before voters in a future statewide election...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday: Jackson Firefighters responded to the following call Monday:...

A proposal to increase dumping fees for wastewater haulers drew objections Monday night at the Cape Girardeau City Council meeting as septic cleaners and a portable toilet provider asked for relief. The city has allowed companies operating in Southeast Missouri to deliver truckloads of waste to the sewage plant at 429 Cooper St. for a flat fee of $10. The fee has remained unchanged since 1991 despite the use of larger tanker trucks to collect and dispose of the waste...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Arrests Summonses Assaults Thefts Burlgaries Miscellaneous Jackson...

Hunn; Gremaud

St. Andrew Lutheran Church will serve as one of 400 host sites throughout the country for the Maximum Impact Simulcast on Friday. The leadership training event, broadcast live from 8 a.m to 3 p.m. from Atlanta, will feature a lineup of speakers including former U.K. prime minister Tony Blair, professional golfer Jack Nicklaus, best-selling author John Maxwell and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts president of worldwide operations Al Weiss. Tickets are $100 and include a catered lunch by Celebrations. Reservations can be requested by calling 334-3200. St. Andrew Lutheran Church is at 804 N. Cape Rock Drive in Cape Girardeau.

LOS ANGELES -- An experimental drug greatly increased the number of people who appear to be cured of hepatitis C infection, according to results of mid-stage testing. The findings also suggest the drug telaprevir, made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., which sponsored the two studies, can cut treatment time from one year to six months. However, those taking the drug reported more side effects including severe rash, nausea and anemia than those on standard treatment alone...

Health events for the coming week

CINCINNATI -- Meet the forgotten housing crisis. While most attention has focused on the wave of foreclosures sweeping mostly middle-class, suburban Sunbelt neighborhoods from California to Florida, the nation's emptiest neighborhoods have remained concentrated in the same place for nearly a generation: the mostly minority, poor, urban neighborhoods of the American Rust Belt...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Tina Brian tries not to notice the boarded-up house next door, where the dandelions are thigh high and beer bottles litter the yard. She ignores the empty house across the street, with the detached garage she says is full of raccoons...

WASHINGTON -- A unanimous Supreme Court said Monday that undocumented workers who use phony IDs can't be considered identity thieves without proof they knew they were stealing real people's Social Security and other numbers. The court's decision limits federal authorities' use of a 2004 law, intended to get tough on identity thieves, against immigrants who are picked up in workplace raids and found to be using false Social Security and alien registration numbers...

MONTVILLE, Conn. -- Thomas Drew was 91, frail and suffering from dementia when, clad in a maroon sweat shirt and jeans, he disappeared from his home in northwest Connecticut. Drew hasn't been seen since that Saturday in July 2007, an example of the perils facing millions of Americans living with dementia, Alzheimer's disease and other mental impairments...

WASHINGTON -- President Obama promised on Monday to crack down on companies "that ship jobs overseas" and duck U.S. taxes with offshore havens. It won't be easy. Democrats have been fighting -- and losing -- this battle since John F. Kennedy made a similar proposal in 1961...

DETROIT -- With a month left to finish a list of restructuring moves, General Motors Corp.'s new chief executive officer said it's still possible the company can finish everything and avoid following Chrysler into bankruptcy. But don't think Fritz Henderson, who took over the automaker when Rick Wagoner was ousted by the Obama administration, is ignoring what's going on with Chrysler LLC in front of a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in New York...

WASHINGTON -- Evidence that housing is poised to improve and optimism about the results of banking "stress tests" raised hopes Monday that the recession is easing and helped lift a stock market measure into the black for the year. Construction spending and pending home sales both fared better than expected in March, and private economists saw the reports as evidence the overall economy is stabilizing after its bleakest stretch in a half-century. ...

NAIROBI, Kenya -- South Korean snipers hovering in a helicopter Monday chased away pirates pursuing a North Korean freighter, a rare instance of cooperation between the two Koreas. The South Korean ship has been operating off Somalia since last month on a mission to protect its cargo ships from Somali pirates, whose acts of high-seas crime have exploded in recent years as the bandits continue to get ransoms in the millions of dollars...

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's government Monday ruled out allowing U.S. combat troops to remain in Iraqi cities after the June 30 deadline for their withdrawal, despite concern that Iraqi forces cannot cope with the security challenge following a resurgence of bombings in recent weeks...

MEXICO CITY -- Mexican officials lowered their swine flu alert level in the capital Monday and said they will allow universities, cafes, museums and libraries to reopen this week, even as the number of confirmed cases topped 1,200 worldwide. Mexican officials said the epidemic was waning at its epicenter, announcing that Wednesday will conclude a five-day closure of nonessential businesses they credit for reducing the spread of the new virus...

The public perception of politicians is eroded when they act in ways that look irresponsible to the taxpayers and voters they profess to serve, even if those actions don't violate any laws. Such is the case with a trip to London taken by Rod Jetton of Marble Hill, Mo., who rose to political prominence as speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives...

Your coverage of Procter & Gamble's 40 years in Southeast Missouri ("Product powerhouse" April 21) was a welcome article spotlighting the positive impact of a local business. I would like to congratulate Procter & Gamble and thank it for the community support it has provided over the years...

In response to the story "Capaha Park pool faces uncertain future": This is a sad sign of the times. I remember, while growing up in Marble Hill, Mo., our folks taking us over occasionally on "special" Saturday afternoons in the 1950s to swim in a "real" pool...

I am a 20-year-old college student, I weigh 83 pounds. Shocking? What's even more shocking is that I can't get the help I need. There are no treatment programs in Cape Girardeau or the surrounding area for those who suffer from eating disorders. Since eating disorders are so misunderstood, they can rarely be successfully treated by those who do not specialize in eating disorders. ...

When I was growing up America was No. 1 in everything. Our manufacturing, spearheaded by General Motors, dominated this country and the world. As Dr. Meek of Econ 101 related to our class, "No one in the world has the capital and capital investment the U.S. has."...

Thank you for the excellent coverage of the 100-year celebration of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department. The online video and articles brought out over 300 people. The event was a huge success, and a lot of first time visitors came to the museum. Our volunteers are creative people and dedicated to the preservation of the history of Cape Girardeau. ...

For joyful sounds that lift our hearts, we give thanks to you, O God. Amen.

Brittni Peck is spending the last semester of her senior year at Southeast Missouri State University collecting and analyzing DNA samples from cattle. She said her animal breeding class comes out the Barton Agriculture Research Center once or twice a week. Peck, who will attend veterinary school at the University of Missouri next year, said working at the farm during her time as an undergraduate gave her an academic boost...

ST. LOUIS -- Ryan Howard's latest happy homecoming linked him with Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt in the Philadelphia Phillies' record book. Howard hit his seventh career grand slam, tying Schmidt for the franchise record in a 6-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night that included a frightening injury to Rick Ankiel...

AKRON, Ohio -- Unstoppable at both ends of the floor this season, LeBron James claimed the league MVP on Monday, receiving the award in the high school gym where he first made his name. The Cleveland Cavaliers star won what some expected to be a close vote in a slam dunk. He received 109 of a possible 121 first-place votes to easily outdistance Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. James totaled 1,172 points in balloting by media members...

Central ace Josh Meyer struggled with his control as he worked as the closer against Poplar Bluff in the third-place game of the SEMO Conference baseball tournament Monday. Meyer, who normally starts games, was making his first high-pressure relief appearance. He walked three batters and gave up two hits in 1 2/3 innings...

