Stories from Sunday, June 14, 2009

A cluster of thunderstorms is expected to move across Southeast Missouri this week and fade in severity by around Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky. Storms accompanied by damaging winds and heavy rainfall are likely after 3 a.m. today, moving southeasterly...

Having her mother in an assisted living facility shaped the way Lois Ann Marler decided to share her passion for music. Marler, a native of Rolla, Mo., performs as a variety singer who customizes her act for each event. She will bring her USO-style tribute to veterans to the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau on Thursday as part of a tour of all seven of the state's veterans homes before the end of the year. ...

KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com Erin Schloss paints Logan Seabaugh's face Saturday in the style of Kiss drummer and vocalist Peter Criss during the first ever Cape Girardeau Kiss Convention at the Mississippi Mud House....

Firefighters towed three men up the Mississippi River Friday after they were stranded in a fishing boat. Battalion chief Steve Niswonger said the men could not start their boat's motor and began drifting down the river. The fuel gauge incorrectly said they had gas in their tank, he said...

ALTO PASS, Ill. -- More than 500 people made the five-mile hike from the Bald Knob Cross of Peace to downtown Alto Pass in the second annual Crosswalk on Saturday. The event was organized by Friends of the Cross, a not-for-profit organization founded in June 2007 to raise money to restore the Bald Knob Cross. This year's Crosswalk raised $11,000...

On Monday night, the Cape Girardeau City Council will finish work on a $54.1 million budget that offers no raises for city workers and relies on new revenue transfers from water, sewer and trash service to balance the general fund. The budget vote will complete one of the most difficult efforts to craft a spending plan of Mayor Jay Knudtson's tenure. ...

We observed what we think was a fire rainbow on vacation in California. It was on June 1, 2009 between Soledad, CA and Pinnacles National Monument at about 2 PM. We have more pictures of it.

My cat Spooky and my mom's dog Daisy watching the neighboorhood.

The same month that a St. Louis law firm won an actual-innocence motion in a Missouri court exonerating Joshua C. Kezer of a Benton, Mo., homicide, another lawyer at the firm began examining another Scott County murder case. David Robinson, now 41, was convicted in September 2001 for the shooting death of 36-year-old Sheila Box in Sikeston, Mo...

The Plaza Tire Capahas survived a crushing first-game loss and a rain delay to salvage a split of Saturday's doubleheader against the visiting Waterloo (Ill.) Millers. Waterloo stunned the Capahas with a seven-run rally in the top of the seventh inning -- both contests were seven-inning affairs -- to wipe out a three-run deficit and take the opener 10-7...

Kimberly Renee Davis and Jeremy Aloysious Walter were married Feb. 13, 2009, at the Stoddard County Courthouse in Bloomfield, Mo. The bride is the daughter of Rodney and Debbie Davis of Decatur, Ark. The groom is the son of Cynthia Walter of Puxico, Mo., and Kimberly Walter of Oran, Mo...

Kenneth and Lori Jones of Marble Hill, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, MacKenzie Lynn Jones, to Justin Daniel Drury. He is the son of Daniel and Karla Drury of Cape Girardeau. Jones expects to receive a bachelor of science degree in exceptional child education from Southeast Missouri State University in December...

Gary and Sue Belcher of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Katherine Hope Belcher, to Joshua Fredrick Reimann. He is the son of David and Jan Reimann of Cape Girardeau. Belcher received a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University. She is a third grade teacher with Cape Girardeau School District at Blanchard Elementary...

Mr. and Mrs. Clayton Scheper of Jackson celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a reception April 18, 2009, at the home of Randy and Retta Penrod. The event was hosted by family and friends. The couple also renewed their vows at Lynwood Baptist Church, with the Rev. Mark Anderson officiating. Their attendants were Jerry Schreiner and Janet Elaydo...

Mr. and Mrs. Greg Vines of Cape Girardeau recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. Vines and Girada Gerlach were married June 2, 1979, at St. Andrew Lutheran Church. He is the son of Bob and Joyce Vines. Mrs. Vines is the daughter of Richard and Veroncett Gerlach...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Mr. and Mrs. Jim Newell of Tamms will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with an open house June 21 at First Baptist Church in Ullin, Ill. Newell and Carolyn Dunaway were married June 27, 1959, at First Baptist Church in Ullin, by the Rev. Charles Ingram. Their attendants were Helen Webster and Charles Wallace...

