Stories from August 2009

ST. LOUIS -- Thanks to Matt Holliday, the St. Louis Cardinals are surviving quite nicely during Albert Pujols' post-All-Star break slump. Holliday had four hits for the second time in his eight games with his new team, one of them foiling an intentional walk to Pujols, and scored the go-ahead run on Rick Ankiel's eighth-inning single in a 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday night...

For shade trees and cool breezes on August afternoons, we give thanks, O God. Amen.

Southeast Missourian A drifting boat found on the Mississippi River by the Cape Girardeau Fire Department was set loose by two people trying to exact revenge, the Chester, Ill., Police Department reported. Cape Girardeau firefighters were asked to help look for the boat around 2:15 a.m. ...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A jury was unable to decide Friday the case of a Jackson man charged with exposing himself to two adolescent girls. Lester T. Sladek Jr., 49, was charged with two counts of sexual misconduct involving a child younger than 14, felonies that carry possible sentences of four years in prison on each count...

U.S. 61 will be reduced to one lane Monday while the Missouri Department of Transportation performs bridge repairs. Crews will be working on the section of road two miles north of Route CC from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The bridge is between County Road 507 and Achillea Lane...

In an effort to be more visible in the community, the Cape Girardeau Jobs Corps office is sponsoring an information event today. Its second annual Day in the Park will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Arena Park in the main shelter. Job Corps, a program through the U.S. ...

Cape Girardeau's Riverwalk could be in line for another extension thanks to U.S. Sen. Kit Bond. There's money in the federal budget for other communities as well, Bond announced this week, including $1 million to move ahead with plans for a new Scott City interchange on Interstate 55 and $1.15 million for improvements to Highway 34 in Bollinger County...

WASHINGTON -- The economy sank at a pace of just 1 percent in the second quarter of the year, a new government report shows. It was a better-than-expected showing that provided the strongest signal yet that the longest recession since World War II is finally winding down...

WASHINGTON -- Government subsidies for flights in and out of rural communities can reach up to thousands of dollars per passenger, and Congress is moving to increase the budget by almost 30 percent to keep those flights going next year. Some of the subsidies, to places like Ely, Nev., Cape Girardeau and Havre, Mont., are substantial...

We are blessed to live in an area that is striving to remove itself from the national perception that Missouri is a haven for puppy mills and ineffective companion animal laws. The southeast Missouri area is home to many truly dedicated facilities that go above the requirements to provide exceptional care to companion animals that are being abandoned or surrendered in record numbers...

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.com Canoeists Lexi Smith, left, and Cassie Essner paddle on Capaha Park lagoon Friday with three youngsters, from left, Emily Kirby, Lexi Jansen and Christopher Krewson, during a weeklong day camp sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department. ...

BAGHDAD -- A string of bombings targeted Shiite worshippers in the Baghdad area during Friday prayers, killing at least 29 people in an apparently coordinated attack against followers of an anti-U.S. cleric who were blamed for some of Iraq's worst sectarian violence...

KABUL -- Civilian deaths in the escalating Afghan war soared by 24 percent during the first half of 2009 compared with the same period last year, the United Nations said Friday, blaming most of the casualties on Taliban attacks launched with little regard for civilian lives...

SALZBURG, Austria -- The huge musical puzzle that is Mozart is about to be expanded by two potentially important pieces. More than two centuries after his death, two additional works have recently been identified as being composed by the Austrian master. While the pieces might have been played before, Sunday will be the first time they will be performed as compositions of the popular prodigy...

MANILA, Philippines -- Former president Corazon Aquino, who swept away a dictator with a "people power" revolt and then sustained democracy by fighting off seven coup attempts in six years, died on Saturday, her son said. She was 76. The uprising she led in 1986 ended the repressive 20-year regime of Ferdinand Marcos and inspired nonviolent protests across the globe, including those that ended Communist rule in eastern Europe...

CAIRO -- An official at Cairo airport said a foot-long baby crocodile wriggled out of a passenger's hand luggage and caused panic on a flight from the United Arab Emirates. A crew member on the EgyptAir flight from Abu Dhabi rounded up the wayward reptile and calmed passengers. The airport security official said the animal was seized and given to the Cairo Zoo...

ST. LOUIS -- A Festus man accused of breaking into a home gave police most of what they needed to catch him -- his name. Spelled out. Nineteen-year-old Robert Gabler allegedly forced his way into a home in Arnold on July 22. He has been charged with first-degree burglary...

ST. LOUIS -- The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered a Missouri mining company to make changes as it cleans up toxic mine tailings at a shuttered mine operation in Leadwood, the federal agency said Friday. The EPA is overseeing work at the Leadwood Mine Tailings Superfund Site, which is owned by The Doe Run Co. ...

7 p.m. Monday Cape Girardeau City Hall Public hearings Consent ordinances New ordinances...

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

Arrests; Summonses; Thefts; Burglary; Property damage; Miscellaneous; Jackson: Summons; Thefts; Miscellaneous; Cape Girardeau County: DWIs; Arrests

Motorists who regularly drive from Highway 3 in Illinois through East Cape Girardeau on Highway 146 to the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge have seen earth-moving equipment at work in recent weeks. For most of them, this is a welcome sight. The grading and drainage work is the start of a two-year project to widen the 2.6-mile stretch of Highway 146 to four lanes. The highway through East Cape Girardeau was widened to coincide with the completion of the new bridge...

Higher bills; Health care message; Beer diplomacy; Perception, reality; Bill's impact; Legislative process; Check the 'facts'; MD test scores; Privatize trash; Good idea; Need shelter

Jerry Raymond Finley, 71, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Scott City, died Thursday, July 30, 2009. He was born Jan. 20, 1938, in Scott City, to Oliver Thomas and Myrtle "Fern" Stephens Finley. He and Julie Ann Ivester were married Oct. 20, 1984, in Commerce, Mo...

Billy G. Fletcher, 75, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, July 30, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to service time Monday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. Graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Lorimier Cemetery...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Larry William Patrick, 71, of Marble Hill died Friday, July 31, 2009, at his home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Cape County Memorial Park in Cape Girardeau...

Ramanayake; McClard; Bollinger

25 years ago: Aug. 1, 1984 Because of the improved docking facilities at Cape Girardeau, two luxury paddle wheelers which travel the Mississippi River will make the city a port of call next year; the Delta Queen Steamboat Co. is scheduling regular stops here for both the Delta Queen and the Mississippi Queen...

Young soccer, flag football and cheerleading enthusiasts can practice their passions with Upward, a not-for-profit league that has teams at Cape Bible Chapel, Lynwood Baptist Church and Fruitland Community Church. Scott Horrell is Cape Bible Chapel's Upward League director. ...

DALLAS -- A federal appeals court reversed Friday a lower court's ruling that barred a Santeria priest from sacrificing goats in his Texas home, saying a city's decision to prohibit the ritual violated the man's religious rights. Jose Merced, 46, accuses the city of Euless, Texas, of trampling on his constitutional right to religious exercise. The city claims the sacrifices violate its slaughterhouse and animal cruelty ordinances...

We have all been influenced by other people -- either for the good, inspiring us to say "I really want to be like that guy," or for the worse, causing us to distastefully say "I don't want to be that guy." People of influence come in all shapes and sizes -- the coach who pushed you further and harder than you thought you could go, the teacher who took the extra time to invest in you, the more experienced tradesman who showed you how to avoid making some simple and embarrassing mistakes.. ...

WASHINGTON -- Attention car buyers: There's still time to get in on the "cash for clunkers" rebate rush. The House hastened to refuel the program Friday, voting to pour in $2 billion to prop up the trade-in deals that have all but overwhelmed suddenly booming car dealers and exhausted the $1 billion the government had set aside. The Senate has yet to act, but the White House said weekend deals would count, no matter what...

WASHINGTON -- Bowing to populist anger, the House voted Friday to prohibit pay and bonus packages that encourage bankers and traders to take risks so big they could bring down the entire economy. Passage of the bill on a 237-185 vote followed the disclosure a day earlier that nine of the nation's biggest banks, which are receiving billions of dollars in federal bailout aid, paid individual bonuses of $1 million or more to nearly 5,000 employees...

WASHINGTON -- After a bruising struggle, Democrats pushed sweeping health-care legislation to the brink of passage in a key congressional committee Friday, clearing the way for a September showdown in the House on President Barack Obama's top domestic priority...

A parent tells a child, "You can't take swimming lessons, you might drown." So the child never learns to swim. He fails to enjoy the sport and he is unable to save himself if the need arises. Disallowing someone the opportunity to learn to swim is merely one example of how people keep others from genuinely living. ...

Tiger Woods had the best five-hole start of his career, chipping in for an eagle and making four birdies. Woods finished with a season-low 9-under 63 on Friday in the Buick Open in Grand Blanc Township, Mich., to shoot up the leaderboard. The round was his best round in relation to par in four years...

RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- The Kansas City Chiefs didn't get a leisurely day of meetings and meals to kick off training camp. They ran. Not just a shake-out-the-cobwebs run. A timed run, the last part of their pre-camp physicals. Don't make time, don't practice Saturday...

Padres send Peavy to White Sox, and Indians ship Martinez to Red Sox By MIKE FITZPATRICK The Associated Press Jake Peavy said yes to the Chicago White Sox, and Victor Martinez will take aim at the Green Monster. Roy Halladay, however, stayed put in Toronto...

ST. LOUIS -- A day after the St. Louis Rams took Jason Smith with the second pick of the draft, the offensive tackle vowed to be in training camp on time. On Friday, he wore No. 77 as he took the field for the first full-squad workout under new coach Steve Spagnuolo. Smith made it just under the wire, signing a five-year contract Thursday...

Jackson is the only squad in the Senior Babe Ruth Midwest Plains Regional that did not win a state title. But Jackson is confident of being able to prove it belongs in the eight-team tournament that begins today at Hillhouse Park in Charleston. Jackson plays the Colorado state champion at 1:30 p.m. in the second of four opening-round games...

A story in Friday's edition said Team Type 1 was the only team in which all the members are diabetic. The Team Type 1 group has multiple teams under the heading Team Type 1. It had two teams compete in the Race Across America: Team Type 1, where all eight riders have type 1 diabetes, and a sister team, Team Type 2, where all eight riders have type 2 diabetes...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Friends of a local boy have set up an account to assist with medical expenses after two open-heart surgeries before he was 5 months old and a third open-heart surgery scheduled for Sept. 2. Thomas Liles, son of Angel and William Liles of Kennett, is a 4-year-old hypoplastic left heart syndrome patient who lives in Kennett with his grandmother, Joyce Mathis, and two sisters, Breanna Hausmann and Makayla Liles...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- As children and their parents piled onto Bill Cannon's miniature train Saturday, Cannon stood by, smiling and waving them off for a mile-long ride through the woods. Cannon and his family have a history and love riding the rails and working on trains. Now, Cannon, a retired engineer, and his son, Wade, a conductor for Amtrak, have decided to share their enthusiasm with Southeast Missouri families on a farm outside Chaffee...

A familiar tune came through the speakers of Charlotte Reed's puppet theater Saturday afternoon, a part of the activities of the Civil Air Patrol Drug Awareness Day. The tune was Aretha Franklin's "Think," but the lyrics that the puppets "sang" reflected the spirit of the day's activity...

Dealers are reporting increased sales but also confusion about the rules nearly a week after the "cash for clunkers" program went into effect. "We're seeing an increase in activity and transactions, which is good for us," said Nick Underwood, general manager of Lutesville Motor Co. in Marble Hill, Mo. "Our floor traffic and phone calls have more than doubled since Monday. Everyone is wanting to know about the program...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A hearing will be held Wednesday to determine whether a Poplar Bluff teenager should be tried as an adult for allegedly squirting gasoline on another teen and then lighting him on fire...

Who says that the grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence??? Looks like he knows it is!!

This was the storm rolling over Fruitland towards Jackson yesterday. A good rain followed it!!

Watching the storm rolling in thru the country!! Thanks Tammy & Jim for sharing your part of the world!!

CAIRO, Ill. -- Every weekend about 15 volunteers spend their time helping people overcome their boredom by jumping out of airplanes. SEMO Skydiving has existed in some form or fashion for 25 years, according to its members. Don Dorris and Ralph Bailey used to borrow a plane in the early 1980s to skydive. ...

Area artists are being asked to think green and help design a logo for the Southeast Missouri Climate Protection Initiative. The organization has partnered with The Arts Council of Southeast Missouri to coordinate the logo design competition. A decal featuring the winning logo design will be used to recognize companies participating in SEMO CPI's Local Businesses Go Green program. Currently more than 25 area businesses are recognized for their recycling efforts through this program...

CHARLESTON -- The way things were progressing Saturday, Chris Roth knew he had to be at the top of his game. Roth was, not that Jackson Senior Babe Ruth baseball coach Paul Sander expected any different. Roth pitched a four-hit shutout as Jackson beat Colorado 3-0 in the opening round of the Senior Babe Ruth Midwest Plains Regional at Hillhouse Park...

Sara Elizabeth Moore and Brandon Douglas Glenn were married Oct. 18, 2008, at Bethel Assembly of God Church. The Rev. Phillip Roop performed the ceremony. Trio Girardeaux provided music. Marlene Glenn, mother of the groom, sang, accompanied on the piano by Dr. Richard Moore, father of the bride...

Rebecca Ann Randolph and Ryan Daniel Bazzell were married April 18, 2009, at Centenary United Methodist Church. Denny Lumos performed the ceremony. Organist was Beverly Reece. Reader was Jennifer Bogel of St. Charles, Mo. Parents of the couple are Bob and Barb Randolph of Cape Girardeau, and Rob and Diane Bazzell of St. Charles...

Sally Lea Bradley and Scott Tracy Lorenz were united in marriage June 26, 2009, at La Croix United Methodist Church. The Rev. Ronald Watts performed the ceremony. Pianist was Beverly Reece, trumpeter was Jerry Ford, both of Cape Girardeau, and vocalist was Vicki Weaver of Memphis, Tenn.,...

Abigail Yvonne Leming and Jeffrey Thomas Kohlberg were united in marriage May 16, 2009, at the World's Fair Pavilion at Forest Park in St. Louis. The Rev. Ron Watts performed the ceremony. Music was by Mike Renick of Cape Girardeau. Reader was Dee Dee Wilson of Cape Girardeau...