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball program has signed another player. Sam Pearson, a 6-foot-2 sophomore at Moberly (Mo.) Area Community College, played both the point guard and shooting guard positions for the Greyhounds this year. Pearson, an all-Region 16 selection, led the region in scoring with an average of 17.5 points per game...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team has swept Ohio Valley Conference honors for the second straight week. Jennifer Vasquez and Giana Zimmerman were named OVC player and pitcher of the week, respectively, the league announced Monday. Vasquez, a junior left fielder, hit .462 with a .923 slugging percentage in four games last week. Four of her six hits went for extra bases and she drove in seven runs...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- One man was injured in a vehicular assault over the weekend, which officers with the Sikeston Department of Public Safety continue to investigate. A call came in at 9:38 a.m. Sunday in reference to a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle on Frisco Street, near the Dorothy Street intersection. The man reportedly sustained minor injuries...

CAMPBELL, Mo. -- A 24-year-old Campbell woman was recently arrested and now faces second-degree murder charges stemming from the death of a one-month-old infant. According to Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Sokoloff, JoAnn Faucett, 24, was arrested after authorities discovered a dead infant who appeared to have been strangled to death...

A man went into insulin shock Monday afternoon, resulting in a car accident that sent him to a Cape Girardeau hospital. Sgt. Kevin Orr of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said that at 1:42 p.m. a man driving a Buick Regal was traveling southbound on North Kingshighway near Ford Groves and went into insulin shock. ...

BOLLINGER COUNTY, Mo. -- Missouri Department of Transportation crews will replace a drainage pipe beneath Route U, closing a section of the roadway between Highway 34 and County Road 452 through Wednesday. Weather permitting, work will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m...

NEW MADRID COUNTY, Mo. -- Guardrail repairs will reduce the southbound lanes of a section of Interstate 55 to one lane through Wednesday. Work will take place from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the section of I-55 from Route P at Kewanee to one mile south of New Madrid.

SCOTT COUNTY, Mo. -- U.S. 61 will be reduced to one lane today through June 5 while Fronabarger Concreters begins widening the shoulders and installing a turn lane. The section of roadway is north of the routes HH and ZZ intersection to one mile south of Grant City at McCullah Drive. Weather permitting, work will take place from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- An Oran women died Friday, a day after being injured in a vehicle accident in Scott County. Sarah M. Holmes, 94, of Oran was pronounced dead at 11:56 a.m. Friday at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She had been transported there by air ambulance with serious injuries following a Thursday morning accident...

In this video excerpt from Max Ellison Jr.'s preliminary hearing on his first-degree murder charge for the 1979 death of Deborah Martin, we hear part of former Stoddard County Sheriff Ralph Mouser's testimony and part of a call Ellison made to Mouser from federal prison in 1979...

SCOTT COUNTY, Mo. - A Sunday afternoon one-car accident near Oran sent a Chaffee woman and two female children to a Cape Girardeau hospital. Robin M. Patterson, 49, was driving her 2002 Buick on Highway 77 about two miles north of Oran when she lost control, traveled off the left side of the roadway and struck a ditch, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said...

Local health-care workers give their views on lower back pain

Dorothy Jean Ingemanson, 84, of Scott City died Wednesday, April 29, 2009, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 3, 1924, in Fornfelt, daughter of Martin August and Mary Alma Fish Krieger. She and Ernest Ingemanson were married April 4, 1945, at Scott City. Ernest died Oct. 22, 1996...

Recognition of the Southeast Missourian's Good Deed of the Week, Sunday, May 3 went to Eric Welch, black belt instructor of Kids in Christian Karate School. Welch was improperly identified in Sunday's edition. A correct photo will be published in Sunday's Good Times. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error...

ANNA, Ill. -- Paul Revere Rendleman, 81, of Anna died Monday, May 4, 2009, at City Care Center. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home in Anna. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Bobby Richardson officiating. Burial will be in Casper Cemetery...

ADVANCE, Mo. — Bernice "Sis" Hinkle of Advance died Monday, May 4, 2009, at Sikeston, Mo. Morgan Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Leslie Thomas Hilliker, 87, of Scott City died Monday, May 4, 2009, at Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements.

Velma Margaret Lovel, 85, of Jackson died Monday, May 4, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Lovel was born July 11, 1923, at Morley, Mo., daughter of George and Alma Stanton Elsperman. She and Claude Lee Lovel were married May 18, 1946, at Benton, Mo. He preceded her in death Jan. 19, 2002...

Shelley Jean Nichols, 51, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, May 2, 2009, at her home. She was born Jan. 4, 1958, in St. Louis, daughter of Howard and Ellenada Glaze. Shelley graduated from Ritenour High School. After completing training at County Hospital in St. Louis she moved to Cape Girardeau and took a job at Southeast Missouri Hospital, where she was a CPR-certified, accredited radiology technologist 25 years...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Wilbern B. "Mike" Hornbuckle, 88, of Advance died Sunday, May 3, 2009, at the home of a daughter. He was born March 21, 1921, in Manila, Ark., son of Loyed and Elsie Brooks Hornbuckle. He and Sadie Claudine "Polly" Warren were married on April 17, 1982. She died July 29, 2004...

Kenneth Ernest Beussink, 57, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, May 2, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born Sept. 20, 1951, in Cape Girardeau, son of Ernest Henry and Irene Rosena Wubker Beussink. He and Donna Huey were married Sept. 11, 1982, in Cape Girardeau...

Betty Jean Hawks Wilson, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, May 3, 2009, at her daughter's home in Whitewater. She was born Dec. 27, 1929, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Fleming B. Hawks and Ruby Niswonger Hawks Corbin Seabaugh. She and William G. "Dub" Wilson were married Feb. 12, 1949, in Cape Girardeau. He died Jan. 10, 1987...

Melvin L. Brooks, 83, of Jackson passed away Sunday, May 3, 2009, at Jackson Manor. He was born June 27, 1925, in Jackson, son of Elam and Mary Leggett Brooks. He and Imogene Sevella Schreiner were married Nov. 18, 1944. She passed away Aug. 26, 2008...

ZALMA, Mo. -- Zalma Fire and Rescue will hold its third annual fish fry from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Zalma General Baptist Church. Plates for children 12 and younger are discounted. There will be a gun and hog raffle with three drawings at 7:30 p.m...

The SEMO Iris Society Spring Flower Show will begin at noon Saturday at West Park Mall in front of Macy's. It will run through 5 p.m. Sunday.

The handwringing that is gripping the not-for-profit world these days, because of the recent economic downturn, has a chokehold on our sector right now. Not-for-profits are scraping for funds, reducing services and cutting programs to stay afloat...

Gangs in school; Paying for trash; Coffee buddies; Higher city rates

Notre Dame's golf team fell just short of capturing the Class 3 District 1 title Monday. The Bulldogs fell to Farmington in a fifth player tie-breaker. Perryville finished 10th. The Bulldogs did qualify as a team because four members finished in the top 15...

NEW YORK -- It's "Twilight" versus "Slumdog Millionaire" at this year's MTV Movie Awards. The vampire blockbuster and Oscar-winning Indian romance have six nominations each, including best movie, MTV announced Monday. "Slumdog" star Dev Patel and "Twilight" vampire Robert Pattinson are both nominated for the male breakthrough performance award. ...

25 years ago: May 5, 1984 As the M.G. Lorberg Jr. Speech and Hearing Center is dedicated, ceremonies stress the long-term, ongoing influence of the late chairman of Southeast Missouri State University's department of speech communication and theater...