WOLF LAKE, Ill. -- Alan and Sheila Otten of Wolf Lake are observing their 40th wedding anniversary today. They were married June 14, 1969, at the United Methodist Church in Wolf Lake. The Ottens have five children, Tina Otten of Tamms, Paula (Glenn) Dorsey of Pensacola, Fla., Angie (Roger) Levan of Ellsinore, Mo., Chad and Casey Otten of Peoria, Ill. They have three grandchildren...

Since 1985, participants in the Leadership Cape Girardeau classes each year have presented project ideas developed during the seven-month program that provides information about city operations and needs. This year's class presented five project proposals at a recent First Friday Coffee sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, and four of them were specifically targeted to the downtown area...

So much of success in life is determined by effort and talent. Two area high school teams used both to claim state titles on the same day last Saturday. One was the St. Vincent High School girls soccer team, which overtook Trinity Catholic 3-1 for the state crown...

When she was researching a book on the history of New Madrid a decade ago, Mary Sue Anton didn't have the benefit of extensive Internet archives at her fingertips. "I spent many hours in libraries, historical society reading rooms, museums, courthouse archives, some cobwebby, as well as overgrown cemeteries," said the 79-year-old author. Her husband and fellow researcher, Arthur, often accompanied her...

NEW YORK -- Whether a bride is sexy (or not), fancy (or not), modern (or not), Reem Acra wants to dress her for her wedding. Fairy-tale mermaid hemlines, contemporary laser-cut fabrics and glamorous mirror beads represent her current range of design details. "There's so much variety for every bride. I thought about her from the price point," Acra says. "I don't want her to go somewhere else in these times."...

"I had a good day, Mom," my 2-year-old informed me as I buckled her car seat before leaving the Cape Girardeau Public Library on Tuesday. Ava picked out her own book, "Where Is Baby's Valentine?" by Karen Katz, and happily jabbered to me about where the valentine was and wasn't during our ride home...

The problem with the global-warming debate is that too many people are forming their opinions by listening to the likes of Al Gore and Rush Limbaugh. Few are reading the actual science. That is a shame, since a summary of the consensus of thousands of climate scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a free download from the Internet. It is not a hard read, but most folks would rather let someone else do their thinking for them...

Playground delay; Filling space; Pay as you go; Tougher entry; Insurance forecast; Real-life TV; Helping the homeless; Things we need

By Kathy Kelly and Dan Pearson In Pakistan's Swabi district, a bumpy road leads to Shah Mansoor, a small village surrounded by farmland. Just outside the village, uniform-size tents are set up in hundreds of rows. The sun bores down on the Shah Mansoor camp, which has become a temporary home to thousands of displaced Pakistanis from the Swat area. ...

We pray to you and sing your praises, O God, because it makes us joyful. Amen.

Maevers family schedules reunion The Maevers family reunion will be at noon June 28 at pavilion 2 in the Jackson City Park. Family members are asked to bring a covered dish and lawn chairs. Best Breaded Pork Loin Contest deadline extended The deadline for the second annual Missouri Best Breaded Pork Loin Contest has been extended until Friday. ...

On June 6 in Marble Hill, 30 area sportsmen gathered to compete in a clay shooting tournament to benefit a charity for people with disabilities who have similar outdoor enthusiasms. The local sector of the National Wild Life Turkey Federation held the tournament for the charity "Wheelin' Sportsmen" at Midwest Clays Range...

Nature Center offers geocaching class The Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center will offer a class on geocashing from 1 to 4 p.m. Learn what a GPS unit is and how to use it to keep from getting lost. Learn how to find hidden treasures called geocaches in the area. ...

CHICAGO -- Ousted Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich claims that while he was still in office, he liked to call up the Chicago Cubs coaching staff and give pitching advice. Or at least that's what he told actors during a Saturday guest appearance on The Second City's "Rod Blagojevich Superstar."...