Randall and Susan Davis of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Margaret "Meg" Davis, to Matthew Adam Proffer. He is the son of Bernard and Alice Proffer of Jackson. Davis is a 1996 graduate of Central High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in mass communications from Southeast Missouri State University in 2000. She is a marketing specialist with Mississippi River Radio...

Bill and Jeannie Fadler of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Nicole Dawn Fadler, to Nicholas Evans Fenton. He is the son of Lester and Janice Fenton of Imperial, Mo. Fadler is a 2003 graduate of Jackson High School. She received a bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Missouri in 2007. She is a registered nurse in the Pediatric ICU at St. Louis Children's Hospital...

Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Aufdenberg of Jackson celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with a picnic supper May 30, 2009, at their home. Aufdenberg and the former Judy Kutscher were married June 21, 1969, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau...

Mr. and Mrs. Larry Brockmire of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with a party June 13, 2009, at their home. Hosts were their children. Brockmire and Emma Jean Heider were married June 15, 1969, at Emanuel United Church of Christ in Jackson...

Mr. and Mrs. Bill Brockmire of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with a dinner and reception June 7, 2009, at Shadow Rest Lodge. Hosts were their children and friends. Brockmire and Pam Hawkins were married June 7, 1969, at Free Will Baptist Church in Olive Branch, Ill., by the Rev. Fred Drake...

Early interest is building in some key local elected positions where longtime incumbents won't be running again. Voters will decide next year who their replacements will be, and several individuals already have expressed an interest. It's not too early to be thinking about becoming a candidate. ...

Parking woes; America's debt; Gospel singing; Sign placement; Read it first; College audit; Public smoking; Children and smoke; Mayo salaries; Hospital care; Overweight and happy; Life goes on; Highway logic; Noisy street; One of us; More hardships; Police response; Stirring the pot

For all that is good and wonderful in your creation, we give thanks, O God. Amen.

ST. LOUIS -- An Oklahoma-based tribe has bought the last remaining American Indian mound in St. Louis for about $230,000. Osage Nation Principal Chief Jim Gray described the purchase Friday as "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." The tribe traces its ancestry to the ancient mound-building people who erected massive earthworks such as Cahokia Mounds in Collinsville, Ill...

Navy Seaman Brandon J. Frayser, a 2002 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training and was promoted to his current rank at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Frayser completed a variety of training that included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. ...

Nestled atop a hill on Center St. in Bloomfield sits Jimmy's Hill 513. Jimmy Teets, a resident of Bloomfield since 1940, named his hill in memory of the way soldiers in Korea knew where they were: by hill numbers. That tribute doesn't end in his yard though. Over the years, he has filled his house with memorabilia from his tour of duty in the Korean War...

SIKESTON -- Members of the Community Betterment Association know there's talent in the Bootheel area. And they're ready to display it by sponsoring the first "The Bootheel's Got Talent," show, planned for Aug. 15. The event, inspired by the NBC show "America's Got Talent," is set for 7 p.m. at the Albritton-Mayer Center...

The annual talent show at Jackson Homecomers reveals homegrown talent each year, but 2009 was a banner year for entertainment. Six acts were invited to perform at the Mid-South Fair Youth Talent Contest in Southaven, Miss., in September. "That's an unusual number," said the talent show director Linda Penzel. Every act that performed in the 13 to 21 senior division Friday night was invited to the fair...

Missouri hunter education courses announced The Missouri Department of Conservation will conduct two hunter education courses at the Cape Girardeau Nature Center before the fall firearms season. Students younger than 16 are required to bring proof of age. ...

Neal E. Boyd comes to Barnes & Noble Neal E. Boyd, Sikeston, Mo., native and winner of last year's "America's Got Talent," will sign copies of his new CD "My American Dream" from 1 to 4 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Booksellers. SEMO Iris Society holds annual auction and sale...

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- As members of an elite group of Navajo Marines approach their 90s, they know there's little time left to tell the story about how they used their native language to confound the Japanese during World War II. Their vision for a venue to tell those stories, including the years in which they kept their role a secret, is closer to reality. Chevron Mining Inc. recently donated 208 acres of land to the association for a museum and veterans center...

WAUSAU, Wis. -- A central Wisconsin man accused of killing his 11-year-old daughter by praying instead of seeking medical care was found guilty Saturday of second-degree reckless homicide. Dale Neumann, 47, was convicted in the March 23, 2008, death of his daughter, Madeline, from undiagnosed diabetes. ...

NEW YORK -- The central terminal at New York's LaGuardia Airport was evacuated Saturday morning after a man entered the building with a fake bomb in a bag, police said. The scare was over in a few hours, but it disrupted travel plans for thousands of people as flights were postponed and vehicle traffic to the airport was briefly halted. Delays also rippled across the country as airlines adjusted their schedules...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran began its first trial of the postelection crisis Saturday, a mass court case against more than 100 activists and protesters accused of plotting a "velvet revolution" to topple clerical rule. Some of the most prominent politicians of the pro-reform movement, including a former vice president, were among the defendants brought before the court in gray prison uniforms. A number of them delivered confessions, according to the Iranian media...

BAGHDAD -- A bomb hidden inside a toilet struck a Sunni mosque south of Baghdad on Saturday, injuring two people, according to Iraqi police, the latest in a wave of attacks against Islamic sites of worship. A series of bombings targeted Shiite mosques a day earlier during Friday prayers in Baghdad, killing at least 29 people...

TBILISI, Georgia -- Authorities in the separatist Georgian region of South Ossetia said Saturday that two mortar shells had fired into the territory from Georgia proper, and Russia quickly warned that it might retaliate. Georgia denied the claim and accused Russia and South Ossetia of provocation before the first anniversary of Georgia's short but fierce war with Russia last summer...

WASHINGTON -- Future economic prosperity depends on building a new, stronger foundation and recapturing the "spirit of innovation," President Barack Obama says. "Innovation has been essential to our prosperity in the past, and it will be essential to our prosperity in the future," Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address...

Home decorators who once would have dropped thousands of dollars on designer furniture are now, in a down economy, looking at inexpensive, self-assembly pieces from big-box stores as a jumping-off point for more custom designs. Many people feel like they are "losing touch with how to build things," said Eric Wilhelm, founder and CEO of the website Instructables.com....

Jerry Finley Jerry Raymond Finley, 71, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Scott City, died Thursday, July 30, 2009. He was born Jan. 20, 1938, in Scott City, to Oliver Thomas and Myrtle "Fern" Stephens Finley. He and Julie Ann Ivester were married Oct. 20, 1984, in Commerce, Mo...

Mack Spitzmiller ADVANCE, Mo. -- Mack Spitzmiller, 65, of Advance was born Jan. 6, 1944, at Perkins, Mo., son of William and Kitty Welch Spitzmiller, and passed away July 31, 2009, at his home. Mack had been a truck driver most of his life. He had owned and operated his own truck. He retired from Advance Transport. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Advance and the Advance Masonic Lodge, 32nd Degree Mason. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy...

Doris Welker Mrs. Doris Ladine Tucker Welker, 84, of Williamstown, Mo., died Friday, July 31, 2009, at Blessing Hospital in Quincy, Ill. She was born April 5, 1925, in Graham Hospital in Keokuk, Iowa, to Joseph Samuel (J.S.) and Daisy Elene Burford Tucker. She married Richard R. Welker on Jan. 30, 1946, in Wayland, Mo. He preceded her in death June 21, 1994...

Larry Patrick MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Larry William Patrick, 71, of Marble Hill died Friday, July 31, 2009, at his home. He was born Dec. 9, 1937, in Cape Girardeau to Leonard H. and Margaret Calhoun Patrick. He and Margaret Ann Brockmire Patrick were married Saturday, Jan. 7, 1961, at Cape Girardeau. She died Nov. 5, 1995...

Belma Hohler Belma Hohler, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009, at the Lutheran Home. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

25 years ago: Aug. 2, 1984 Area farmers tour the Biokyowa plant on Nash Road in the morning during the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce business-farm tour. Interviewing of hourly worker applicants for employment at the new Venture store in West Park mall will continue through tomorrow, says store manager Stanley Schmidt; the interviews are being conducted at the Arena Building; thus far, about 1,200 people have made application for employment...

Connie Laurentius was supposed to leave for a vacation with her husband July 25, but she pushed it back to participate in the scrapbooking event at Saint Francis Medical Center that day. Laurentius, who has been scrapbooking since 2005, always makes sure not to miss a meeting...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- It's not a bird. It's not a plane. For Fayetteville's Tony Hardin, though, it's his preferred way of flying. The powered parachute appears to most to be some sort of bicycle contraption. It weighs about 415 pounds with oil and fuel and can carry another 500 pounds of passenger weight. The parachute -- which sails 17 feet above the riders when in flight -- is 39.5 feet wide and 15 feet deep...

Southeast Missouri State women's basketball coach John Ishee figures his young team will get all it can handle from the Redhawks' 2009-10 schedule that recently was finalized. The 11-game nonconference slate is highlighted by visits from Wisconsin-Green Bay, Southern Mississippi and Texas-Arlington...

Baseball Basketball Golf Soccer Swimming Tennis Triathlon Submit items by mail, fax or e-mail to be included in the calendar....

Swimmer Scott captures two firsts Susan Beth Scott of Cape Girardeau won the 50- and 400-meter freestyle events Friday at the Can Am Para Swimming Championships in Edmonton, Alberta. She touched the wall in 29.17 seconds to win the 50 and finished in 4:38.05 to win the 400. She beat Canada's Anne Polinario, the gold medalist at the Beijing Paralympics, in the 50. Her 400 time moved her into second in the world rankings...

Southeast Missouri is defined by its special people and special places. Many people know David Niswonger is a special person. He is recognized in the medical field as one of Missouri's first public health sanitarians and for his success as the administrator of Southeast Missouri Hospital. ...

PUXICO, Mo. - An Oran man was ejected from his vehicle Sunday morning but escaped with moderate injuries. The accident occurred around 5:10 a.m. when William R. Harris, 21, of Oran was driving his 2007 Nissan on Highway 51, the Missouri Highway Patrol reported. The Nissan ran off the right side of the roadway, struck a ditch, overturned and ejected Harris...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- An 18-year-old woman from Marble Hill was taken to Saint Francis Medical Center today after her car collided with a box truck on Highway 34...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Two Scott County towns will celebrate their 150th birthdays in 2010 and the celebrations are beginning to take form. "This isn't as big as a centennial, but it's not something we want to let pass by," said Christy LeGrand, a coordinator of the sesquicentennial events in Benton...

Route ZZ in Bollinger County will be closed between County Road 830 and County Road 806 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, weather permitting, while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a drainage pipe beneath the roadway. The work zone will be marked with signs. For more information call MoDOT at 1-888-ASK-MODOT...

Jackson School District school enrollment and open house dates:n Class lists will be posted at each elementary building Aug. 11. Classes begin Aug. 17. n High School: Enrollment will be held from 8 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in the new commons area. Lockers will be assigned, student pictures taken and schedules will be given out. Back to School Night is from 7 to 8 p.m. Aug. 24...

For nearly two years, Will Lindman, 22, will work on water sanitation and HIV education in Uganda.

Help us, O God, to find ways to do our tasks with purpose and good intent. Amen.

It has been three years since Cape Girardeau County voters approved a sales tax to pave roads and support law enforcement. The money has purchased asphalt, supplied raises to sheriff's deputies and provided relief from property taxes that previously paid for county road work.

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is hosting a Safety Fair on Saturday, August 8, 2009 from 9:00 am -- Noon. This is a free event and is open to the public. There will be kid friendly games, prizes and give-a-ways! The list of vendors include: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield...

WASHINGTON -- Two of President Barack Obama's economic heavyweights said middle-class taxes might have to go up to pare budget deficits or to pay for the proposed overhaul of the nation's health care system. The tough talk from Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers on Sunday capped a week that brought rare good news for the economy: The worst recession in the United States since World War II could be on the verge of ending. ...

Cub Scout Adventure Day Camp was held July 20-24 at Cape County Park South. The boys enjoyed: BB range, Archary range, nature, craft and game activites. This is Ty getting ready to cross the Monkey Bridge during wednesday's session of games.

Josh, Mason, Hunter, Anthony, Ty & Nicholas the last day of camp.

Cape Girardeau, MO- Old Town Cape will resume their Tunes at Twilight Concert Series on Friday, August 14 with Jimmy Davis. Sponsored by The Bank of Missouri and Southeast Missouri Hospital and supported by a Missouri Arts Council Grant, the fall series will be held every Friday night through September 18 starting at 6:30 pm at the Common Pleas Courthouse Gazebo on Lorimier Street in Cape Girardeau. All concerts are free to the public...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration appealed to the Senate on Monday to bail out the cash for clunkers car purchase program, arguing it has already made striking gains in fuel efficiency and is a "wildly popular" economic boost. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood ducked when asked if the program will be suspended if the Senate does not vote to replenish coffers before lawmakers go on vacation later this week. Instead, he said "I believe the Senate will pass it this week."...

Agronomist Gerald Bryan thinks alfalfa research at Southeast Missouri State University's research farm could aid dairy farmers, cattlemen and the local economy.

Brittney Hawk, 9, and her sister, Natalie, 4, enjoy swingin' on the old Maple Tree at their Granny Jeff's house on a warm summer day to keep cool. Natalie isn't to be out done doing tricks like big sister, Brittney.

Natalie, 4, isn't going to be out done by her big sister, Britt.

There's an easier way to get off of a porch, but when you're a true skateboarder, you've got to do it the hard way like Logan Hawk Lewis, 12, who wants to be another "Tony Hawk". After all, his middle name is "Hawk"!

Hummingbird being held in my hands

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The Jackson Senior Babe Ruth baseball team could not have endured a worse start. But the finish to Sunday's winners bracket semifinal in the Senior Babe Ruth Midwest Plains Regional at Hillhouse Park left Jackson's players and coaches smiling from ear to ear...

Cape Girardeau native Laura Younghouse is the owner of Midwest Energy, which has 11 Amerimarts under the Sinclair and BP brands.

Cape Girardeau is a retail, medical, industrial and education center, and it also is in the heart of some of the most productive agricultural areas in the country. Some 120 participants in the recent Jackson Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Tour learned about the newest and best practices during a daylong visit a variety of farm settings...

Paying for insurance; Personal issue; Stamp machines; Bad lesson; Good system; Natural wealth; Smoking rights; Our choice; Religious freedom; Horrific act; Trashy street

It came as no surprise last week that the Southeast Missouri State football team was picked to finish at the bottom of the Ohio Valley Conference this season. Preseason polls almost always are based on what a squad did the previous year, and the 2008 Redhawks finished tied for seventh in the nine-team OVC...