A man wanted for a Jackson burglary and suspected in a string of burglaries in Cape Girardeau and Jackson was arrested in his Illinois hometown and is apparently fighting extradition back to Missouri. Mark P. Lowery, who is listed with a Robinson, Ill., address in court papers charging him with a single count of burglary and another felony count of stealing, was arrested after Missouri police alerted law enforcement in Crawford County, Ill., that he may be headed that way...

Two early morning fires destroyed homes in Millersville and Shawneetown. Around midnight Fruitland and North County firefighters responded to a report of a fire at Old Shawnee Road in Shawneetown. ...

A two-block area of North Fountain Street was evacuated for nearly three hours Monday night after a gas line ruptured. A call of a natural gas odor came in at 7:35 p.m., according to Steve Niswonger, battalion chief with the Cape Girardeau Fire Department. ...

Bobbi Jo Schlick saw Jackson teammate Katelyn Myracle wide open in front of the net and kicked a perfect cross about 18 feet in the air to the senior, who scored a header early in the first half Tuesday. That was just one of the many strong plays Schlick and Myracle made on offense as the two players both posted hat tricks to help Jackson crush Central 10-0 at Jackson High School in a game that ended 20 minutes, 23 seconds early because of the mercy rule...

KENNETT, Mo. -- A Campbell woman accused of murdering her 1-month-old daughter by strangling her appeared Tuesday in a Dunklin County court. Joanna A. Faucett, 24, made her initial appearance before Associate Circuit Judge John Spielman on the Class A felony of second-degree murder, according to Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Sokoloff...

WEST FRANKFORT, Ill. (AP) -- Authorities in Southern Illinois are still investigating the shooting at a West Frankfort home that left a 14-year-old girl dead. West Frankfort Police officials say Elizabeth Obrecht died after suffering a single gunshot wound to the chest. She was pronounced dead Tuesday night at Franklin Hospital in Benton...

ROBINSON, Ill. -- The suspect in a Jackson burglary has waived extradition and will be transported to Cape Girardeau County sometime this week, according to Capt. James Mulcahy of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Former Perryville city administrator Bill Lewis called his dismissal from the position two weeks ago a case of discrimination and asked the board of aldermen to reinstate him Tuesday night at a public hearing. Lewis, who served as city administrator for six years, cited several possible factors in the board's decision to remove him, including a cost of living increase he suggested for city employees...

A decision on whether the old federal building in Cape Girardeau will be used as a homeless shelter could come in as little as 30 days. The New Life Evangelistic Center, a multistate religious organization headed by the Rev. Larry Rice, filed its application Monday to take over the 44,000-square-foot building at 339 Broadway that formerly housed federal court offices. ...

A Texas Bluebonnet approaching full bloom.

When visitors arrive at Cape Middle School for the annual Open House and Orientation for 5th Grade parents and students on May 7th and 14th, they will be in for a treat. Festive balloons will mark the parking lot, and as parents enter the school through the cafeteria they will see a number of exhibits. ...

Tribal Council Annual Golf Tournamenet Four Person Scramble Friday June 5th, 2009 $90 Per Person $360 Per Team Kimbeland Country Club Lunch at Noon Shotgun Start at 1:00 Send Entries to: Wayne Turley 835 Pecan Jackson, MO 63755 243-5168...

Sophie is 3 years old. She is spayed and declawed. Sophie is available for adoption at The Humane Society of SEMO, 573-334-5837. See more pets available at www.semopets.org.

DEXTER, Mo. -- Employees at EMCON Technologies, the Dexter area's largest employer, have been continually impacted by recent economy setbacks, but perhaps never quite as drastically as this month, with the announcement last week of temporary cutbacks for nearly half the employees that currently make up the local plant's work force...

The Missouri Foundation for Health is promoting two free programs offered to those trying to quit smoking, and it's focusing on Southeast Missouri, according to foundation program officer Matt Kuhlenbeck. "Southeast Missouri has far and away the highest concentration of tobacco use in the state," Kuhlenbeck said...

Belle gives a I didn't do it innocent look when she thinks she is in trouble. Belle is a Weimaraner owners: David and Tasha Schusler

Two headed snake at the Nature Center in Cape Girardeau.

Jefferson Elementary principal, Mark Cook, thanks Coldwater Creek for their generous donation to purchase books for our library. Thank you!

A severed gas line that forced evacuation Monday of two blocks of North Fountain Street was cut as Alfred Farrar and his brother were trying to gauge how deep to dig the basement for his new home.

Editor's note: This is the second part of a series addressing community college needs in the Cape Girardeau area. Vanessa Ayers, a senior at Cape Girardeau Central High School, travels to Clippard Elementary School every day to work as a classroom aide for Christine Lacy's kindergarten class...

I received an email today from the folks from the Liberty Restoration project which stated: "Friends in the press; Members of the Liberty Restoration Project (of Kansas City) were thrown out of the Mo Governors office by the Highway patrol this morning...

This is a picture of Dawson Miller eating cake at his first birthday party. He turned one on March 31. He was born on opening day of the baseball season in 2008. He's walking now.

Content: The Candidate: Melanie came to me as a proactive move to prepare herself for a possible layoff. Seeking an administrative position, she had developed a résumé presenting her 9 years of administrative experience, degree, and Certified Professional Secretary designation...

By choice or necessity, more and more workers are doing at least some of their job from home these days. Upgrading a home office can be an affordable project, with immediate payoff and long-term appeal. Joe Noonan, office goods expert for CSN Stores, calls it "the new bathroom renovation. We've seen that people with shrinking budgets, who can't afford to remodel elsewhere in the house, are instead upgrading a home office. Or they're turning an extra room into one."...

For 28 students at Southeast Missouri State University, some of the world's key issues are much more than subjects for classroom discussion. These students are participants in the Global Strategy Institute's Higher Education Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies...

Inspire us, O God, when we do those tasks we like the least. Amen.

Here's yet another twist in the ongoing saga of our faltering economy. Death penalty opponents have found a unique ally in our current economic mess. At least 10 states are considering abolishing the death penalty to save money. Many states spend millions of dollars annually to pay for prosecutors, public defenders and appeals. That financial crisis has given death penalty opponents additional ammunition in their abolishment arguments...

My friend Kimberly Werner Halter is back in her hometown of Cape Girardeau from her new home in Australia. She is visiting her father and showing a friend all around town this week. We had hoped we would be able to find an evening to cook together and enjoy a meal, but school band concerts, church youth activities and "Cinderella" play tickets are in our schedule for every night this week. ...

Cape Girardeau: Summons; Thefts; Miscellaneous; Jackson: Arrest; Miscellaneous

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday: Jackson Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday: Firefighters responded to the following call Tuesday:...

Edward L.R. Hoyt, 72, of Sedgewickville, Mo., passed away Monday, May 4, 2009, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He was born July 15, 1936, in La Cygne, Kan., son of Clarence E. and Edna M. Schariard Hoyt. He and Vanna Nussbaum Peel were married Sept. 22, 1990...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Berniece "Sis" Hinkle, 90, of Advance died Monday, May 4, 2009, at Sikeston Convalescent Center in Sikeston, Mo. She was born June 17, 1918, at Advance, daughter of William and Ida Mae Overby Rhodes. Sis and Charlie Hinkle were married Jan. 18, 1946, at Bloomfield, Mo. He died June 19, 2001...