CHICAGO -- When animals are the prime suspects in a whodunit, who gets on the case? Turns out the nation's top natural history museums are often the go-to gumshoes in capers where feathers are the smoking guns and some stiffs have four legs. The sometime animal CSIs most recently identified the birds that slammed into US Airways Flight 1549 over New York, shredding its jet engines and forcing Capt. ...

CHICAGO -- Four Illinois riverboat casinos are suing former governor Rod Blagojevich as they continue their fight against a law requiring them to share their profits with the state's ailing horse racing tracks. The boats -- in Aurora, Elgin, and two in Joliet -- filed the lawsuit Friday in federal court in Chicago. As defendants, it also names Blagojevich's campaign fund, race track owner John Johnston and several other race track operators...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A potentially dangerous hydrogen gas leak cropped up during the fueling of space shuttle Endeavour on Saturday and forced NASA to postpone the launch by at least four days. It was almost identical to a leak that stalled another flight back in March and threatened to bump Endeavour's space station construction mission all the way into July...

NEW YORK -- The amusement park company Six Flags is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, saying it needs to reorganize and shed $1.8 billion of debt. Mark Shapiro, the New York-based company's chief executive officer, says the move won't affect the operation of its 20 theme parks in the U.S., Mexico and Canada...

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota woman who became the nation's only music file-sharing defendant so far to go to trial is getting a replay two years after losing the case. Jammie Thomas-Rasset, a 32-year-old mother of four and self-described "huge music fan," will be armed with new lawyers when her retrial begins in federal court here Monday...

GARNER, N.C. -- An explosion that killed three workers at a North Carolina Slim Jim plant was caused by a natural gas leak that ignited in a room housing vacuum pumps for sealing the snacks, authorities said Saturday. It will now be up to state and federal workplace investigators to determine how the leak happened and what caused it to ignite in Tuesday's blast at the ConAgra Foods Inc. ...

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea responded to new U.N. sanctions by promising Saturday to step up its nuclear bomb-making program by enriching uranium and threatening war on any country that dares to stop its ships on the high seas. The North's threats were the first public acknowledgment that the reclusive communist nation has been running a secret uranium enrichment program. Suspicions of the program touched off the latest nuclear crisis in 2002...

VIENNA -- The U.S., Britain and Canada challenged Iran's claims that hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won re-election, but much of the rest of the world remained silent Saturday despite claims of fraud and scenes of clashes on the streets of Tehran...

ST. LOUIS -- It's an international mystery: How did a Missouri family's Christmas card photo end up in the Czech Republic, splashed across a huge storefront advertisement? Danielle Smith said Wednesday that the photo taken of her family last year got sent to family and friends, and was posted on her blog and a few social networking sites. The photo showed her and her husband Jeff holding their two young children...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Lawmakers, radio talk-show hosts and other advocates called for state and federal income taxes to be replaced with an increased sales tax during a Saturday rally at a mid-Missouri county fairgrounds. Supporters of scrapping the income tax call the new taxation system a "fair tax" and contend that doing away with income taxes would spur economic growth and increase personal freedoms...

ST. LOUIS -- The last two F-15s took off Saturday from Lambert Airport, marking the end of the Air Guard's history in St. Louis. The federal base closure panel voted to shut down the 131st Fighter Wing in 2005. Efforts to overturn the decision failed...

Sean Bard has hit well since the start of his first season with the Plaza Tire Capahas. Bard's hot offense continued Saturday, and this time he flashed plenty of power as well. Bard hit his first two home runs in a Plaza Tire uniform as the Capahas split a doubleheader with the Waterloo (Ill.) Millers...

Delta native Brent Menz hopes to finish his collegiate career with a wild ride. Menz, a senior at the University of Tennessee-Martin, will compete in the bull riding at the College National Finals Rodeo that begins today in Casper, Wyo. "This is something I have dreamed of doing," he said. "It will also help me out in my professional career."...

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

Cape Girardeau: DWIs; Arrests; Summonses; Assaults; Thefts; Property damage; Miscellaneous

Janet Cox Janet E. Cox, 63 of Cape Girardeau went home to be with the Lord on Friday, June 12, 2009, at her residence in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 31, 1946, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Woodrow W. and Geneva M. Davie Wilkinson. She was a member of First General Baptist Church of Cape Girardeau. She attended the old Marquette grade school and was a graduate of College High School. She had worked at A.B. Dick before being employed at Procter & Gamble since 1987...