WASHINGTON -- Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said he doesn't think the Fed should be considering raising interest rates to ward off inflation -- at least not yet. Greenspan said the Fed will have to rein in credit and raise rates at some point. For now, he said he is optimistic for the nation's economy...

PHILADELPHIA -- Coming soon to your TV: More advertising, in places you might not expect. The ads are showing up where people used to enjoy a break from advertising, such as video on demand and on-screen channel guides. Even TiVo, which became popular for its technology that lets people skip TV commercials, is developing new ways to show ads...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's top economic advisers say the administration will work with Congress to extend unemployment benefits for millions of Americans. The head of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, Christina Romer, said Sunday the administration is already looking ahead at an extension of benefits as that money runs out...

ST. LOUIS -- If you'd taken a stroll past Soulard Park on a recent Friday evening, you'd probably have seen what looked at first glance like little more than a friendly pick-up soccer game. A bunch of men playing four per side on a short field, laughing, sweating and jawing the way guys do when it's just the guys...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Three people headed home from a high school reunion and a couple returning from a prayer service were killed in a head-on collision on an eastern Missouri highway that was the site of another deadly accident a day earlier. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the five were killed late Saturday night when a car crossed the center line and collided with another car on Missouri Route OO, a two-lane highway with no median southeast of Farmington...

Drury Inn and Suites has once again earned a top ranking in a hotel guest customer-satisfaction survey. For the fourth consecutive year J.D. Power and Associates ranked the chain first among mid-scale hotel chains with limited service. Among the 14 hotels listed in the survey, Drury Inn and Suites was the only one to earn a five-star rating in all four categories: overall satisfaction, reservations process, guest room satisfaction and check-in and check-out process...

Two Mozart works newly recognized SALZBURG, Austria -- Technically demanding and at times furiously paced, two newly identified Mozart works unveiled Sunday are helping scholars complete their assessment of the maestro's early achievements. Ulrich Leisinger, head of research at the International Mozarteum Foundation, said Mozart likely wrote the two newly attributed pieces when he was 7 or 8 years old, with his father, Leopold, transcribing the notes as his son played them at the keyboard...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Criticism of Iran's mass prosecution of political activists widened Sunday with the main conservative challenger to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asking authorities to seek punishment against those accused of killing protesters...

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is looking at creating a courtroom-within-a-prison complex in the U.S. to house suspected terrorists, combining military and civilian detention facilities at a single maximum-security prison. Several senior U.S. ...

WASHINGTON -- Navy pilot Michael "Scott" Speicher was shot down over the Iraq desert on the first night of the Gulf War in 1991 and it was there he apparently was buried by Bedouins, the sand hiding him from the U.S. military all these years. In a resolution to the nearly two-decades-old question about his fate, the Pentagon disclosed Sunday it had received new information last month from an Iraqi citizen that led Marines to recover bones and skeletal fragments, enough for a positive identification.. ...

Cape Girardeau: Arrests

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Friday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: Jackson The Jackson Fire Department reported the following incidents Friday:...

25 years ago: Aug. 3, 1984 In an effort to salvage an agreement on a jointly-owned $13 million multipurpose building, members of the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents and the Cape Girardeau City Council met last night in an open session, which lasted two hours...

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England -- Catriona Matthew won the Women's British Open by three strokes Sunday, capturing her first major title just 10 weeks after giving birth to her second child. The 39-year-old Scot birdied three straight holes on the back nine to hold her third-round lead. She finished at 1-over 71 for a 3-under 285 total...

ST. LOUIS -- Leonard Little feels he's much more than a third-down pass rusher for the St. Louis Rams. After Sunday morning's full-pad practice at Rams Park, Little insisted he still can be an every-down defensive end. "I'll always be an everyday player if I'm healthy," Little said. "I don't know where people get this thing where, you know, that I'm just a third-down player. I've been playing every down since I've been starting."...

ST. LOUIS -- Bud Norris' first major league start was a breeze after he got over some early jitters. Norris allowed two hits in seven sharp innings, leading the Houston Astros to a 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. "Once I got in the dugout and watched the first half inning, I settled down," Norris said. "I got out there, threw my warmup pitches and it felt like any other day."...

CAMROSE, Alberta -- Organizers on Sunday canceled the closing day of a country music festival in central Alberta a day after a fierce thunderstorm caused an outdoor stage to collapse, killing one person and injuring about 75 others. Thousands of fans were camped out at the Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, 60 miles southeast of Edmonton, when strong winds and heavy rain struck about 6 p.m. on Saturday, sending people running for cover...

YAOUNDE, Cameroon -- A new strain of the virus that causes AIDS has been discovered in a woman from the African nation of Cameroon. It differs from the three known strains of human immunodeficiency virus and appears to be closely related to a form of simian virus recently discovered in wild gorillas, researchers reported in today's edition of the journal Nature Medicine. ...

Belma Hohler, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009, at the Lutheran Home. She was born April 27, 1924, in Dutchtown, the daughter of Walter Herman and Bertha Mae Baumgardt Bierschwal. She and Henry Eugene Hohler were married Nov. 12, 1947, in Cape Girardeau. He died Jan. 30, 1972...

Jerry Raymond Finley, 71, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Scott City, died Thursday, July 30, 2009, at Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 20, 1938, in Scott City to Oliver Thomas and Myrtle "Fern" Stephens Finley. He and Julie Ann Ivester were married Oct. 20, 1984, in Commerce, Mo...

Cape Girardeau's Sarah Thornsberry took first place in the 16 and younger division at the Jammin' Junior tennis tournament. Jonathan Bell of Cape Girardeau finished second. Jake Wright of Cape Girardeau took second in the boys 18 and younger division, finishing behind Landon Hampton of Sikeston...

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration will suspend the "cash for clunkers" program unless the Senate provides $2 billion more for the popular car incentive plan, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Sunday. He said he expected the current $1 billion pool to be exhausted before Monday. The House approved an additional $2 billion on Friday and the administration is pressing the Senate to go along before its summer vacation begins at week's end...

BEIJING -- China's manufacturing expanded in July at its fastest rate in a year as domestic demand offset sluggish exports, a survey showed Monday, highlighting the importance of Beijing's huge stimulus in driving Chinese growth. Hong Kong brokerage CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets said its monthly purchasing managers index, or PMI, rose to a 12-month high of 52.8 on a 100-point scale where numbers above 100 indicate an expansion. That was up from June's 51.8...

9 a.m. today County Administrative Office Building Jackson Action items Discussion and possible action items Appointments and possible action items...

7:30 p.m. today Jackson City Hall Council Chambers Public hearings Action items Power and Light Committee Street Committee...

Neal E. Boyd, the winner of last year's "America's Got Talent" and a native of Sikeston, Mo., signed copies of his recently released CD "My American Dream."

Regions Bank taps Guard for commercial PR manager Regions Bank has promoted Robbie Guard to commercial relationship manager for the Southeast Missouri Region, covering 13 branches in the area. Guard holds a bachelor of science degree with an emphasis in public relations from Southeast Missouri State University. He is a member of the Cape Giradeau Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club and the Cape Girardeau Jaycees, where he serves as chairman...

BARING, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri State Water Patrol says a Sikeston teenager has drowned while swimming with friends. The water patrol says 17-year-old Phillip Wilson drowned Monday in North Sever Lake in Knox County. He was one of four people who tried to swim across the lake but apparently got tired and went under the water...

The thunderstorm that moved across Cape Girardeau County early this evening left 5,040 AmerenUE customers out of power, according to the utility's website. Firefighters responded to a handful of storm-related calls around 6 p.m., including numerous fallen power lines, but no serious injuries were reported, said Cape Girardeau batallion chief Brad Dillow...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Two Scott County towns will celebrate their 150th birthdays in 2010 and the events are beginning to take form. "This isn't as big as a centennial, but it's not something we want to let pass by," said Christy LeGrand, a coordinator of the sesquicentennial events in Benton, Mo...

Friends and family of Angela Mischelle Lawless, a 19-year-old Benton, Mo., woman killed in November 1992, will be holding a car wash and bake sale at Benton City Hall this weekend to help raise money for the cost of DNA analysis in the unsolved homicide case...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- An 18-year-old woman from Marble Hill was taken to Saint Francis Medical Center Monday after her car collided with a box truck on Highway 34. Jessica R. Spencer was traveling eastbound when her Pontiac Grand Am crossed the center line and struck the truck, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol website...

The Cape Girardeau City Council wants to move slowly implementing an overhaul of the city's trash collection program. The city Public Works Department wants to replace the current system of two-man crews hand-dumping homeowner-purchased 35 gallon cans with one-man trucks using an automated arm to empty city-supplied trash and recycling bins. For the second council meeting in a row, the council discussed the plan during its work session...

Clayton Bohnsack, 3 year old son of Chris and Stacy Bohnsack, proudly shows off the 3 pound tomato grown by his Grandpa Darell Bohnsack.

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Unidentified orange lights sighted last month in the evening sky over Southeast Missouri gave a Poplar Bluff man an opportunity to put his self-taught astronomy expertise to use.

The beginning of the sunset in Egypt Mills, MO.

The Missouri National Guard is hosting a visit of Director Safi Mohammad Hussein, the Director of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province. The Missouri National Guard has had an Agri-Business Development Team (ADT) in Nangarhar Province since late 2007...

THe Three stooges!!!!!! Aren't they awesome

Brandy and her buddy,Corkey

Beautiful display of Nekkid Ladies (or surprise lillies) in Mike and Charlene Hahn's backyard in Egypt Mills, MO.

Nearly 250 foster children awaiting adoption are featured in 188 photographs at the Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery, which started Monday inside West Park Mall. Shot by professional photographers, the gallery will be in place through Sunday.

The Cape Girardeau Social Security office holds its Grand Opening ceremony on August 7th. The office moved to its current space at 2445 Cape Centre Drive on April 10, 2009. The office has increased parking for the public and an expanded interviewing area to provide service to the 28,500 Social Security recipients in the four counties, Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Perry, and Ste. Genevieve...

This is located on Old Hopper Rd just off of Mt Auburn. The water depth was about 6" on the road.

My son, Justin, caught some great lightning pics as the storms moved through Jackson tonight.

You can barely see the lightning in this shot that Justin took but this was the one that caused a blackout in Jackson for over an hour tonight. The orange at the bottom of the pic is apparently where the transformer got blown out!!

Here's another good shot that Justin got as the storm moved through Jackson tonight!

Camp DAY Break -- Diabetes And Youth -- teaches children with diabetes how to manage their nutrition, inject their own insulin and "realize they are not alone," said Janet Stewart, a nurse and diabetes educator with Southeast Missouri Hospital's Diabetes Center.

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Jackson's improbable run through the Senior Babe Ruth Midwest Plains Regional continued Monday. Now the team is just one victory away from its first regional title and Senior Babe Ruth World Series berth. "It feels great, but we still have to win one more," Garrett Fritsche said...

ELIZABETH DODD ~ edodd@semissourian.com Mayor Jay Knudtson, left, honors Cape Girardeau city employees Randall Strong, Mike Backfisch and Patrick Swift at the city council meeting Monday for saving Stacey Beasley, right, when the machinery he was operating fell into La Croix Creek on Aug. ...

For those who need special care and attention, we pray to you, O God. Amen.

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- It's no secret that raising children can be expensive, but how about a quarter of a million dollars expensive? A government report released Tuesday says a middle-income family with a child born last year will spend about $221,000 raising that child through age 17...

LOS ANGELES -- Michael Jackson's mother gained permanent custody of her late son's children during a hearing Monday that included a surprise objection from the pop icon's former dermatologist. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff made a series of key rulings during the morning portion of the Monday hearing. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is debating between two schemes for putting Guantanamo Bay detainees on trial: big-city courtrooms in the nation's capital, New York and Virginia or a jail in the Midwest. Dozens of Guantanamo Bay detainee cases have been referred to federal prosecutors for possible criminal trials in Eastern Seaboard locations, officials said Monday. ...

STANDISH, Mich. -- To many people in this job-starved part of rural Michigan, unemployment is a bigger threat than terrorists. With unemployment at more than 17 percent, many residents say they would welcome detainees from Guantanamo Bay in order to save the 280 jobs at a prison scheduled to close because of state budget cuts...

DETROIT -- Lured by the government's cash for clunkers campaign, car and truck buyers started returning to showrooms last month as Ford Motor Co. reported its first U.S. sales increase in nearly two years and other major automakers said sales showed signs of stability...

OMAHA, Neb. -- A survey of supply managers and other business executives in nine Midwest and Plains states suggests the region's economy is expanding for the first time in almost a year. The Mid-America Business Conditions index released Monday rose to 51.7 in July from June's 49.3. July's index was the first time since August 2008 that it rose above growth-neutral 50...

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

Cape Girardeau: DWI; Arrests; Summons; Assaults; Thefts; Miscellaneous; Jackson: Assault; Property damage; Miscellaneous

Sometime next year, AmerenUE customers in Missouri will likely see another increase in the rates they pay for electricity. Ameren has filed a request with the Missouri Public Service Commission to raise rates 18 percent, which Ameren estimates would result in an increase of 50 cent in the average household bill...

Dear Senator McCaskill: A vote is imminent on the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Your press release indicates you intend to support that nomination. I ask you to consider the definition of racism. In the American Heritage Dictionary, racism is defined as "the belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others."...

Cash for Clunkers has run out of money? That is just more government waste at its best. If the Obama administration really wanted to help the automobile industry, housing industry and banking industry, not to mention the poor, all it had to do was to give each American (304,059,724 of us) a million dollars (it's our money after all) with the requirement that we each purchase a new car, purchase a new home or pay off our mortgage and place the rest in a interest-earning account...

Money pit; Talented band; Beautiful deer; Opposite truth; On the defensive; Better intersection

Hope; Amelunke; Graham; Dow; Bangert; Patrick; Meier

25 years ago: Aug. 4, 1984 A visit by the paddle wheeler Delta Queen brings a throng of curious onlookers and pleased admirers to the Cape Girardeau riverfront during its brief stay; it was the 58-year-old Queen's first regular stop here in five years...

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- Noxious fumes at a trash disposal facility sent 55 people to hospitals Monday, including two who were listed in critical condition. Firefighters responded to ABC Disposal Service Inc. in New Bedford just after 10 a.m. after a report that something brought to the facility was making people sick, fire chief Paul Leger said...