Dorothy Jean Ingemanson, 84, of Scott City died Wednesday, April 29, 2009, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 3, 1924, in Fornfelt, daughter of Martin August and Mary Alma Fish Krieger. She and Ernest Ingemanson were married April 4, 1945, at Scott City. Ernest died Oct. 22, 1996...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Lela "MumMum" Stevens, 89, of Deer Park, Texas, died Monday, May 4, 2009, at her home in Texas. Mrs. Stevens was born July 26, 1919, in Miller City, Ill., daughter of the late David Arthur Houston and Mary Alice (Davis) Houston. She was preceded by her parents, her husband, Americus "Mack" Stevens, and a son, Arthur Frederick Stevens, on Feb. 28, 1994...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Tammy Ury, 66, of Jonesboro died Monday, May 4, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home in Anna. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday St. Mary's Catholic Church in Anna, with Mon­signor Dennis Schaefer and Bill Littrell officiating. Burial will be in Jonesboro Cemetery...

ANNA, Ill. -- Forrest E. Snead, 81, of Savannah, Ga., formerly of Anna, died Monday, May 4, 2009, on Tybee Island, Ga. Visitation will be from noon to service time Friday at Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home in Anna. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Bill Minor officiating. Burial will be in the family cemetery at Ebenezer Hall Cemetery in Lick Creek, Ill., with military honors conducted by Carroll P. Foster VFW Post 3455 in Anna...

Theresa L. Rouse, 84, of Jackson died Monday, May 4, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete with Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home in Jackson.

Graham; Jackson; Wahl; Garland; Burnett; Morgan; Pease

CLEVELAND -- Five years ago, a shotgun blast left a large hole where the middle of her face had been. Five months ago, she received a new face from a dead woman. Connie Culp stepped forward Tuesday to show off the results of the nation's first face transplant, and her new look was a far cry from the puckered, noseless sight that made children run away in horror...

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Joe Biden challenged Israel to back a two-state peace agreement with the Palestinians and urged the Jewish state's leadership to demonstrate its commitment to such a solution. In a speech Tuesday to the leading pro-Israel lobby in the United States, Biden said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government should stop constructing new Jewish settlements and ease restrictions on Palestinians...

WASHINGTON -- Bush administration lawyers who approved harsh interrogation techniques of terror suspects should not face criminal charges, Justice Department investigators say in a draft report that recommends two of the three lawyers face possible professional sanctions...

NEW YORK -- "Billy Elliot," the tale of a British coal miner's son who dreams of becoming a dancer, has the potential of winning a record number of 2009 Tony Awards, honoring the best of a star-driven Broadway season. Its 15 nominations -- which tied the number received by "The Producers" in 2001 -- included one of the more unusual nods. ...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina's highest court on Tuesday temporarily stopped thousands of pending foreclosure sales in the state to give homeowners more time to take advantage of a new federal program to help them refinance mortgages. The injunction -- which mortgage experts said appeared to be the nation's first court-ordered stop for an entire state -- prevents judges in South Carolina from finalizing foreclosure sales on properties guaranteed by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae or other mortgage companies that signed on to a federal assistance program.. ...

UNITED NATIONS -- The United States committed itself to reaching agreement on a new global climate treaty this year and told the U.N. it wants strong targets for cutting greenhouse gases as long as other heavily polluting nations do their part...

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico emerged from its swine flu isolation Tuesday as thousands of newspaper vendors, salesmen hawking trinkets and even panhandlers dropped their protective masks and joined the familiar din of traffic horns and blaring music on the streets of the capital...

TEHRAN, Iran -- An Iranian court will hear the appeal of an American journalist convicted of spying for the United States next week and will open the proceedings to experts from the country's bar association, the judiciary spokesman said Tuesday...

MINGORA, Pakistan -- Black-turbaned Taliban militants seized government buildings, laid mines and fought security forces Tuesday in the Swat Valley as fear of a major operation led thousands to pack their belongings, cram aboard buses and flee the northwestern region...

PUXICO, Mo. -- A Puxico man who was a passenger in a vehicle that crashed on Highway 51 Friday night was pronounced dead at the scene by Stoddard County Coroner Morgan Sifford. Tommie J. Bates, 54, was killed in the wreck. The vehicle's driver, 22-year-old Nickolas J. Jackson of Zalma, Mo., sustained moderate injuries. He was transported by ambulance to a Cape Girardeau hospital...

Route A in Bollinger County will be reduced to one lane while crews patch the road from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today, from the start of Route A continuing seven miles west, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. The work zone will be marked and drivers are urged to use caution while traveling near the area...

Southeast Missouri State University will honor marketing professor Dr. Jack Sterrett on Thursday. Sterrett, who will retire in June, has been with the university since 1979. He was the chairman of the department of management and marketing from 1996 to 2005. There will be a reception from 3 to 5 p.m. in the atrium of Dempster Hall with congratulatory remarks at 4 p.m...

Cape Girardeau Central Middle School will hold an open house for incoming fifth-graders Thursday and May 14. Parents and students can tour the building and meet with teachers at 6 p.m. There will be an information assembly at 6:45 p.m. in the gymnasium. Parking is available on the west side of the building, which is at 1900 Thilenius St...

ARCADIA, Mo. -- Frustrated rescue workers and volunteers spent a second day Tuesday searching miles of rugged woods, hills and ponds, still hopeful they'd find a missing 3-year-old boy alive. But as nightfall arrived and rain began to fall, the search for Joshua Childers turned ever more desperate...

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The New York Yankees urged a state judge Tuesday to quash the subpoena from two Assembly committees investigating the use of public funds to help build the team's new stadium, saying the issue already has been fully aired publicly...

Sandy Blake, Rachel Blunt and Kendall Magana were not only three of Southeast Missouri State's top athletes during their four-year collegiate careers, but they also were among the university's premier students. Blake, Blunt and Magana were rewarded for their excellence in the classroom Tuesday night at Southeast's All Sports Year-End Celebration...

FAIRDEALING, Mo. -- An elderly man died Monday afternoon from injuries he suffered when the shop building on his rural Butler County farm caught fire.

Kenny Brinker is on the front lines of the national drive to prevent an outbreak of swine flu on U.S. hog farms. But he's not a public health worker. He's a hog farmer in central Missouri. Twice a day, Brinker or one of his farmhands wanders a barn holding more than 5,000 pigs, looking for sneezing, coughing or panting. It's low-tech surveillance, and Brinker knows the stakes are high...

WASHINGTON -- Health insurance companies, facing the threat of a government health plan, offered Tuesday to reduce rates for millions of women and accept close federal regulation of their industry. The higher premiums now affect 5.7 million women, many of them self-employed people who must buy their own coverage...

WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke gave his most optimistic prediction yet Tuesday about the end of the recession, saying he expects the economy to start growing again this year -- although the comeback could be weak and more jobs will disappear even after a recovery takes hold...

Turn off the lights; Another party; Give me my money; We need a riverboat; City embarrassment; Violent behavior; City's budget; Driving issues; Dogs in Delta; Just watching; Automobile irony; It's a tool; Keep the plan; Teach flexibility; Jolt for Republicans; Write more tickets

Junior left-hander Cody Kennedy threw a two-hitter as Meadow Heights defeated Delta 13-3 on the road Tuesday in high school baseball action. Kennedy (5-2), who also has thrown two one-hitters and a no-hitter this season, has allowed just four hits in his last four games. On Tuesday, he struck out 13 batters and walked one...