Lester Miller Jr. Lester Paul Miller Jr., 82, passed away Friday, June 12, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Lester was born July 30, 1926, in Benton, Mo. He grew up in Benton and married his high school sweetheart, Mary Waldschmidt, in 1947. ...

Samuel Parcell Samuel B. Parcell, age 66, of Jackson, formerly of Jonesboro, died at 7:40 a.m. June 11, 2009, at his home. He was born Feb. 16, 1943, to Charles F. and Minnie Janet Slicker Parcell. Samuel married Jo Ann Cantrell on Sept. 6, 1964, at Jonesboro Methodist Church. He worked nearly 50 years in the electric utility business and most recently as the director of electric for the city of Lexington, N.C., until his retirement in October 2007. He proudly served his country during Vietnam...

Doris Warden MARQUAND, Mo. -- Doris Laverne Warden, 85, of Marquand passed away Saturday, June 13, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born April 3, 1924, at Sharon, Tenn., daughter of Lester L. and Inis E. Scott Warren. Mrs. Warden was a homemaker and a member of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church near Patton, Mo...

Jack Dillow Ullin, Ill. -- Jack Lee Dillow, 75, of Ullin, formerly of Anna, Ill., died at 9:35 a.m. Saturday, June 13, 2009, at Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, Ill. Jack was born Dec. 23, 1933, in Anna, son of Lester and Lucille Stewart Dillow...

John Muir John Wayne Muir, 57, of Gardner, Kan., passed away Thursday, June 11, 2009, at Olathe Medical Center. He was born Oct. 31, 1951, in Spokane, Wash. He was married to Kathy Muir. Muir was involved in many activities throughout the Kansas City, Mo., area, including the Traffic Ministry at Church of the Resurrection and Christmas in October with Sprint. ...

Alphonse Summers LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Alphonse Clovis Summers, 49, of Leopold died Saturday, June 13, 2009, at his residence. He was born Oct. 25, 1959, at Red Bud, Ill., son of Robert Sylvester and Therese L. Clovis Summers. He and Loretta Angel were united in marriage on Oct. 6, 1984...

Mary Van Amburg JONESBORO, Ill. -- Mary Van Amburg, 79, of Jonesboro died Friday, June 12, 2009, at Jonesboro Rehab and Healthcare Center. Visitation will be from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home in Jonesboro. The funeral will be Monday at 10:30 a.m. at Salem Lutheran Church in Jonesboro. Burial will be in Jonesboro Cemetery...

Ruth LaFleur Ruth LaFleur, 89, of Jackson, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, June 13, 2009, at the Monticello House in Jackson. A private service will be held. Arrangements are by McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

Virginia Weinkein HIGHLAND, Mo. -- Virginia H. Weinkein, 81, of Highland died Saturday, June 13, 2009, at Perry Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation in Perryville, Mo. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Young and Sons Chapel, with prayer service at 7 p.m. and 6:30 to 9:40 a.m. Tuesday with rosary recited at 8:30 a.m...

Baseball Basketball Cross country n Jackson camps: Jackson will host cross country camps for boys and girls entering grades 6 to 12 at the pavilion near the swimming pool in Jackson City Park. The first camp will be Monday to Friday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The second camp will be July 27 to 31. The camps are free. Info: Andrea Talley, 275-0976....

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com Tammy Fuller hosts a '70s/'80s party as Lionel Dixon enjoys the attention Saturday night at the Show Me Center. The Soul Connection sponsored the event to bring people together and have a good time...

WASHINGTON -- President Obama said Saturday he wants to help pay for his health-care overhaul by slowing Medicare and Medicaid spending, but hospitals, medical technicians and others are resisting. The high-stakes struggle over medical care is heating up as Obama declares the status quo unacceptable...

25 years ago: June 14, 1984 After two years of studies and meetings, the Cape Girardeau Multipurpose Building Committee has recommended the old Southeast Missouri State University Farm site near Sprigg and New Madrid streets as the location for the $13 million structure; the city council and the university board of regents will make the final decision about the location...