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Radio hosts hung their heads as their FM station was forced off the airwaves along with 33 other broadcasters targeted by President Hugo Chavez's government in what critics say is a campaign to muzzle his foes. For the first time in decades, CNB 102.3 FM fell silent over the weekend after Venezuela's telecommunications regulators revoked some of the 34 stations' licenses and refused to renew others...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's supreme leader bestowed his formal endorsement on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second term as president on Monday but withheld a symbolic gesture -- the kisses and embrace that portrayed their bond four years ago. The moment came when Ahmadinejad leaned forward to kiss Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The supreme leader raised his left hand and momentarily stopped Ahmadinejad, who spoke a few words and then kissed Khamenei's robe...

WASHINGTON -- The neighborhood post office is facing major changes as postal officials consider closings or consolidating services at hundreds of locations across the United States. The Postal Service has been struggling with a decline in mail volume as people and businesses switch to e-mail both for personal contact and bill paying. ...

WASHINGTON -- The recession is starving the government of tax revenue, just as the president and Congress are piling a major expansion of health care and other programs on the nation's plate and struggling to find money to pay the tab. Tax receipts are on pace to drop 18 percent this year, the biggest single-year decline since the Great Depression, while the federal deficit balloons to a record $1.8 trillion...

A plan to revitalize a section of uptown Jackson took a step closer to becoming reality Monday night. The Jackson Board of Aldermen named Kluesner Construction Co. of Kelso, Mo., as the contractor for the streetscape project. The company's bid of $261,726.75 won out against three other bidders...

Part of Route ZZ closed today for road work Route ZZ in Bollinger County will be closed between County Road 830 and County Road 806 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, weather permitting, while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a drainage pipe beneath the roadway...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Marty Schottenheimer was walking up the 16th fairway near his Florida home when he noticed a golf cart hurrying toward him. It was someone from the golf shop. "He told me, 'Coach, you need to call your wife,'" Schottenheimer said...

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Peyton Manning was back on the practice field Monday. His longtime sidekick, Marvin Harrison, was nowhere near Colts' camp. Or the NFL. For the first time in Manning's 12 NFL seasons, he is starting camp without his right-hand man, a salary-cap casualty...

NEW YORK -- Former New York Giants star Plaxico Burress was indicted by a grand jury on weapons charges for shooting himself in the thigh at a Manhattan nightclub and faces a minimum prison sentence of 3 1/2 years if convicted, prosecutors announced Monday...

LONG POND, Pa. -- Denny Hamlin had few bigger fans than his grandmother. She wore her No. 11 socks, held her No. 11 stuffed bear and watched every race on TV -- even as she sat and squinted only inches away from the 30-inch screen. When Thelma Clark died last week at 91, there was a part of Hamlin that didn't want to be at the track...

ST. LOUIS -- After just a year in the NFL, Chris Long feels like a veteran. The defensive end was the Rams' No. 1 pick last year and the second overall selection. He started all 16 games and had 57 tackles and four sacks, tied for second-most among NFC rookies...

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins were proud of the way their young group of starting pitchers exceeded expectations and brought them to the brink of the playoffs last season. This year, it's the same rotation that's holding the Twins back in an AL Central race that remains wide open...

Zeno W. "Sam" Schafer, 88, of Jackson died Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. Visitation is from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. An American Legion service will be held at 7. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery...

FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. -- Charles Umfleet Jr., 78, of Fredericktown died Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, at his home, surrounded by his loving family. He was born Aug. 22, 1930, in Mine LaMotte, Mo., son of Charles and Myrtle Tripp Umfleet. He and Betty Ellis were married March 24, 1951, in Pocahontas, Ark...

PATTON, Mo. -- Charles Moore, 67, of Patton died Friday, July 31, 2009, at his home. He was born July 19, 1942, at Crocker, Mo., son of Kenneth and Pearl Best Moore. He and Peggy McGowan were married June 3, 1961, in Swedeborg, Mo. He and Sharon "Sherry" Henderson of Patton were married Dec. 21,1985, in Crocker...

BELL CITY, Mo. -- John David Cockrell, 36, of Wamsutter, Wyo., passed away Sunday, July 26, 2009, in Wamsutter. He was born Oct. 26, 1972, at Dexter, Mo., son of Daniel Cockrell and Marie Perez. John was a 1991 graduate of Bell City High School. He was of the Pentecostal belief...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- PayPal suffered periodic breakdowns that crimped Internet sales for more than four hours Monday. The main outage occurred from 1:30 p.m. EDT through 2:30 p.m. when PayPal was unable to process any transactions worldwide, according to company spokesman Anuj Nayar...

ANNA, Ill. -- Donna Kay Bishop, 58, of Anna died Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, at Union County Hospital. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to service time Thursday at Crain Funeral Home in Anna. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Bon Reynolds officiating. Burial will be in Casper Cemetery...

All-stars to play for regional title The Cape Girardeau Cal Ripken U-12 all-stars advanced to the Midwest Plains Regional title game in Grand Island, Neb., with Monday's 11-4 victory against Iowa. Cape Girardeau will play at 7:30 p.m. today with a berth to the Cal Ripken World Series in Aberdeen, Md., on the line...

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration wants to shame the mortgage industry into doing a better job of helping borrowers avoid losing their homes to foreclosure. By publishing the names of companies that are lagging behind in the government's plan to ease the housing crisis, officials are counting on public outrage to get the industry on track. ...

WASHINGTON -- Facing a White House deadline, Senate Democrats are struggling to win over enough reluctant Republicans to pass a $2 billion extension of a popular rebate program that gives consumers up to $4,500 to trade in their old gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient vehicles...

Area high school students will get the chance to test their engineering and problem-solving skills with a new extracurricular activity this fall.

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is reviewing the use of Facebook and other social networking sites on its computers with an eye toward setting rules on how to protect against possible security risks. The Marine Corps on Monday issued an administrative directive saying it was banning the use of Marine network for accessing such sites as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The order doesn't affect Marines' private use of such networks on personal computers outside of their jobs...

WASHINGTON -- The White House is turning to the Internet to hit back at a Web posting that claims to show President Barack Obama explaining how his health care reform plans eventually would eliminate private insurance. The 3-minute White House video features Linda Douglass, a former network television correspondent and now White House Office of Health Reform communications director, sitting in front of a computer screen showing the Drudge Report Web site. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke is coming to Missouri to push the president's economic recovery efforts. Locke is scheduled to speak in Kansas City early Wednesday afternoon. He is expected to talk about steps the government has already made to lead the country out of recession and investments it is making to make the economy more resistant to future economic downturns...

MILWAUKEE -- PepsiCo Inc. said Tuesday it is buying its two top bottlers for $7.8 billion in a bid to save money and get new products to market more quickly. The deals were sealed months after PepsiCo's first offers were rejected and 10 years after PepsiCo first spun off its largest bottler, Pepsi Bottling Group...

WASHINGTON -- The local post office long has been the center of many American communities, but with people turning increasingly to the Internet to send messages and pay bills, financial losses are forcing the Postal Service to consider consolidating or closing hundreds of local facilities...

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is refusing to quickly release U.S. government records on its "cash-for-clunkers" rebate program that would substantiate -- or undercut -- White House claims of the program's success, even as the president presses the Senate for a quick vote for $2 billion to boost car sales.

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Jackson and Minnesota have exchanged dramatic one-run victories the past two days at the Senior Babe Ruth Midwest Plains Regional. So perhaps it's only fitting that the squads will square off one more time. On the line at 1 p.m. today will be the Midwest Plains Regional title and a berth in the Senior Babe Ruth World Series set for Aug. 15 through 22 in Moses Lake, Wash...

Emergency management and city officials are counting their blessings after Tuesday's thunderstorm that passed through the area produced only minor damage...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Charges were filed Tuesday against a local man who allegedly shot another Kennett man in the chest on Monday evening. According to Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Stephen P. Sokoloff, Danny Curlett, 47, is facing charges of assault in the first-degree and armed criminal action. Both charges carry a penalty of up to life in prison...

Phone service to Notre Dame Regional High School is temporarily down. Notre Dame technology director Jeff Worley said contractors were moving utilities Tuesday and had turned off phone service when weather halted the work. Crews haven't yet been able to restore phone service. However, the school is open...

A trial date has been set in the case of Max Ellison, a former sheriff's deputy charged with the 1979 murder of Deborah L. Martin. Ellison's five-day jury trial will begin on March 29, 2010, at 9 a.m. before New Madrid County Circuit Judge Fred Copeland...

Jackson and the southern part of Cape Girardeau bore the brunt of the three bouts of thunderstorms that hit Cape Girardeau County Tuesday night, causing power outages, flash flooding and numerous fallen trees and power lines. Early estimates of the rainfall were nearly four inches by 8 p.m., but exact totals were not available due to a lightning strike that damaged the weather-measuring equipment at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, meteorologist Robin Smith said...

A lawsuit filed by New Life Evangelistic Center over the old federal building on Broadway means that Cape Girardeau County must wait to find out if its offer to buy the building will be accepted. In a letter sent Monday to Cape Girardeau County First District Commissioner Paul Koeper, the General Services Administration said that it must stop negotiations with the county over the sale of the building at 339 Broadway. ...

The St Louis Division of Christopher and Banks and CJ Banks Sponsored a Fund Drive for the Humane Society of Missouri on July 16,17,18 to help rescued pit bulls, seized earlier this month in multiple states. The Cape Girardeau Stores collected money($133.00), toys, blankets, and food(shown in the picture, along with Michelle and Alec Turner, daughter and grandson of LaDonna Hengst, Mgr of CJ Banks. ...

The story would not be complete without a picture of where all the water went. As you can see the water actually created a second standing wave from the pressure against our grage doors. My wife and I were both very excited by the pretty waves.

The water was coming so fast that it formed a wave diverting the water away from the drains and into my garage.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Sikeston Jaycees have switched entertainers for Thursday night after scheduled performer Billy Currington and his bassist were injured during a Saturday performance in Canada.

When David Coleman saw there was a photo contest for the Emmy-award winning television series MAD MEN, he knew he and his wife Jerri would have to enter. After all, the show has been the couple's favorite program for the past two years. "We started watching it because the lead character has the same job as I do, a Creative Director at an ad agency," said David Coleman...

It is always heart-warming when young people wish to help other young people. That is exactly what Harmony Creek, a local Christian Contemporary group, is doing by holding a benefit concert with a "love offering" to benefit CASA of Southeast Missouri, Inc...

Elvis is a 1yr old Great Pyrenees mix. He is already neutered. Elvis is looking for a new home at The Humane Society of SEMO, 573-334-5837. See more pets available at www.semopets.org

The JHS Varsity Cheerleaders recently attended a 4-day NCA (National Cheerleading Association) summer camp at SEMO. The NCA selects award winners at each of the over 1,100 camps it administers around the world each summer. Founded in 1948, NCA has been conducting camps for 58 years and holds events annually for over 150,000 cheerleaders and dancers around the world...

KENNETT, Mo. -- A 47-year-old Kennett man turned himself in to the Kennett Police Department on Tuesday morning after allegedly shooting another local man in the chest on Monday evening.

Tambra Turner, who faces first-degree murder charges for a Cape Girardeau killing in early 2008, will be tried in St. Louis County, Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said Tuesday.

Commissioner Jay Purcell is appealing the recent defeat of his Sunshine Law suit against the Cape Girardeau County Commission. On Tuesday, Purcell's attorney, J.P. Clubb, filed two legal briefs with the Missouri Court of Appeals' Eastern District. One asks the court to reconsider its July 21 decision to dismiss the lawsuit. ...

A plan to consolidate U.S. Postal Service operations by possibly closing 677 locations nationwide includes no post offices in Southeast Missouri. In fact, the plan doesn't contemplate closing any location where there is a postmaster in charge. The plan, which is described by postal service spokesman Richard Watkins as a blueprint for studying how to save money, targets what are known as branch offices or postal stations and all are in the urban or suburban areas of large metropolitan regions...

For months, residents of Cape Girardeau and Jackson wondered who would be next. It became a familiar story: Homeowners would leave their houses to run errands or grab a bite to eat, and when they returned they would find a door smashed in and cash and jewelry missing...

Road work mess; Sinking ship; Running red light; Need help; Bond or no?; Not tax free; Not the government

Bless, O God, those who smile and laugh and share the joys of their lives. Amen.

With the overwhelming success of the "cash for clunkers" program, I want to expand the concept just a tad. I'm waiting for word from Congress on additional funding for the popular program because I have just the perfect trade-in for this inspiring plan...

I was a senior in high school. A lot of my friends were being taken out of high school to be drafted in the service when they turned 18, but they hadn't even graduated. Some of our teachers had been talking about current events, but sitting in class it had no meaning to me. Then came March 23, my 18th birthday, and it happened to me. My teachers' warnings took on new meaning. I was living right in the middle of them...

The Princeton Review listed Southeast Missouri State University as one of the best universities in the Midwest in its "2010 Best Colleges: Region by Region." The company named 158 colleges to the list, which covered 12 states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin...

One week remains to register for the sixth annual Scott City Yard Sale. Sponsored by the Scott City Chamber of Commerce and Women's Club, the yard sale is scheduled for Sept. 4 and 5. While most of the participants live in Scott City, those living outside the city limits may take part in the sale. Those residing outside Scott City may sell their items for a $20 fee at the caboose parking lot on Main Street, across from the VFW hall...

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

Laura Lee Pinkerton, 57, of Mesquite, Texas, passed away Thursday, July 30, 2009, at Doctors Hospital in Dallas. She was born April 1, 1952, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Cleman and Anna Lee Schweer Quade. Formerly of Jackson, she had lived in Mesquite eight years...

BENTON, Mo. -- Cecil Rodger "Nip" Lynn, 82, of rural Benton died Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 28, 1926, near Benton, to the late Clyde and Rita Agnes Rodger Lynn Sr. He lived in Scott County his entire life where he was self-employed in farming until retiring in 1989. He was a member of New Savannah Baptist Church...