ST. LOUIS -- Just before Rick Ankiel barreled headfirst into the wall, the thought flashed through his mind: My career is finished. "I thought that might be it," the St. Louis Cardinals' outfielder said Tuesday. "When you don't get a chance to put up your hands to protect yourself, I'm lucky to be walking today. Anything from here is a plus."...

ST. LOUIS -- The Philadelphia Phillies' center fielder was the big story a day after Rick Ankiel's harrowing headfirst crash into the wall. Shane Victorino was 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs and Jayson Werth had a three-run shot and four RBIs in a 10-7 victory over the St. ...

25 years ago: May 6, 1984 More than 136 GOP delegates gather in Cape Girardeau to select three delegates to attend the Republican National Convention, to be held in August in Dallas; selected from the 8th District are Mary Kasten, Dorothy Buford and Rudy Munro...

Illinois pig farmer Kevin Webb normally receives four to eight calls a week from people interested in buying his prepackaged pork products. But when the H1N1 flu strain, or the swine flu, began dominating the headlines, Webb did not receive a single such phone call...

A Poplar Bluff man pleaded guilty Monday morning in Cape Girardeau County to the July shooting death of another man, who was killed over what authorities believe was an apparent drug debt. Calvin Lee "CC" Smith Jr., 33, of the 2200 block of Grand Avenue pleaded guilty as charged to the Class A felony of second-degree murder before Presiding Circuit Judge William Syler, according to Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Barbour...

Route E in Scott County between Route N and Water Street in Commerce is closed until further notice, according to a Missouri Department of Transportation news release. The road is closed due to Mississippi River flooding. For more information call MoDOT at 1-888-ASK-MODOT...

A portion of the street at the intersection of Jones and Hastings recently caved in leaving a 6-feet-deep hole in the ground. The Kennett Street Department was working to correct the damage to the road according to Street Commissioner Randy Carter.

With prices on the rise, gift-giving might seem too expensive for many Americans. But mom deserves a little something this Mother's Day, despite the economic standings. With a little creativity and some craft supplies, you can create economical, personalized gifts for that special lady in your life...

The New Life Evangelistic Center, a multistate religious organization headed by the Rev. Larry Rice, filed its application Monday to take over the 44,000-square-foot building at 339 Broadway that formerly housed federal court offices. Click here to read an abridged version of the application released by Rice's organization...

Cape Girardeau city leaders hope Saturday's exhibition game between the Southern Illinois Miners and Florence Freedom is another step to bringing minor-league baseball to Cape Girardeau. Scheduled for 7 p.m., the two teams from the independent Frontier League will square off at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau. It will be the first time the city has hosted the Miners...

ORAN, Mo. -- An Oran man received serious injuries and a Sikeston, Mo., woman and teenager received moderate injuries in a Tuesday afternoon crash near Oran, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Three people were arrested following an incident Sunday in which they allegedly struck a pedestrian with a vehicle and tried to rob him, according to a news release from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.

A call from a concerned neighbor led deputies from the Perry County Sheriff's Department to make an arrest on marijuana-related charges and seize six firearms and a large quantity of marijuana growing supplies, according to Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Bloomfield man is in jail today facing child molestation charges.

WAPPAPELLO, Mo -- A new training facility at the Missouri National Guard's Wappapello Training Site is being erected to give Citizen-Soldiers in Southeast Missouri a chance to practice urban operations training, similar to real-world scenarios currently taking place in Iraq and Afghanistan...

Turner Brigade reenactor Jerry Kasten of Cape Girardeau leads students from Mrs. Haggerty's 5th grade Central Middle School class in drilling on the ordnance rifle. Fort D hosted over 300 students on Education Day last Friday.

Delta students from Mrs. Below's 4th grade class roll "cannonballs" at Fort D, recreating activities that Union soldiers did in 1861. Fort D hosted over 450 students during school days last week.

Despite months of involvement in Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School's production of "Cinderella," Pat Renard had not seen any of the musical by Wednesday's dress rehearsal. "I have been either cutting or sewing practically every waking hour except when I'm at church," said Renard, who is in charge of costumes...

ARCADIA, Mo. -- A 3-year-old Southeast Missouri boy missing for more than two days was found alive Wednesday afternoon three miles from his rural home. A volunteer found Joshua Childers in the rugged terrain of the Mark Twain National Forest, Madison County Sheriff David Lewis said. The boy had slipped out of his house more than 50 hours earlier, wearing a T-shirt, sneakers and a pull-up diaper...

What happens when a rich, headstrong businesswoman starts to hear the ticking of her biological clock? She hires an expensive matchmaker. At least that's the result in the River City Players' season-opening production "Make Me a Match." The romantic comedy tells the story of Stevie Mills, a demanding corporate executive who has always put her career ahead of romance. ...

A Massachusetts company hoping to install thousands of power-generating turbines in the Mississippi River has years of environmental studies and other regulatory issues to overcome, company officials and federal regulators said Wednesday. Representatives of Free Flow Power Corp. ...

Southeast Missouri State's bounceback softball season netted Lana Richmond a major honor. Richmond was named the Ohio Valley Conference co-coach of the year Wednesday. The league announced its postseason awards on the eve of the conference tournament in Jacksonville, Ala. Voting was done by the OVC's coaches and sports information directors...

Southeast Missouri State's football and men's basketball teams received penalties from the NCAA based on their Academic Progress Rate scores, which were released Wednesday. The football team will be limited to awarding 27 intial scholarships and 82 scholarship renewals, meaning the program will be limited to awarding 61.28 total scholarships. This is the third consecutive year the football team has been penalized...

CRYSTAL CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A 3-year-old boy was recuperating Thursday after spending 52 hours in the rugged terrain of Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest. Joshua Childers was found in remarkably good condition by a volunteer searcher Wednesday afternoon three miles from his home. A hospital in Crystal City where he is recuperating lists him in fair condition...

Cape Girardeau officials are in a situation no public servant wants to confront but periodically must because of economic factors that are sometimes beyond the city's control. This year's city budgeting process is proving to be a challenge. Council members are looking at the possibility of filling a gap between anticipated revenue and spending needs that exceed $800,000...

For all the blessings we enjoy, we give thanks to you, O God. Amen.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Federal Aviation Administration is looking into whether crew members of the airline whose flight crashed into a home in upstate New York in February recently flew more hours than allowed by federal limits. The agency and the Manassas, Va.-based Colgan Air confirmed the inquiry Wednesday, a few days before the start of a federal hearing into the fatal crash near Buffalo of a Continental Connection flight operated by Colgan...

AUGUSTA, Maine -- In a banner day in New England for advocates of gay marriage, Maine legalized the practice Wednesday, and the New Hampshire Legislature voted to do the same. If New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch signs the bill or lets it become law without his signature, his state would become the sixth overall to allow gay marriage and the fifth in New England. Rhode Island would be the region's only holdout...

MEXICO CITY -- In office towers and markets, Mexicans returned to work Wednesday after a five-day swine flu shutdown, and dozens returned to a heroes' welcome from "humiliating" quarantines in China. But Mexico's death toll rose, feeding fears of more infections now that crowds are gathering again...

SAO PAULO -- Brazil rushed aid Wednesday by air, over land and through rapidly rising waters to dozens of cities and towns isolated by floods that have killed at least 32 people and left more than 200,000 homeless. Some complained aid wasn't coming fast enough to help flood victims deal with the disaster, which officials said is the worst rainfall and flooding that some parts of the region have seen in two decades...

Cape Girardeau: DWI; Summonses; Thefts; Property damage

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: Jackson Firefighters responded to the following items Wednesday:...

ST. LOUIS -- Vincent E. Dorman, 91, fortified with the sacraments of Holy Mother Church, died Monday, May 4, 2009. Beloved husband of the late Nora Mary Nolan Dorman; dearest father of Andrew J. (Michelle) Dorman of Kelso, Mo., and Peter J. (Melanie) Dorman; dear brother of Lilian Skelly, William Dorman Sr., (Nancy Dorman) and the late Rita Cokefair and Joseph Dorman, (survived by Lillian Dorman): dear grandfather of Paul and Lucy Dorman and Nicholas Roche; dear uncle and great-uncle...

Theresa L. Rouse, 84, of Jackson died Monday, May 4, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 20, 1924, in Centerville, Ill., daughter of William Leonard and Lottie J. Palmier Kaase. She and George F. Rouse were married Feb. 28, 1948. He died May 31, 1996...

BENTON, Mo. -- Mary Ellen Nebel Urhahn, 60, of Benton passed away Wednesday, May 6, 2009, at her home after battling pancreatic cancer. She was born Aug. 28, 1948, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Gladys Keller Nebel and the late Calvin Nebel. She was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau and confirmed at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Chaffee. She was married to Larry Urhahn at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Chaffee in 1997...

Lender "Frog" Crader, 75, of Whitewater passed away Tuesday, May 5, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born March 12, 1934, in Whitewater, son of Alva and Minnie Nance Crader. He and Patricia Dumey were married June 25, 1960...

ANNA, Ill. -- David Christopher Rodman, 42, of Anna died Tuesday, May 5, 2009, at his home. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to service time Friday at Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home in Anna. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Tony Foeller officiating. Burial will be in Anna City Cemetery...

Radcliff; Massa; Dameron; Wright; Garcia; Biggs

25 years ago: May 7, 1984 THEBES, Ill. -- A federal plan to buy out 11 owners in downtown Thebes, whose homes or businesses are in the flood plain, has received preliminary approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency; about $150,000 has been allocated by FEMA for the buyout...

It took just a few seconds of footage -- a single trailer -- for the hue and cry to rise on Trekmovie.com, the top fan site for J.J. Abrams' new "Star Trek" movie. By the hundreds they weighed in, a contentious cacophony that would have jammed even Lt. Uhura's comms system...

May 7, 2009 Dear Emmanuelle, We enjoyed spending time with you this past week and hope you return home from America Obama-juvenated. Living next door to Frank and Robyn privileges us to join in dancing and sharing food and wine and most of all conversations with visitors from the travelogues...

Southbound I-55 to be reduced to one lane Southbound Interstate 55 will be reduced to one lane today between the Main Street exit in Jackson to Route 74 in Cape Girardeau as Missouri Department of Transportation crews work on guardrail replacements. Crews will be working from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and motorists are asked to drive with caution in the work zone...

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Sukaina al-Zayer is an unlikely beauty queen hopeful. She covers her face and body in black robes and an Islamic veil, so no one can tell what she looks like. She also admits she's a little on the plump side. But at Saudi Arabia's only beauty pageant, the judges don't care about a perfect figure or face. What they're looking for in the quest for "Miss Beautiful Morals" is the contestant who shows the most devotion and respect for her parents...

Historic sites open for limited hours The Red House Interpretive Center has events planned each Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in May. Full operating hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, May 19 to Sept. 6. The Glenn House Historic home is open 1 to 5 p.m. ...

The arts, in the simplest of terms, encompass painting, literature, music, dance and film. We have First Fridays, a storytelling festival, theater and dance productions and music nightly. Why does film get treated like a stepchild who rarely gets to go outside and play?...

Entertainment options for the week

Notre Dame officially has launched a wrestling program and hired a coach with 30 years of experience. Marc Stevener has agreed to coach the program, which will start competing next winter. Stevener coached Sikeston between 1976 and 1997 before leaving to coach at Hazelwood Central...

House defeats money for health expansion JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House has defeated a proposed $147 million expansion of government health care to low-income parents. The defeat throws Missouri's proposed budget into jeopardy as lawmakers near Friday's constitutional deadline to pass it. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols might have been a bit weary after a four-hour photo shoot for the All-Star Game home run derby earlier in the day. Nope. A few hours later he went deep on his first swing. Pujols hit his fourth homer in five games to launch a 4-for-4 performance, and Chris Duncan's two-run triple in the fourth inning was the go-ahead hit as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 to snap a three-game losing streak Wednesday night...

ST. LOUIS -- Great escapes got Adam Wainwright through the first month of the season unbeaten. The St. Louis Cardinals' right-hander wasn't so fortunate in his first May start, giving up seven runs in six innings during a loss to the Phillies on Tuesday night. It spoiled what he believed was his best stuff of the year...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Centenary's men's basketball team and Tennessee-Chattanooga's football team will miss the NCAA's postseason tournaments next season -- no matter how well they do on the field. The NCAA handed down postseason bans to both teams for subpar academic scores Wednesday, the first time college sports' governing body has instituted a penalty it said it never wanted to use...

WASHINGTON -- Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in February that putting the nation's biggest banks through "stress tests" was vital to getting the financial system back on solid ground. But with the results set to be released today, critics say regulators seem so intent on avoiding statements that might undermine confidence in the banks that they risk eroding trust in the stress tests themselves...

The Salvation Army will hold a donor appreciation dinner from 6 to 7:30 p.m. today at 701 Good Hope St. in Cape Girardeau. Along with the dinner, the Salvation Army Advisory Board will hold a silent auction to benefit the organization's programs. For more information, call 335-7000...

How often must an error be repeated before it becomes a lie? Had Dr. Randall L. Stahly undertaken some degree of scientific research, he would have quickly discovered the following:The evidence that Mars is warming is purely anecdotal, based solely upon photos that suggest a melting polar ice cap, rather than upon hard temperature data. ...

Not swine flu; Census space; No excuse; A good world; No credit for Bush; OSHA fines; Regional library; Balancing the budget; Poor management; Campus preaching; Relay for Life; Ready to enroll; Piano lounge; Biking in Cape; Be cool; Influence on views; Worthless money

Bankston team wins morning flight The team of Dino Bankston, Ron Hickman, Kevin Brunk and Joe Davidson shot a 58 to take first place in the morning tee times at the SEMO Network Against Sexual Violence golf tournament at Dalhousie Golf Club. The team of Matt Porch, Jody Underwood, Rocky Strand and Randall Kight took second...

Neil Johnson smashed a three-run homer in the first inning as he helped Woodland jump ahead early and beat Richland 16-5 in five innings Wednesday. Johnson went 2-for-4 with five RBIs while teammate David Gray stroked two hits and knocked in one run...

WASHINGTON -- Some of the nation's largest banks will be scrambling to demonstrate that they can raise capital after results of government stress tests leaked out, showing many need more funds. The Treasury Department will officially release results later Thursday...

DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. lost $6 billion in the first quarter and its revenue was cut nearly in half as car buyers feared the wounded auto giant would enter bankruptcy and no longer honor its warranties. The Detroit-based company also said it spent $10.2 billion more cash than it took in from January through March, mainly because revenue dropped by a staggering $20 billion, or 47 percent...

WASHINGTON -- New applications for jobless benefits plunged to the lowest level in 14 weeks, a possible sign that the massive wave of layoffs has peaked. Still, the number of unemployed workers getting benefits climbed to a new record. The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number newly laid off workers applying for benefits dropped to 601,000 last week. That was far better than the rise to 635,000 claims that economists expected...