BELL CITY, Mo. -- John David Cockrell, 36, of Wamsutter, Wyo., passed away Sunday, July 26, 2009, in Wamsutter. He was born Oct. 26, 1972, at Dexter, Mo., son of Daniel Cockrell and Marie Perez. John was a 1991 graduate of Bell City High School. He was of the Pentecostal belief...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Layne A. Favier, 34, of Perryville died Monday, Aug. 3, 2009, at his home. He was born Sept. 14, 1974, in Perryville, son of stepfather Mark C. Rudesill and mother Charryl Favier Rudesill of Cape Girardeau. Other survivors include a son, Aaron Favier of Perryville; a sister, Caira Rudesill of Cape Girardeau; aunts and uncles, Denise (Jim) Hildebrand of St. ...

Dianna Lynn Seabaugh, 59, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Aug. 30, 1949, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Columbus and Selma Dockins Welker. She and Thomas Leonard Seabaugh were married in St. Louis. He preceded her in death April 19, 1995...

Zeno W. "Sam" Schafer, 88, of Jackson passed away Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau, where he had lived since October 2008. He was born Nov. 3, 1920, in Kelso, Mo., to Frank J. and Ortha Heisserer Schafer. He and Sopha A. Beel were married Feb. 9, 1942, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau. Sopha passed away Jan. 16, 2005...

BROWNWOOD, Mo. -- Lester "Red" Swinford, 81, of Brownwood passed away Monday, Aug. 3, 2009, at his home. He was born July 16, 1928, at Painton, Mo., son of Luther and Gertrude Bass Swinford. Red was a member of Advance VFW and attended Full Gospel Church. He was a retired owner and operator of an auto body shop...

25 years ago: Aug. 5, 1984 The Otahki Girl Scout Council's Camp Cherokee Ridge has enjoyed a good summer; about 300 girls participated in activities at the resident camp near Patterson, Mo., during the camp's six-week run. The winner of the 1984 Kelso Sommerfest crown, Tammy Wubker, 16, of Oran, presided over the festivities at this year's celebration held Friday and yesterday; she was selected from among 13 contestants...

LOS ANGELES -- The Julia parts in "Julie & Julia" are a delight. The ones about Julie? More like an annoying distraction. Writer-director Nora Ephron has woven together the real-life stories of two women separated by decades and a body of water but connected by a love of food and a quest for identity. ...

BEAVER, Utah -- Polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs is being force-fed in jail for the second time in less than a week after refusing to eat, Arizona officials said Tuesday. Mohave County sheriff's spokeswoman Trish Carter said force feeding of Jeffs started Friday at the Kingman, Ariz., jail after it was found he was not eating. Jeffs subsequently started eating on his own again and continued doing so until Monday night, she said...

BOSTON -- It seems John Quincy Adams was way ahead of his time. A high school student touring the sixth U.S. president's archives recently noticed his bite-sized diary entries looked a lot like tweets. Starting today, history will meet modern technology as the Massachusetts Historical Society begins posting Adams' updates from 200 years ago on Twitter. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is reviewing the use of Facebook and other social networking sites on its computers with an eye toward setting rules on how to protect against possible security risks. The Marine Corps on Monday issued an administrative directive saying it was banning the use of its network for accessing such sites as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The order doesn't affect Marines' private use of such networks on personal computers outside of their jobs...

WASHINGTON -- The full Senate started its debate Tuesday on confirming Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic justice, with Republican opponents asserting she would bring bias to the bench and Democratic supporters saying she was a mainstream moderate...

WASHINGTON -- You say it's your birthday. It's my birthday, too. And so it went at the White House on Tuesday. On the day he turned 48, President Obama decided to splash a little celebration on someone with whom he shares the birthday: White House correspondent Helen Thomas, now a columnist with Hearst Newspapers. She turned 89 on Tuesday...

PepsiCo to buy bottlers for $7.8B MILWAUKEE -- PepsiCo Inc. said Tuesday it is buying its two top bottlers for $7.8 billion in a bid to save money and get new products to market more quickly. The deals were sealed months after PepsiCo's first offers were rejected and 10 years after PepsiCo first spun off its largest bottler, Pepsi Bottling Group. ...

WASHINGTON -- The government's $50 billion program to ease the mortgage crisis is helping only a fraction of struggling homeowners, and a list released Tuesday showed which lenders are laggards. As of July, only 9 percent of eligible borrowers had seen their mortgage payments reduced with modified loans. And the first monthly progress report showed that 10 lenders had not changed a single mortgage...

Dealerships and car shoppers alike are waiting for the Senate to decide the fate of "cash for clunkers." Many dealerships have stopped selling cars and trucks through the program while Washington decides whether to approve more money for it. In some cases, salesmen are only taking deposits and not letting customers drive new vehicles off the lot...

NEW YORK -- Having sprinted higher for three weeks, the stock market is taking a break. Investors made few big moves Tuesday after stocks rocketed 14 percent in just 16 days. The market closed with modest gains as many traders held their positions and looked toward the Labor Department's employment report Friday...

Italy's record jackpot climbs to $171 million ROME -- The record jackpot for Italy's state lottery increased to 119 million euros, about $171.2 million, after the latest drawing Tuesday again thwarted those hoping to get the winning, six-number combination. ...

SEOUL, South Korea -- Former president Bill Clinton brought two freed U.S. journalists out of North Korea early today following talks with leader Kim Jong Il, who pardoned the women after they were sentenced to hard labor for entering the country illegally...

BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday urged members of his Fatah movement -- meeting for the first time in two decades -- to give peace talks with Israel a chance. Abbas hopes formal endorsement of his policies by Fatah will strengthen his hand against his Islamic militant Hamas rivals and Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu...

KHARTOUM, Sudan -- Sudanese police fired tear gas and beat women protesting at the trial Tuesday of a female journalist who faces a flogging for wearing trousers in public. Sudanese journalist Lubna Hussein could receive 40 lashes if found guilty of violating the country's indecency law, which follows a strict interpretation of Islam. The 43-year-old says the law is un-Islamic and oppressive, and she's trying to use her trial to rally support to change it...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Opposition groups called for protesters to prepare for a new round of street demonstrations today to coincide with the inauguration ceremony for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The appeals -- carried on reformist websites and blogs -- showed a willingness by protesters to confront the security operation expected outside parliament and other areas of the capital Tehran during the swearing in formalities...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- A handful of extremists with ties to an al-Qaida-linked group in Somalia planned to storm one of Australia's largest military bases and launch a fight to the death with troops, police said Tuesday. Police revealed details of the alleged plot after arresting four suspects -- Australian citizens aged between 22 and 26 with Somali and Lebanese origins -- in pre-dawn raids Tuesday on 19 houses in the southern city of Melbourne, the culmination of a seven-month intelligence operation.. ...

WHO says swine flu deaths rise to 1,154 GENEVA -- The World Health Organization said Tuesday that 1,154 swine flu victims have died since the virus emerged in April. The WHO said that includes 338 deaths reported in the week leading up to last Friday. ...

BEIJING -- Residents of a farming town in western China said Tuesday people were seeking to flee in defiance of a lockdown by authorities to prevent the spread of highly infectious pneumonic plague which has claimed three lives in the area. Police have set up checkpoints around Ziketan in Qinghai province, a town of 10,000 people, which has been put under quarantine after at least a dozen people caught the lung infection which can kill within 24 hours if untreated...

Nine more countries want swine flu vaccine LONDON -- Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline says that nine additional countries have ordered 96 million doses of swine flu vaccine since last month. That is in addition to the 195 million vaccine doses and products previously ordered by countries including Britain and the U.S., for a total of 291 million doses. ...

ST JOHN'S, Antigua -- Antigua's highest mountain officially became "Mount Obama" on Tuesday as the small Caribbean nation celebrated the American president on his birthday and saluted him as a symbol of black achievement. Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer presided over the rechristening ceremony at the base of the mountain, unveiling a stone sculpture and plaque honoring the president as an inspiration in the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda and throughout the Caribbean...

YANGON, Myanmar -- An American facing up to five years in jail for entering the house of Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been hospitalized after suffering seizures, a week before a court is expected to issue a verdict in his case...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran has arrested three Americans who strayed across the border from Iraq on allegations they illegally entered the country, and a lawmaker said Tuesday that authorities are deciding whether they will be accused of spying. Officials in northern Iraq's Kurdish region said Sunday that the three -- Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Joshua Fattal -- were tourists who inadvertently crossed into Iran on July 31 while hiking in the region. ...

By JAY COHEN The Associated Press NEW YORK -- St. Louis manager Tony La Russa repeated the same thing over and over again during Albert Pujols' brief slump. "I said he's smart. He'll fix it," La Russa said. "He fixed it tonight." Boy, did he. Pujols hit a grand slam in the 10th inning for his second homer of the game and the Cardinals rallied to beat the sliding New York Mets 12-7 on Tuesday...

Cape team reaches Ripken world series The Cape Girardeau 12-year-olds defeated Baxter, Minn., 11-3 to win the Midwest Plains Regional in Grand Island, Neb., and advance to the Cal Ripken World Series. Cape, which finished the tournament undefeated, won its third straight regional title...

ST. LOUIS -- For a quarterback tutored by scoring mastermind Mike Martz, the switch to the West Coast offense is taking some time to sink in for Marc Bulger. New St. Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo hired Pat Shurmur as offensive coordinator, and Shurmur is going with the West Coast offense...

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- Sometimes, when they're reminiscing about the good ol' days, Orlando Pace acknowledges he and Olin Kreutz sound like old men. They share laughs, recall how things were. "We can almost relate to a lot of stuff," said Pace, the Chicago Bears' new left tackle. "We can talk about back in the day, the way things used to be -- the way old men talk about football. So that's kind of exciting. That's almost what we do every day just to get ourselves through camp."...

This hasn't been among the most successful years for the tradition-rich Plaza Tire Capahas, although they did win eight of their last nine regular-season games. But the Capahas have a chance to put a special finish on their campaign when they make their 28th consecutive appearance at the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate has cleared the way for a vote extending the "cash-for-clunkers" program, which offers car buyers rebates of up to $4,500 for trading in their gas-guzzlers for new, higher-mileage models, setting aside Republican opposition to the plan...

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- General Motors Co.'s board chairman says company management was told this week to bring some of its new vehicles to market faster. Edward Whitacre Jr. would not identify the vehicles but told reporters on a conference call Wednesday that the board emphasized fuel efficiency as well as other areas...

Cape Girardeau: Arrests; Summons; Thefts; Burglary; Miscellaneous; Jackson: Thefts; Miscellaneous

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County commissioners hope a meeting scheduled for next week will result in a solution to a water supply problem. During their regular meeting Tuesday, commissioners approved a letter inviting Ellen Brandom, 160th District's state representative and officials from the county's rural Public Water Supply District No. 4, Public Water Supply District No. 1, the city of Morehouse, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development and Missouri Department of Natural Resource...

Phone service was restored this morning at Notre Dame Regional High School, school technology director Jeff Worley wrote in a email to the Southeast Missourian. The phone system had been off line since Tuesday evening, but the school had remained open. The school can be reached by calling its regular line at 335-6772...

The Missouri Department of Transportation and Cape Girardeau are working to eliminate access from Timon Way to Highway 177 to increase safety.

Emergency management and city officials are counting their blessings after Tuesday's thunderstorms caused only minor damage.

Dr. Jim Welker, superintendent of the Cape Girardeau School District, will be the guest speaker at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee.

A trial date has been set in the case of Max Ellison, a former sheriff's deputy charged with the 1979 murder of Deborah L. Martin.

16-1/2 lb catfish caught by Willam Dillard of 704 Riverbend Road.

One of the most intense fires recently witnessed by Jackson firefighters gutted a home Wednesday morning.

Aunt Sara & Regan on her first fishing trip.

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- Photographs of landscapes, farm animals and flowers started their journey to Germany on Wednesday to open the lines of communication between the old and new Altenburg. Students from Altenburg's public and private schools attended a photography workshop in May 2008 with Dr. ...

Statewide Sales Tax Holiday runs Aug. 7-9 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State Rep. Steve Hodges, D-East Prairie, is encouraging area residents to take advantage of Missouri's annual Sales Tax Holiday, which begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 7 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 9...

On August 2, CrossRoads Fellowship hosted over 300 members of local churches for a Sing Out For Hunger. This special event was organized to raise money for the Jackson Ministerial Alliance food pantry. A huge thank you goes to the musicians who shared their time and talents to help raise over $1500 and a trailer full of canned food for this event. A debt of gratitude is owed to the pastors of the ministerial alliance and all who attended and supported this first annual Sing Out For Hunger...

For Immediate Release: August 6, 2009 Contact : Viney Mosley Phone : 573 339 1053 home Museum: 573 334 0405 Meet and Greet the author reception August 21, 2009 5pm- 7pm Cape River Heritage Museum. The wine and cheese reception includes an opportunity to purchase books with...

Luke Bryan can try to sing rock songs, but with his Georgia accent they end up sounding country anyway. "It's safe to say I'm country, and that's kind of just the way it is," Bryan said in a phone interview from somewhere in upstate Michigan. Bryan and his bus will travel south to play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo, where fans can expect "a fun up-tempo show" without a lot of ballads, he said. "We just get up there and have fun."...

Start you child's Soccer career with this fun class. Start Smart Soccerl prepares children (ages 3-5) for organized soccer in a fun environment without the threat of competition or the fear of getting hurt. Parents will work with their child on many different skills. Each child will receive a Start Smart T-Shirt. Register at the A. C. Brase Arena Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Call 339-6340 for more information...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The magical summer for Jackson's Senior Babe Ruth baseball team fell agonizingly short of an ultimate prize. With a Senior Babe Ruth World Series berth on the line, Minnesota beat Jackson 6-3 in eight innings Wednesday in the finals of the Midwest Plains Regional...

Recent discussions by Cape Girardeau officials indicate some major changes in solid waste collection may be coming. There appear to be two advantages of the proposed new system: more efficient service and a shift to citywide recycling. Trash fees went up 5 percent this year. And recycling has been on a voluntary basis...

Dear Public Service Commissioners: This e-mail was written to address my profound disappointment at a public company (AmerenUE) that would ask for a rate increase under the present economic conditions. The Public Service Commission should not even consider a rate increase for the following reasons:...

Bad idea; Saving energy?; Jackson bill; Unreliable info; Keep the jobs; Good program; Local fluff

OGod, we rely on you for our strength to face whatever this day has in store. Amen.

At Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Missouri, we support comprehensive health-care reform that will rein in the cost of health care for everyone, improve the quality and safety of care and ensure all Americans have health insurance...

BURBANK, Calif. -- Two American journalists held captive in North Korea since March endured meals of rice with rocks, more than four months of isolation and the constant fear they would be sent to a gulag. Facing sentences of 12 years' hard labor, they were allowed only sporadic contact with each other, let alone the outside world. ...