"Fire Lily" hits the big screen Saturday, but not everyone is invited to the show. The first screening will serve as a test run for the film with students and faculty from Southeast Missouri State University providing feedback and opinions on the movie written, filmed and produced in Southeast Missouri...

DEXTER, Mo. -- The Dexter area's largest employer has announced temporary cutbacks for nearly half the local plant's work force. Employees at EMCON Technologies have been informed layoffs will be effective in part Friday, with additional layoffs coming May 15, for the local assembly lines that manufacture and distribute exhaust systems for GM trucks and GM's light vehicle systems for the auto industry...

Capt. Ruth Ann Dickerson received the Timothy J. Ruopp Award for outstanding law enforcement Wednesday, said Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan. Dickerson is the first officer to receive the award twice during her tenure at the sheriff's department, Jordan said. She also received it in 1986...

Cape Girardeau city leaders hope Saturday's exhibition game between the Southern Illinois Miners and Florence Freedom is another step to bringing minor league baseball to Cape Girardeau. Scheduled for 7 p.m., the two teams from the independent Frontier League will square off at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau. It will mark the first time the city has hosted the Miners, who lost in the league semifinal playoff round in 2008...

CHAFFEE -- Saxony Lutheran senior Bryant Steffens never overpowered the Chaffee hitters Thursday. He kept the Red Devils off balance, scattering four singles over seven innings to post the 6-0 shutout. "Everything was working for the most part, keeping them off balance with four pitches," Steffens said. "They were off balance all day and I made them put it in play and made our defense work."...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Storms that swept across southern Missouri are blamed for three deaths. The storm system on Friday caused heavy rain and strong, dangerous winds. Butler County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Thurman said two people were killed near Poplar Bluff when the wind knocked over a tree onto their car on Route 53...

Winds in excess of 70 mph and heavy rainfall this morning are to blame for severe damage in Fredericktown, Patton and Meadow Heights School and two deaths in Poplar Bluff, Sgt. Dale Moreland of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Why would someone want a machine gun? For one thing, they can be fun when used responsibly. The safe recreational use of fully automatic firearms and other class 3 weaponry is the focus of the annual Jungle Walk scheduled to begin at noon Saturday on Scott Matthews' farmland just south of Sikeston, on the south side of Highway 60 one mile east of the Highway 60--South Main Street interchange by Wal-Mart...

BENTON, Mo. -- Free and cheap labor may help Scott County make ends meet. During their regular meeting Tuesday, Scott County commissioners discussed participating in MERS Goodwill summer work and the Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston, Mo.'s work release programs. For the Southeast Correctional Center's work release program, the county would have to have a supervisor attend a five-hour training session and pay each prisoner used $7.38 per day.

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Zalma, Mo., man was charged Wednesday with involuntary manslaughter in connection with a weekend crash in which his passenger was killed. Nickolas J. Jackson, 22, was charged with the Class B felony of first-degree involuntary manslaughter by Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Briney Welborn...

As Cape Girardeau takes a lead role in opposing the New Life Evangelistic Center's request to use the old federal building on Broadway as a homeless shelter, it is planning a multipronged response to demonstrate it is the wrong idea at the wrong time in the wrong building, Mayor Jay Knudtson said Thursday...

An $800 million bond issue aimed mostly at public university construction projects could stall after meeting opposition from Missouri senators, including Sen. Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau. The plan, which passed with bipartisan support in the Missouri House of Representatives, would still need voter approval. House Majority Leader Steven Tilley, R-Perryville, who co-sponsored the plan, said lawmakers blocked the measure before a final vote Tuesday in the Senate...

Jillian was 4 months old at Easter, and what better way to celebrate Easter than in the beautiful Texas sunshine and Bluebonnets.

Sexual assault and burglary charges were upheld in court Thursday against a Cape Girardeau man for an incident that occurred in early April.

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com Maj. Ben Stillwell, right, of the Salvation Army presents Kevin Greaser with a plaque for his service upon retiring as chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board during the annual donor appreciation dinner Thursday night. ...

My youngest son Danny (11 yrs. old) teaching my grandson River (20 months) how to solve the Rubik's Cube

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- Wesleyan University students were told to stay in their dorms and the city's only synagogue closed Thursday as police warned that the man wanted in the shooting death of a woman at a bookstore may be bent on killing other students and Jews...

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Paradise is not lost, but it's in flames -- again. The seasonal wildfires that menace this coastal city roared to life earlier than usual but with familiar ferocity, burning mansions to their foundations and forcing more than 13,000 to flee. Dozens of homes were destroyed, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Hubble Space Telescope is about to get one last house call. And never before have the risks been higher. On Monday, astronauts will rocket away to the telescope to take new scientific instruments, replacement parts for broken cameras and fresh batteries that should keep Hubble running for five to 10 years...

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Stormy Daniels strode onstage at a downtown Baton Rouge restaurant in a tight black blouse with a plunging neckline and a knee-length skirt in the popular purple of Louisiana State University. She introduced herself with a warning...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- The suburban mother who ordered her bickering daughters out of her car and drove off without them said Thursday that she made a mistake. A charge against her is likely to be dismissed. Madlyn Primoff, 45, a partner in a Manhattan law firm, had touched off a national debate, with many people calling her irresponsible but admitting they've been tempted to do the same...

CORIMATA DA CIMA, Brazil -- The dirt road that runs in front of her house is a river. Her fields of rice and manioc lie ruined underwater. And with water seeping into her mud-brick, thatched-roof home, Maria do Remedio Santos knows it's time to join her neighbors...

BAGHDAD -- The American security firm once known as Blackwater ended its operations in the diplomatic hub of Baghdad on Thursday, bringing to a close a chapter in U.S.-Iraqi relations that began with a deadly shooting by its contractors. Iraqis welcomed the company's departure from the capital. ...

LONDON -- Britain bowed to a court ruling and promised Thursday to remove the DNA records of hundreds of thousands of innocent people from its national database of genetic information, but many will have to wait up to 12 years for their details to be deleted...

May is National NF Awareness Month. I have been writing this letter to the editor for eight years. I hope many of you will recognize it and wonder why I keep telling you this. Since my letters have been published I have received phone calls from strangers and field questions from people who know people and who know my family. This is the purpose of my letters...

Wishful thinking; No downtown shelter; Now we know; More school days; The end is near; Rental inspections

LOCKPORT, Ill. -- Drew Peterson, the former police sergeant who found tabloid fame after his fourth wife's disappearance more than a year and a half ago, was indicted Thursday in the drowning death of a former wife found dead in an empty bathtub in 2004...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- As many as 3,000 people appointed to state jobs or commission posts by two disgraced former Illinois governors would be removed under a plan to "fumigate" government presented Thursday by House Speaker Michael Madigan. That's the word Gov. Pat Quinn used in January when he promised change from his impeached and ousted predecessor. But Madigan said Thursday he's impatient...

Cape Girardeau: Arrests

Help us, O God, to focus on the beauty of your creation. Amen.

SCHOLARSHIPS Courtney Beussink of Gordonville received the Spartech Corp. Bill Hiatt Scholarship, Kiwanis Scholarship Missouri Bright Flight Scholarship and Dean's Scholarship to attend St. Louis University. The following students received scholarships to attend Southeast Missouri State University for the 2009-2010 school year:...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: Jackson Firefighters responded to the following call Thursday:...

MORLEY, Mo. -- Norma Maxine Trost, 86, of Springfield, Mo., passed away Tuesday, May 5, 2009, after a brief illness. She was born April 14, 1923, at Morley, the second of eight children to John and Ruth Moore Pippin. She and Julius Trost were married in 1941. They celebrated 66 years of marriage before his death in July 2008...

GREENBRIER, Mo. -- E.W. "Bill" Abernathy, 88, of Greenbrier died Wednesday, May 6, 2009, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 5, 1921, at Greenbrier, son of Marvin and Opal Cameron Abernathy. Bill retired as an inspection surveyor with Missouri State Highway Department. He was a World War II veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in Germany and northern Europe...

Joseph Elmer "Joe" Stovall, 74, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 7, 2009, at Missouri Veterans Home. He was born March 1, 1935, in Dutchtown, son of Joseph Oscar and Beulah May Greenlee Stovall. He and Eileen Baucum were married June 8, 1957, in Fort Worth, Texas...

Christine Fox, 82, of Cape Girardeau passed away Thursday, May 7, 2009, at Arbors Nursing Facility. She was born April 25, 1927, at Lamar, Ark., daughter of Thomas Frank and Augusta Christine Doerr Sparks. Fox graduated from Lilbourn High School in 1945. She attended business school in St. Louis and worked there as a bank teller at Plaza Bank and secretary for several years...

BENTON, Mo. -- Mary Ellen Nebel Urhahn, 60, of Benton passed away Wednesday, May 6, 2009, at her home after battling pancreatic cancer. She was born Aug. 28, 1948, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Gladys Keller Nebel and the late Calvin Nebel. She was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau and confirmed at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Chaffee. She was married to Larry Urhahn at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Chaffee in 1997...

Anna Belle Baker, 81 of Jackson died Wednesday, May 6, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 28, 1928 near Advance, Mo., the daughter of Charles Cambron "Charlie" and Gertie Ann Morris McClain. She and James C. Baker were married Sept. 5, 1947, at the General Baptist Church Parsonage in Arbor, Mo...

Laura D. Norton-Dye, 41, of Cape Girardeau lost her courageous 15-year fight with carcinoid cancer at her home Wednesday, May 6, 2009. Laura was born May 30, 1967, in Murray, Ky., daughter of Wayne A. Norton and Betsy Gateley Dinkins, and moved with her family to Cape Girardeau at age 1. She married Curtis Ray "Curt" Dye of Cape Girardeau on April 6, 1996...

Leslie Thomas Hilliker, 87, formerly of Scott City died Monday, May 4, 2009, at Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Graveside service with full military honors will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements...

FRIEDHEIM, Mo. -- Randy L. Keller, 51, of Friedheim died Wednesday, May 6, 2009, at his home. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to service time Saturday at Miller Family Funeral Home in Perryville, Mo. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be private...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Betty L. Johnson, 69, of Mound City died Wednesday, May 6, 2009, at her home. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at Barkett Funeral Home in Mound City. Funeral will be at 1 p.m. Monday. Burial will be in Green Lawn Memorial Gardens at Villa Ridge, Ill...

The spread of the H1N1 flu, the "swine flu," is thought to spread from person to person through coughing or sneezing. Health officials encourage you to wash your hands often with soap and warm water. Here's an experiment that will prove you don't wash all the germs completely off your hands...

FRIDAY "Fanboys" PG-13, 90 mins @ Town Plaza Cinema <B>[StartDouble]Star Trek" PG-13, 126 mins @ Cape West 14 Cine @graphic_body_bullet:n "Cinderella" @ Central Junior High School auditorium, 7 p.m. n "Make Me a Match" dinner theater presented by River City Players @ River City Yacht Club, Port Cape, 7 p.m....

CRYSTAL CITY, Mo. -- Survivalists, doctors, even the parents of Joshua Childers marvel at how the 3-year-old, barely clothed, survived for 52 hours alone in the untamed woods of Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest. Joshua managed to unbolt a deadlock on the back door of his family's mobile home just before noon Monday. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Considering the St. Louis Cardinals entered the season without a full-time closer, the ninth inning has been in very secure hands. Ryan Franklin had a 1-2-3 finish for the second straight game in Thursday's 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's 9-for-9 after taking over when rookie Jason Motte struggled at the start of the year, and hasn't allowed a run in 13 1/3 innings...

ST. LOUIS -- Rick Ankiel went on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, three days after the St. Louis Cardinals center fielder crashed headfirst into the wall making a running catch. The move was made retroactive to Tuesday. Ankiel, batting .247 with two home runs and 11 RBIs, has a bruised right shoulder and overall soreness related to the collision. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa expects him to be ready to return once he comes off the DL...

MARBLE HILL -- Woodland pitcher Kyle Reynolds stuck his glove down near his ankles to catch a screaming line drive then fired to third base to double off the lead runner. "That's those catlike reflexes there, Garfield," Woodland coach Jason Crane joked as he watched his pitcher from the front of the dugout...

EUREKA -- Central senior Tim Simmons had little trust in his putter during most of the spring. That began to change Tuesday, when Simmons carded a two-under-par 33 in a match against Jackson with the help of his putting. That was just what was needed before Thursday's Class 4 District 1 tournament at Aberdeen Golf Club...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team captured its Ohio Valley Conference tournament opener in dramatic fashion to extend the program's second-longest winning streak. Sophomore Carmen Fowler's two-out, walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday gave Southeast a 1-0 victory over Morehead State in Jacksonville, Ala...

NEW YORK -- Manny Ramirez joined a growing lineup of All-Stars linked to drugs Thursday, with the dreadlocked slugger banished for 50 games by a sport that cannot shake free from scandal. The Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder was suspended by Major League Baseball, adding a further stamp to what will forever be known as the Steroids Era...

Ben Crane should have known what was coming when he rolled in a 30-foot birdie putt on the first hole of the day. He kept right on pouring them in until he had a 7-under 65 and a one-shot lead in The Players Championship. Crane made four birdie putts longer than 20 feet, kept his ball on land throughout another wild opening round Thursday on the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and wound up atop a leaderboard devoid of the biggest stars...

WASHINGTON -- New applications for jobless benefits plunged to the lowest level in 14 weeks, a possible sign that the massive wave of layoffs has peaked. Still, the number of unemployed workers getting benefits climbed to a new record. Retail results also improved as discounter Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ...

25 years ago: May 8, 1984 Construction could begin within a month on a $70,000 addition to the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce building now that the organization's board of directors has approved design plans; the next step will be the development of working drawings and the taking of bids, a process which could take about a week...

A while back, I reviewed for you my never-ending battle with wild animals, including my gentle wife's newfound dislike for Bambi's parents, who eat whatever she plants in the urns in front of our house. And before that I told you about Miss Kitty's new habit of rolling in the dirt...

The city officially established a department in 1909, but records indicate there were volunteer firefighters dating back to 1866 The Cape Girardeau Fire Department has reached its 100-year milestone. In 1909 the city formally authorized a fire department and equipped it with all the latest in firefighting gear, including a team of horses to pull the fire wagon...

Scott City's baseball team squeaked out a pair of wins Thursday. The Rams edged Scott County Central 3-2 in the opener, then nipped Jackson 5-4 in the second game. Jaris Hye went 2-for-3 with a double for the Rams against the Braves. Jamie Scholz earned the win, while Josh Henson pitched three innings and struck out five batters to earn the save...

Cape Girardeau city leaders hope Saturday's exhibition game between the Southern Illinois Miners and Florence Freedom is another step toward bringing minor-league baseball to Cape Girardeau. The two teams from the independent Frontier League will square off at 7 p.m. at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau. It will be the first time the city has hosted the Miners...