NEW YORK -- A common treatment that uses medical cement to fix cracks in the spinal bones of elderly people worked no better than a sham treatment, the first rigorous studies of the popular procedure reveal. Pain and disability were virtually the same up to six months later, whether patients had a real treatment or a fake one...

LOS ANGELES -- If Paula Abdul's abrupt Twitter announcement that she's quitting "American Idol" is a contract negotiating ploy, it's a spectacular one. If not, she's potentially blown a hole in TV's top-rated show -- and rejected an eight-figure deal that represented a 30 percent raise, according to a person familiar with the talks. The person, lacking authority to speak publicly, asked not to be identified...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in to a second presidential term Wednesday with a call for the divided nation to "join hands," but it was greeted by protests in the streets and snubs inside Iran's parliament. The oath-taking ceremony capped a cycle of outrage over claims of massive fraud in the June 12 elections and moved Iran into a new phase: a weakened leadership facing a wider opposition that includes powerful clerics and internal splits among conservatives...

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

With the nation's economy still struggling, more families are in need of assistance to put dinner on the table each evening. For Jackson residents having difficulty making ends meet, help is only a few blocks away. The Jackson Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry -- at the First Baptist Church in Jackson -- serves the needs of residents within the Jackson school district. The not-for-profit organization is run completely by volunteers, who distribute food and groceries to families in need...

Entertainment options for the week.

LOS ANGELES -- "A Perfect Getaway" is essentially one big red herring, flopping around on an idyllic Hawaiian beach, desperately trying to call attention to itself. Everyone's a suspect and no one's a suspect, and writer-director David Twohy's raison d'etre with this thriller -- aside from jolting us, of course -- is to mess with our brains and keep us guessing until he reveals his Big Twist. ...

WASHINGTON -- Having trouble paying your mortgage? To find out if you qualify for a loan modification, you'll have to work with a loan servicer -- the company that collects your mortgage payments. But dealing with these companies can be frustrating and confusing, said Diane Thompson, a lawyer with the National Consumer Law Center in Boston...

WASHINGTON -- Billions of dollars the government is spending to help financially pressed homeowners avert foreclosure are passing through -- and enriching -- companies accused of preying on the people they're supposed to help, an Associated Press investigation has found...

Weather keeps phones out at Notre Dame Phone service to Notre Dame Regional High School was not working by the end of business Wednesday. Notre Dame technology director Jeff Worley said phone service was disrupted Tuesday when contractors were moving utilities and work was halted due to the weather. ...

Cape Girardeau: Arrests; Summonses; Theft; Burglary; Property damage; Miscellaneous; Jackson: Summonses; Miscellaneous

Sunday's Good Times calendar should not have listed a Teacher Appreciation Event on Friday at Main Street Flooring in Jackson. No such event will be held.

25 years ago: Aug. 6, 1984 Although Secretary of State James Kirkpatrick is predicting a near-record turnout statewide, Cape Girardeau County probably won't have a particularly high number of voters in tomorrow's primary election, says County Clerk Rodney Miller...

On Aug. 28, a new state law will require law enforcement agencies to make audio recordings of all their interviews with suspects they've arrested on specific charges. Local authorities say that while they do generally try to record those types of interviews when serious crimes such as murder and rape are involved, they must work on revising their policies to accommodate the new law...

The Plaza Tire Capahas find themselves in an early hole during their 28th consecutive National Baseball Congress World Series appearance in Wichita, Kan. Plaza Tire lost its tournament opener Wednesday, 9-2 against the Hays (Kan.) Larks. The Capahas (20-11), who had a four-game winning streak snapped, fell into the losers bracket of the double-elimination event. They'll try to stay alive when they play the Game Time (La.) Rockies at 10:30 a.m. today...

The Southeast Missouri State gymnastics program again is tops in the country when it comes to academics. It was announced Wednesday that the Redhawks earned the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women National Academic Team Championship for the third straight year...

NEW YORK -- Jonathon Niese wound up doing the splits while trying to cover first base, went to the mound to throw a practice pitch and collapsed in pain from a season-ending hamstring tear Wednesday. Another game, another injury for the New York Mets...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams will retire the No. 75 worn by Hall of Fame defensive end Deacon Jones during the team's home opener Sept. 27. The Rams host Green Bay in the first regular season home game for the 2009 season. The team earlier had announced plans to retire the number but didn't announce when until Tuesday...

ST. LOUIS -- New Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo wanted an intense training camp and he's got one -- almost too intense. On Wednesday, second-year linebacker Chris Chamberlain hit running back Steven Jackson's knee while making a tackle. Fortunately for the Rams, Jackson was OK...

TRENTON, N.J. -- The swine flu pandemic is spurring makers of seasonal flu vaccines to ship them to the U.S. market well ahead of schedule, and supplies are tightening as distributors and others snap up vaccine vials. The top U.S. supplier of flu vaccine, Sanofi Pasteur, stopped taking orders for 10-dose vials of Fluzone, which make up about 60 percent of its production, June 19, spokesman Len Lavenda said Wednesday...

WASHINGTON -- The popular "cash for clunkers" program may be a well-timed shot of adrenaline for the economy, but it's not a prescription for lasting recovery. The federal rebates of up to $4,500 to drivers who trade in a gas guzzler for a more fuel-efficient vehicle are steering cash to car dealers, giving a boost to troubled automakers and generating much-needed sales taxes for cities...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Charges were filed Tuesday against a local man who allegedly shot another Kennett man in the chest Monday evening. According to Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Stephen P. Sokoloff, Danny Curlett, 47, is facing charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action. Both charges carry a penalty of up to life in prison...

Aug. 6, 2009 Dear Pat, Tom is a health-care professional who first tried crack a couple of years ago, just to see what it feels like. He liked the way it made him feel. Soon he was spending $100 for some weekend fun. Except the places he went to buy and smoke crack weren't anything like the family recreation room. ...

August seems to be a time for action: Schools and concert series starting back up, new shows planned and another month of new art hanging around town. Friday will again be the First Friday Art Walks. This will be the last weekend to see the "Equity: Selections from the Permanent Collection" at the Crisp Museum. ...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Rev. Edward Payson Nichols Jr., 65, died Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, at The Neighborhoods at Quail Creek in Springfield, where he had resided since 2006. Nichols was born July 23, 1944, in Corpus Christi, Texas, where his father was stationed as a U.S. Marine Corps flight instructor...

Emma L. Quade Pedersen, 73, of Springfield, Mo., passed away peacefully Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009, at her home after a long courageous battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her loving family. She was born Dec. 13, 1935, in Gordonville. She and Richard L. Pedersen were married March 16, 1957...

Howard G. Brown, 78, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009, at his home. He was born Dec. 25, 1930, in Mississippi County, Mo., son of John W. and Ida Forsythe Brown. Howard and Helen Lober were married Jan. 2, 1954, in Charleston, Mo. She died July 22, 2006...

PAINTON, Mo. -- Roy William Friedrich Sr., 89, of California, Mo., went home to be with his lord Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009, at Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, Mo. Roy was born Nov. 11, 1919, near Painton, son of Wilheim "William" Heinrich George and Esther Daisy Kelso Friedrich...

ORAN, Mo. -- Paul Edward Neal, 74, of Oran died Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 4, 1935, in Oran, son of Benjamin Frank and Estelle Gertrude Fowler Neal. He and Jean Carter were married March 9, 1955. She died May 24, 2003...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Virginia "Ginny" Halter, 75, of Perryville died Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009, in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 10, 1934, in St. Louis, daughter of Henry and Helen Renner Bohnert. She married Hubert Halter on May 15, 1954, at Biehle, Mo...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Roy Busch Mowry, 72, of Perryville died Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009, at Perry Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to service time today at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. today at the funeral home, with the Rev. Dennis Cebulak officiating. Burial will be in Home Cemetery...

Jessie Della Clippard, 89, of Jackson died Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, at Monticello House. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery...

Gregg Douglas August, 47, of Sandy, Utah, died Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009, at his home. He is formerly of Scott City. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements.

WASHINGTON -- The Senate is poised to add $2 billion to the popular "cash-for-clunkers" program after lawmakers agreed to vote on the government car incentives and give shoppers until Labor Day to visit their local dealerships and make a deal. Administration officials have estimated the tripling of the $1 billion program could fund an additional 500,000 new car sales, giving automakers a late summer boost after months of ragged sales. ...

NEW YORK -- Shoppers -- worried about job security and finding fewer options among the sales bins -- remained tight-fisted in July, resulting in sluggish sales for many merchants and raising concern about the back-to-school shopping season's health...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri transportation officials have approved rail projects costing about $200 million that they hope to pay for with federal stimulus money. The Highways and Transportation Commission on Wednesday added the 11 rail projects to its five-year construction plan. ...

DETROIT -- None of the six most-popular midsize sedans earned a top rating in bumper safety in the latest crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Mazda 6 was the only car to receive an "acceptable" rating -- one rating below "good," the top rating -- based on the average cost to repair front, rear and corner bumpers following a 6 mph crash...

First Friday receptions for August.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A year after it broke ground, Orgill's Mid-America SuperCenter in Sikeston began shipping goods.

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Clarkton, Mo., man was sentenced Wednesday to prison after a Stoddard County jury earlier had convicted him of statutory sodomy. The Daily American Republic reports Presiding Circuit Judge Stephen Sharp sentenced Dale Dewayne Bookwalter Sr., 36, to 15 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections, Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Sokoloff said in a news release...

A Sedgewickville, Mo., man was arrested by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department Thursday on suspicion that he videotaped a fellow employee while she used the restroom at the business where they worked, according to a sheriff's department news release...

Missouri's sales tax holiday kicks off today but shoppers won't be able to take advantage of city and county sales tax exemptions in certain jurisdictions. While some cities and counties have chosen not to participate in the event that runs through Sunday at midnight, shoppers in those jurisdictions still will be eligible for an exemption of the state sales tax of 4.225 percent on eligible items. Savings are limited to school supplies, computer software, clothing, personal computers...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Butler County judge will decide later this month whether a Poplar Bluff teenager should be tried as an adult for allegedly squirting gasoline on another teen and then lighting him on fire. Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth heard testimony Wednesday afternoon from five witnesses presented by Dean Million on behalf of the Butler-Ripley County Juvenile Office...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Authorities say an alert neighbor reacted selflessly in a life-threatening situation, saving a man from a burning apartment before calling 911 on Tuesday. According to the Kennett Fire Department, firefighters responded to a structure fire at 963 Floyd Court at 11:03 a.m. Tuesday. Upon the department's arrival on the scene, it was determined that Merrill Coleman, a neighbor to the burning apartment was listening to music when he heard an explosion...

Police are searching for a suspect who robbed a Cape Girardeau business owner while she slept at her shop, according to Sgt. Jason Selzer, spokesman for the police department. The robbery occurred around 3:20 a.m. at a store in the south part of town, when the elderly shop owner was sleeping on a cot in the back, Selzer said...

There is a broken wood plank on the front porch on the Siebert home, a cabin near Millersville. "This is where my horse tried to come into the house with me," said Colby Siebert, 18. Colby has been riding horses for 10 years and started competing in rodeos seven years ago...

The Heartland Nationals All Star Softball team competed in the 2009 Midwest Plains Regional Tournament held July 23-26 in Strasburg Colorado. The Team earned 3rd Place in the Tournament. The All Star team earned 1st runner up in the Missouri Babe Ruth State Tournament and 2nd place in the Jackson Softball Tournament...

The Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department will once again be offering there NFL Youth Flag Football League. Have you always wanted to play football without the hitting. Then this is the league for you. Ages are 5-12 and games are played on Saturday afternoons starting in September. Registration begins July 20 and will run through August 28. Cost is $50 and each child will receive there own NFL replica and flag belt to keep. Call Chris at 334-2523 for more information...

The Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau recently recognized the American Legion Auxiliary for their long tradition of support to their resident Veterans. Under the leadership of Barbara Yallaly, the ALA Home Representative, this group has been assisting the residents at the Veterans Home since it opened its doors in 1990. ...

Marty Fluegge caught this 30 pound blue catfish on Monday, August 3, 2009 in the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau.

After struggling to determine the fate of the Reynolds House, the Historical Association of Greater Cape Girardeau sold the 152-year-old building Thursday to a limited liability company with the understanding that it be preserved, said the association's new president, Tom Grantham...

Jack Litzelfelner III recently won the Long Drive Championship and place 5th in Missouri Gateway Junior Championship heald in Ballwin Mo.

After a two-month drop off in reservations at the Rose Bed Inn, business at the bed and breakfast is booming once again. "For a few months it was getting slim, and then, all of a sudden, that unfamiliar tone of the phone started ringing again with people booking reservations," chef James Coley said. "We always knew from when we opened in 2001 that if you turn the nearly blank reservation page and things look bleak, if you provide quality goods and services they will come...

I took my girl Lacy outside to potty a couple of months ago and to my surprise, we saw a whole tribe of seven newborn skunks traveling along, like a row of ducks, heading for our shed. Needless to say I paniked and grabbed Lacy up and headed towards the house. They stayed around for the next two months and eventually moved on, but they are really cute and I mananged to get a few pics of them...

The Plaza Tire Capahas experienced a rare brief stay at the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan. For one of the few times in their history, the Capahas lost their first two games in the tournament. The Capahas were bounced from the double-elimination event Thursday as the Game Time (La.) Rockies posted a 6-0 victory...

Cape Girardeau Regional Airport manager Bruce Loy expects plenty of competition for subsidized commercial passenger service when proposals are opened Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Loy said Thursday he's been contacted by five or six airlines seeking information about the airport, which has seen passenger numbers dwindle from a high of almost 8,000 in 2006 to just 404 from Jan. 1 through July 31...

NEW YORK -- A hacker attack shut down the fast-growing messaging service Twitter for hours Thursday, while Facebook experienced intermittent access problems. Twitter said it suffered a denial-of-service attack, in which hackers command scores of computers to a single site at the same time, preventing legitimate traffic from getting through...

BAGHDAD -- A car bomb tore through a crowded market in a Kurdish area in the disputed city of Kirkuk on Thursday, killing at least five people in the latest attack to signal rising tensions in northern Iraq. U.S. officials have warned that disputes between minority Kurds and Arabs over oil and land threaten to erupt into a new front in the Iraq conflict while violence elsewhere declines...

Rita Marie Duncan, 75, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Dec. 12, 1933, in Alexander County, Ill., daughter of Curtis and Ruth Winchester. Rita worked 10 years for the Civil Service in St. Louis. She lived most of her life in Southern Illinois. For the last 10 years she has been in Cape Girardeau and was formerly a resident at Capetown Assisted Living...

Jewel A. Tidwell, 83, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Jan. 16, 1926, in Arbor, Mo., to Ernest and Maggie Nolen Tidwell. Jewel was a sewing machine operator 45 years at Florsheim Shoe. She was a member of Cape First...

WENTZVILLE, Mo. -- Robert Guilliams, 65, of Wentzville died Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009. He was the son of Glen and the late Norma Guilliams; father of Mark (Melissa) Guilliams, Blake (April) Guilliams, Wade (Crystal) Guilliams, Brooke Guilliams; brother of Jerry Guilliams, June Goebel, Gary Guilliams, Gail Kraii; loving grandfather of 10; and special friend of Shirley Moore...

Gregg "Uncle Deeg" August, 47, was called to his heavenly home Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. He was born Dec. 3, 1961, to Doug and Velma Jane August. He was baptized into the Christian faith March 17, 1962, confirmed in his faith June 6, 1976, and was a lifelong member of Eisleben Lutheran Church in Scott City...

Jessie Della Clippard, 89, of Jackson died Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, at Monticello House. She was born Nov. 23, 1919, near Kurreville, Mo., daughter of Frank and Iva Dell Statler Niswonger. She married Fred B. Clippard April 8, 1939. He died April 20, 2000...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Johnnie Lemons, 58, of Advance passed away Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, at his home. He was born June 19, 1951, in Parma, Mo., son of Oran and Betty Biggs Lemons. Johnnie and Kyong "Coffee" Kim were married in 1975 in Seoul, Korea. Lemons was a veteran of the Vietnam War. He was medically retired from the U.S. Army after 15 years of service...

25 years ago: Aug. 7, 1984 The Jackson Board of Aldermen took preliminary steps last night toward annexing a plot of land about a mile north of the city by including in the annexation U.S. 61 from the city limits to the plot; a Knights of Columbus hall will be built on the tract...

ATLANTA -- Get ready to roll up your sleeve three times for flu shots this fall. That's right, three times. This year's flu season is shaping up to be different. Most people will need one shot for the regular seasonal flu and probably two others to protect against the new swine flu...

NEW YORK -- It seemed too horrendous even to imagine. But the case of the mother who caused a deadly wrong-way crash while drunk and stoned is part of a trend: Women in the U.S. are drinking more, and drunken-driving arrests among women are rising rapidly while falling among men...

WASHINGTON -- Sonia Sotomayor won confirmation Thursday as the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, a history-making Senate vote that capped a summer-long debate heavy with ethnic politics and hints of high court fights to come. The third woman in court history, she'll be sworn in Saturday as the 111th justice and the first nominated by a Democrat in 15 years...

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

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

Lee; Armour; Aranico; Lawrence; Spooler; Lange

Chris Harris' Street Spirit column should have stated Barbara Rust would have an art opening at the September First Friday at Gallery 125. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.

Jason Niswonger plans to run with his cross country team when it opens practice Monday. That is if his blisters have healed. Niswonger, the 35-year old Oak Ridge High School coach, completed the Burning River 100, a 100-mile endurance race in Northeast Ohio. He covered the course in 28 hours, 42 minutes...

Jackson's Jill Rushin basks in the perks of being a standout track and field athlete. She's traveled to both coasts and the Southwest this summer. She even made a trip to Puerto Rico in pursuit of the best competition she can find. Rushin, who won the Class 4 state championship in the shot put and discus at May's state meet, wrapped up her summer season with a national championship in the shot put and a second-place finish in the discus in the women's 17- and 18-year olds division at this week's AAU Track and Field National Championships, also known as the Junior Olympics, in Des Moines, Iowa.. ...

Mark Ruark considers Darla Pannier to be among the premier players in the history of Missouri high school girls basketball. But, Ruark emphasized, "more than that, she was such a good person." Ruark recently reflected on Pannier, shortly after the 20th anniversary of her death...

ST. LOUIS -- An eastern Missouri real estate developer convicted of mail and bank fraud has been ordered to pay $34 million in restitution to more than 100 people. The order is part of the sentence imposed on 47-year-old Robert Hartmann of O'Fallon...

CHICAGO -- College student Juan Ibarra hopes a new Illinois law banning text messaging while driving will help him kick the dangerous habit. "I know I should not do it," said Ibarra, 24, a Northeastern Illinois University senior. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn was at the college Thursday to sign the law that bans motorists from texting or reading e-mail while they're moving...

The 188 photos on display at West Park Mall will tug at your heart. They are the Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery featuring photos by professional photographers, including Pat Patterson of Cape Girardeau. The gallery tours the state hoping to bring caring families and children in need of adoption together...

Why is it our city can pave Broadway again when other streets in Cape Girardeau are the worst they have been in decades? The city calls some streets alleyways so it can refuse to pave them. The city seems not to care about certain areas like they do others...

Anti-smoking effort; Hard news; Wronged women; Fussy machines; Not my health care; Destructive question; Time for reform; Praise for stimulus; Simple manipulation; Healthy epithets; Early noise

You know our hearts, O God. Fill them with goodness and mercy. Amen.

All the usual back-to-school signs are sprouting up all around town. Street construction around the university is in full swing, reducing traffic to one lane or prohibiting convenient access. Street repairs have signaled the start of school for several years, cutting off the university just as students arrive for the fall semester...

WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The U.S. Military Academy is rated the best college in the country in this year's Forbes magazine rankings. West Point beat out No. 2 Princeton and third-place California Institute of Technology in the America's Best College report...

NEW YORK -- From the goose that laid the golden egg to the race between the tortoise and the hare, Aesop's fables are known for teaching moral lessons rather than literally being true. But a new study says at least one such tale might really have happened...

Phone service restored at Notre Dame high school Phone service was restored this morning at Notre Dame Regional High School, school technology director Jeff Worley wrote in a email to the Southeast Missourian. The phone system had been off line since Tuesday evening, but the school had remained open. The school can be reached by calling its regular line at 335-6772...

Scholarships The following students were named to the dean's list for the spring 2009 semester at Washington University in St. Louis: deans list n Carly Trautwein of Cape Girardeau was added to the deans list for the academic year of 2009 at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind...

KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com Rhonda Carson grabs a USB drive Thursday afternoon during the Back to School Fair at the Salvation Army in Cape Girardeau. The event, sponsored by United Way and River Corridor Connections, had 40 agencies serving roughly 900 students....

ELIZABETH DODD ~ edodd@semissourian.com Dayna Arthur of Cape Girardeau slides faster than anticipated into the grass on a Slip 'N Slide during a day camp Thursday near the Conservation Nature Center....

Have you ever wondered how a fire extinguisher works? If so, grab a few ingredients from around the house to create your own fire extinguisher. An adult should be present for this experiment. Materials: Instructions: STEP 1: Place enough baking soda in the Mason jar to cover the bottom...

Route ZZ in Bollinger County will remain closed while the Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a drainage pipe beneath the roadway. This section of road is located between County Road 830 and County Road 806. Weather permitting, the work will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use extreme caution while traveling near the area...

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County commissioners hope a meeting scheduled for next week will result in a solution to a water supply problem. During their regular meeting Tuesday, commissioners approved a letter inviting Ellen Brandom, 160th District's state representative and officials from the county's rural Public Water Supply District No. ...

ST. LOUIS -- After missing most of last season with a broken leg, Randy McMichael is eager to show the St. Louis Rams he once again can be an elite tight end. The Rams will hold their first scrimmage of the season tonight, and McMichael is looking forward to his first game-type action in 10 months. McMichael suffered a broken tibia and torn ligament in his right leg in a 31-14 loss to Buffalo on Sept. 28 and missed the rest of the season...

AKRON, Ohio -- Padraig Harrington feels good enough about his swing to concentrate on his results, and it finally paid off Thursday in the Bridgestone Invitational with a 6-under 64 for a two-shot lead. Harrington has not won a sanctioned tournament since last year at the PGA Championship, when he became the first European in history to win successive majors in the same season...

NEW YORK -- Writer-director John Hughes, Hollywood's youth impresario of the 1980s and '90s who captured and cornered the teen and preteen market with such favorites as "Home Alone," "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," died Thursday, a spokeswoman said. He was 59...

BAGHDAD -- After six years of war and terrorist bombings, Iraq is moving against a different killer in its midst -- smoking. Sweeping curbs unveiled by the government Thursday suggest that as the violence subsides, authorities have more time to worry about normal quality-of-life issues. ...

WASHINGTON -- In a positive sign for the economy, companies are laying off fewer workers as they prepare to ramp up production to replenish their depleted stockpiles of goods. Many analysts pointed to Thursday's drop in jobless claims as evidence of a trend signaling fewer job losses in coming months, particularly compared with the flood of layoffs earlier this year...

WASHINGTON -- Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation Thursday night with an additional $2 billion for "cash for clunkers," the rebate program that caught the fancy of car buyers and instantly increased sales for an auto industry long mired in recession...

Some people will travel to the ends of the earth to be involved in a theater production. Clayton Goodman, 16, of Cape Girardeau only had to go to Illinois. This summer Goodman and 22 other high school students are presenting the McLeod Summer Playhouse/Carbondale Community Arts' All Southern High School Theater project, "Into the Woods."...

Gov. Jay Nixon will discuss his plan for increasing autism coverage under health insurance at a stop in Cape Girardeau today.

County officials were still dealing Thursday with technical problems in the aftermath of Tuesday's thunderstorm. Lightning strikes damaged office computers at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse in Jackson and satellite feeds at the county emergency operations center, and knocked out a few communication lines...

Eddie Calvin has had an impressive football career at Southeast Missouri State. In fact, Calvin's numbers suggest that he has been among the Ohio Valley Conference's better cornerbacks the past two years. Yet Calvin has never earned any type of postseason OVC recognition, which indicates that the senior just might be among the league's more underrated defensive players...

A Cape Girardeau man pleaded guilty Friday to felony wire fraud in federal court, according to a news release from the U.S. District Court of Eastern Missouri. Calvin Bird, 42, now faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000. Sentencing has been set for Oct. 30...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Sikeston's favorite rodeo clown is celebrating a milestone at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo this year. "I've been coming here for 50 years," Rick Young said. "Can you believe that?" And in that 50 years, Young's attendance would have been perfect had he not been under contract with a rodeo booking company...

Southeast Missourian A convenience store employee reported to the police by her manager for stealing rewards points was charged in municipal court with theft, assault on a police officer and prohibited acts for yelling curses at her boss and an officer, Cape Girardeau Police Department spokesman Cpl. Adam Glueck said Friday...

BENTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston man was arrested Wednesday on a federal indictment for allegedly making a bomb threat, according to a news release from Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter's office. William C. Scott, 39, was arrested for allegedly making a false bomb threat on June 24. ...

A powerful thirst was apparently no match Wednesday for a dedicated employee.

Lloyd Smith returns for a public event in Southeast Missouri tonight after spending four months in his new role as executive director of the Missouri Republican Party. He said he'll bring a message that the Show Me State is in good shape for the GOP...

Since the state sales tax holiday was established in 2005, Ravyn Reed of Jackson had always included Cape Girardeau in her shopping for the savings.

The Cape Girardeau Social Security office held its Grand Opening on August 7th. Pictured above is the ribbon cutting ceremony. From left to right Tricia Blake, Social Security, Bob Burns, Senator McCaskill's office, Ted Spencer, District Manager, Alice Logan, Area Director, Cheryl Hill, Senator Bond's office, Ann Donnelly, Social Security, Josh Haynes, Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson's office, Kelley Hulse, Social Security...

KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com Gov. Jay Nixon, at podium, talks about autism spectrum disorder insurance reform Friday at Southeast Missouri State's Dempster Hall atrium in Cape Girardeau. ...

KIT DOYLE ~ kdoyle@semissourian.com Cape Girardeau School District superintendent Dr. Jim Welker speaks at the Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee August 7, 2009, at the Show Me Center....

Being recognized as the best at what you do is a reward for good effort and a good comparison with others doing the same thing. In recent days three notable rankings have put a spotlight on Southeast Missouri State University and the Cape Girardeau-Jackson economy...

Highway signs; Not a pretty sight; Road work; Trash containers; Getting by; Grass in street; Keep it going; Doctors fees; Street beggars; Not a good idea; Moving on; Sharing the road; Hard to take; We are voters

By Paul Walker We had the honor and the privilege of hosting the American Wind Symphony Orchestra here in Manistique, Mich. The unbelievable experience is beyond words. It is my greatest hope your readers partake in this wonderful and rare musical event. Please enjoy my letter to our local newspaper...

For all the little things others do for us, we give thanks to you, O God. Amen.

E.W. (Elbridge) Bartley Jr. is a resident of the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He served more than 40 years as a United Methodist pastor. On Aug. 6, 1945, Rev. Bartley was Lt. Bartley on the island of Saipan in the South Pacific, far from home and attached to the Second Marine Division. ...

Until the power goes out and stays out, you don't realize how important light is. Light is not just a convenience; it is a necessity. Back in the days before electricity, a tightfisted old farmer was taking his hired man to task for carrying a lighted lantern when he went to call on his best girl...

In the health-care debate, I believe there are at least seven essential provisions that any plan should contain. 1. Prohibit paying out any benefits for illegal aliens. 2. Prohibit paying out any benefits for abortion on demand. 3. Level the playing field so that all taxpayers are treated the same. ...

As Missouri's House speaker, I have led a House leadership team that uses common sense and conservative principles to forge consensus on tough issues. I promise the same with respect to legislation affecting Missouri families impacted by autism...

A Christian rock band from Southeast Missouri will play a familiar venue tonight to help the youth group of Cape Community Church raise funds for travel to state and international conventions. In the past few years, Parallax View, a group originally from Farmington, Mo., has expanded its music beyond the region and continued to work on a new album. ...

WASHINGTON -- It's the clearest sign yet the recession is finally ending: Employers laid off far fewer workers in July, the jobless rate dipped for the first time in 15 months and workers' hours and pay edged upward. Those are the kinds of figures that could give Americans the psychological boost necessary for recovery to take root after the worst recession since World War II...

NEW YORK -- The outage that knocked Twitter offline for hours was traced to an attack on a lone blogger in the former Soviet republic of Georgia -- but the collateral damage that left millions around the world tweetless showed just how much havoc an isolated cyberdispute can cause...

Some of the dirtiest, smelliest, most dangerous jobs are suddenly looking a lot more appealing in this economy. People who have been out of work for months are lining up for jobs at places they once considered unthinkable: slaughterhouses, sewage plants, prisons...

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been fined tens of thousands of dollars for alleged improper maintenance of underground storage tanks in Puerto Rico. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the department has agreed to pay $30,000 in penalties. It also plans to remove fuel storage tanks in the coastal cities of Mayaguez and Isabela, where the agency operates tropical agriculture research stations...

BAGHDAD -- A suicide truck bomber flattened a Shiite mosque Friday in northern Iraq, and roadside bombs struck Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad, as at least 51 people were killed and many wounded nationwide. It was the second-deadliest day since U.S. forces turned over urban security to the Iraqis more than a month ago, raising fears that Sunni insurgents are intensifying a campaign to re-ignite sectarian violence that pushed the country to the brink of civil war...

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's Taliban chief was killed by a CIA missile strike, a militant commander confirmed Friday -- a severe blow to extremists threatening the stability of this nuclear-armed nation and a possible boost to U.S.-Pakistani cooperation in fighting insurgents who wreak havoc along the Afghan border...

WASHINGTON -- On at least a dozen recent flights by U.S. jetliners, malfunctioning equipment made it impossible for pilots to know how fast they were flying, federal investigators have discovered. A similar breakdown is believed to have played a role in the Air France crash into the Atlantic that killed all 228 people aboard in June...

WASHINGTON -- Don't panic, schools. The government is urging school officials to stay calm when swine flu strikes this fall, closing buildings only in drastic cases and allowing sick students to return as soon as 24 hours after their fever is gone...

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

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Summons Assault Thefts Miscellaneous Jackson The following items were released by the Jackson Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt....

Mark Livesay ANNA, Ill. -- Mark Livesay, 52, of Anna died Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. He was born Jan. 17, 1957, in Wadeena, Minn., to Harold and Evelyn Orr Livesay. He and Becky Rogers were married June 3, 1977. Livesay was a member of First Evangelical Presbyterian Church where he held positions of deacon and elder. He was a table leader and prayer warrior on Walk to Emmaus. He was a Promise Keeper and supporter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes...

Jack Adams SIKESTON, Mo. -- F.G. "Jack" Adams, 83, of Sikeston died Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born July 2, 1926, in Double Springs, Ala., to the late W.G. and Alma McDonald Adams. He first married Maxine Gage on Nov. 3, 1945. She died Dec. 23, 1988. He and Mary Eaton were married Aug. 17, 1990...

Marie Heischmidt Marie Margaret Heischmidt, 90, of Paris, Ill., died Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, at Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 17, 1918, in Fayette County, Ill., daughter of Jacob Andrew and Caroline Mary Zacha Roedl. Marie and Albert Henry Heischmidt were married Feb. 10, 1945, in Edgewood, Ill. He died Nov. 5, 1986...

Jessie Clippard Jessie Della Clippard, 89, of Jackson died Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, at Monticello House. She was born Nov. 23, 1919, near Kurreville, Mo., daughter of Frank and Iva Dell Statler Niswonger. She married Fred B. Clippard April 8, 1939. He died April 20, 2000...

Ruth Hill ANNA, Ill. -- Ruth Amy Hill, 99, of Anna died Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009, at City Care Center of Anna. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. to service time Sunday at Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home in Anna. The funeral will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home, with Phil Lewis officiating. Interment will be in Friendship Cemetery...

Henry Mellone Henry C. Mellone, 78, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009, at his home. Arrangements will be announced later by Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

Harrel Turner ADVANCE, Mo. -- Harrel E. Turner, 81, of Advance, formerly of Patton, Mo., died Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009, at his home. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Liley Funeral Home in Patton. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home, with Dwayne Duncan and Kyle Carter officiating. Burial will be in Bollinger County Memorial Park Cemetery near Marble Hill, Mo...

25 years ago: Aug. 8, 1984 With the planned signing of an architectural contract today, the city of Cape Girardeau is back in partnership with Southeast Missouri State University on a joint multipurpose building; the project is being renewed with one qualification -- that the city successfully execute the sale of the $5 million bonds by Sept. 15...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- So much for Twitter or Facebook. And who really needs camera crews? The Internet has helped some NFL players turn themselves into stars of their own reality TV shows. Nothing, really, is out of bounds for players looking to connect directly to fans, with some broadcasts coming right from the locker room...

Defending national champion Florida tops the USA Today preseason football coaches' poll, receiving 53 of 59 first-place votes. Texas was second in the poll released Friday, followed by Oklahoma, Southern California, Alabama, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Penn State, LSU and Mississippi. Texas had four first-place votes, and Oklahoma and Southern California each had one...

AKRON, Ohio -- LeBron James is going to make the Cleveland Cavaliers wait -- and sweat. James indicated Friday that he is unlikely to accept a contract extension from the Cavs until after the 2009-2010 season and presumably will become a free agent...

PITTSBURGH -- Chris Carpenter is almost always good for a victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates -- even on a night when a pitcher who hasn't lost since June looked ready to be beaten. Ryan Ludwick's sacrifice fly in the eighth inning scored the go-ahead run and the St. Louis Cardinals withstood a shaky beginning by Carpenter to beat Pittsburgh 6-4 on Friday night, stretching the Pirates' losing streak to six games...

NEW YORK -- John Smoltz may have thrown the last pitch of his storied career. The Boston Red Sox cut the struggling Smoltz on Friday, a day after the New York Yankees sent the 42-year-old righty to yet another early exit. Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein traveled down to New York to personally tell Smoltz that the team had designated him for assignment. The move gives Boston 10 days to trade, release or send Smoltz to the minors...

With no Division I offers, 2009 Notre Dame Regional High School graduate Dylan Drury was prepared to play baseball at Jefferson College. But a recent change of fortune has Drury headed to college baseball's highest level. Drury said Friday that he will attend West Virginia University and join that successful Division I program. He leaves for Morgantown, W.Va., in less than two weeks...

Tony Samuel had the look in his eyes and the excitement in his voice suggesting a coach in charge of a struggling football program about to turn the corner. Samuel wouldn't take the bait from a questioner at Friday's Southeast Missouri State media day seeking a prediction on how much the coach expects his fourth Southeast squad to improve in the win column...

Padraig Harrington broke par for the second straight day, something he hasn't done in four months. Two more days like that and it could lead to something he hasn't done in a year. Without a victory since the PGA Championship, Harrington tread carefully across Firestone Country Club on Friday for a 1-under 69 that gave him a one-shot lead over Tim Clark (68) going into the weekend at the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Daniel Hanna and three of his friends followed a car show judge as he inspected their 2005 Dodge Magnum at Chaffee's annual German Days celebration. The car's doors, trunk and hood were popped, displaying two 12-inch speakers, five TVs, a PlayStation, a DVD player and a backup camera on the rearview mirror...

The last time Cape Girardeau's contract for subsidized passenger air service was awarded, Jackson, Tenn., and Owensboro, Ky., were part of the deal. Great Lakes Airlines won that contract in February 2008 and with it the possibility of receiving up to $1.45 million in taxpayer help to fly between Owensboro and St. Louis. The subsidy amount for Jackson was set at $1.6 million...

While some men take strolls with headphones and metal detectors after retirement, Bill Mabrey of Cape Girardeau has taken a different path to mining precious metal during his golden years. The 75-year-old Mabrey takes a more active approach. His collection of metal can be found dangling from the end of red, white and blue ribbons...

Rebecca Lynn Johnson and Gregory Andrew Harris exchanged vows May 10, 2009, at Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, S.C. Parents of the couple are Dan and Nancy Johnson of Jackson, and George and Patty Harris of Indianapolis, Ind. Maid of honor was Ashley Johnson of San Francisco, Calif., sister of the bride. Bridesmaids were Jodie Brunke of Jackson, Megan Kuntze of St. Louis, Stacey Renfroe of Alexandria, Va., and Courtney Conron of Indianapolis...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Crystal Dawn Payne and Mark Allan Adams were married Dec. 12, 2008, in The Wedding Chapel at Harveys in Lake Tahoe, Nev. The bride is the daughter of Thadd and Cindy Koonce and Lonnie Payne of Midland, Texas. The groom is the son of Mark T. and Tamera Adams of Sikeston...

Stacey Ann Elfrink and Jay Edward Kamps were married Aug. 2, 2008, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Clayton, Mo. Monsignor John Shamleffer performed the ceremony. Vocalist was Patricia Scanlon of St. Louis, organist was Tom Taylor of St. Louis, and trumpeter was John Korak of Edwardsville, Ill...

BENTON, Mo. -- Jennifer Katelyn Pinkston and Jon Michael Heuring were united in marriage May 30, 2009, at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in New Hamburg, Mo. The Rev. Normand Varone performed the ceremony. Mass servers were Zack Estes and Shawn Heuring of Scott City, and Chase Asmus of Oran, Mo. Giftbearers were Penny Ressel and Pat Ressel of Kelso, Mo., Dorothy Deason of New Hamburg, and Larry Heuring of Scott City, godparents of the couple...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Jessica Jo Fuller and Adam Clark Earl Cloninger were united in marriage June 20, 2009, at Advance Church of Christ. Pastor Kyle Carter performed the ceremony. Soloist was Jessica Dock of Nashville, Tenn. The bride is the daughter of Randy and Pam Fuller of Advance. Cloninger is the son of Clark and Lisa Cloninger of Advance...

Jodi D. Barks and John T. Wipfler exchanged wedding vows May 30, 2009, at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Kelso, Mo. The Rev. Oliver Clavin performed the ceremony. Organist was Betty Ressel and vocalist was Sharon LeGrand, both of Kelso. Parents of the couple are Jerry and Laura Barks of Lowndes, Mo., and Charlie and Susie Wipfler of Scott City...

Kassi Rene Mayfield and Paul Joseph "Joey" Duffield were united in marriage June 28, 2009, in Strange Creek, W.Va. Larry Conrad performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Bill and Gail Garland of Patton, Mo. The groom is the son of the late Paul and Anna Belle Duffield...

Cara Elizabeth Brotherton and Adam Eli Hahs announce their engagement. She is the daughter of Gary Brotherton of Patton, Mo., and the late Patricia Brotherton. Hahs is the son of Jeff and Anita Hahs of Oak Ridge. Brotherton is a 2000 graduate of Meadow Heights High School. She is employed at Kohl's in Cape Girardeau...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Nolan and Cathy Black of St. Louis announce the engagement of their daughter, Amanda Black, to Matthew Mehner. He is the son of Hilbert Mehner of Perryville. Black is a 1999 graduate of Oakville Senior High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in biology from Truman State University in 2003, and a master of medical science degree from St. ...

Amanda LeAnn Abner and Jarett Dale Stafford announce their engagement. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dwayne Abner of Oran, Mo., and the late Nancy Abner. Stafford is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Stafford of Cape Girardeau. Abner is a 1996 graduate of Scott County High School, and a 2001 graduate of Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center School of Practical Nursing. She is an invasive cardiovascular scrub nurse in the Heart Institute at Saint Francis Medical Center...

Richard and Susan Gentry of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Summer Nicole Gentry, to Richard Ryan Rister. He is the son of Russell and Lana Rister of Chaffee, Mo. Gentry received an associate's degree in nursing from Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences in May 2009. She is a registered nurse at Landmark Hospital...

Larry and Tina Blattel of Scott City announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Renee Blattel, to Joseph Paul Graves. He is the son of Jeff and Polly Graves of Verdun, Quebec, Canada. Blattel is majoring in biology at Southeast Missouri State University. She is employed at Diebold's Orchard and in the university's science department...

Mr. and Mrs. Dwight Barker of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 8 with a dinner at the home of their daughter. Hosts were their children. Barker and Evelyn Hinkle were married Aug. 1, 1959, at First General Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, by the Rev. Bill Cravens...

Mr. and Mrs. Cyril Glueck of Cape Girardeau recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a luncheon and reception at Delmonico's in Jackson. Glueck and the former Dorothy Koenig were married June 20, 1959, at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Glennon, Mo., by the Rev. Quintin Hahn. The reception and dance was held at St. Lawrence Hall in New Hamburg, Mo...

Mr. and Mrs. Don Fowler of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with an open house and reception July 5, 2009, at Lynwood Baptist Church. Hosts were their children and grandchildren. Fowler and Gloria Ballard were married July 3, 1959, in Paducah, Ky., by the Rev. E.R. Ldad. Their attendants were Linda Jarvis and Jackie Fowler...

Most area school districts are gearing up this month for the start of a new school year. Teaching and staff positions have been filled. Buildings have been spruced up. Teachers are decorating their rooms with attractive learning aids. Cafeterias are stocking up on supplies...

Cathy Hobbs, 54, volunteers at Auburn Creek Residential Care in Cape Girardeau, where she ministers to patients who attend her services. Her services consist of prayer request, Bible study and prayer time usually lasting an hour or more. She visits the nursing home every week on Wednesday. ...

Quilters show off in Sikeston The Bootheel Quilter's Guild is having a quilt show. There will be handmade quilts displayed, crafts, bed turning and demo's on quilting. Admission is $1 donation. This event is handicap accessible. Also there will be a raffle quilt given away during the show. Tickets can be purchassed from any member. Proceeds from show go to local charities. The event hours are 10 to 4 p.m. at the Clinton Building in Sikeston, Mo...

Juanita Cook was selected as the American Legion Auxiliary Woman of the Year 2009 for Missouri. Nominations were accepted throughout June. The announcement was made at the American Legion Auxiliary convention July 17. She received a plaque and attended a special luncheon with the department president Rosemarie Hauck, national president Desiree' A. Stoy and the past department presidents...

Crystal Cerny, a communication arts teacher at Cape Girardeau Central High School, was chosen to attend the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's 13th annual Arthur and Rochelle Belfer National Conference for Educators from June 28 to 30. Cerny was one of more than 175 secondary educators from around the country who participated in the three-day workshop. ...

Navy Seaman Recruit Roquelle H. Beck, daughter of Rhon-Rachael Abraham of Cape Girardeau and Ralph F. Beck of North Hollywood, Calif., recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. During the eight-week program, Beck completed a variety of training that included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. ...

Feeding the poor; Helping Japan; Slower pickup; Hot air; Clunker rebate; Government care; Protests on the fly; Utility buyout?; Must do something; Pay back SS; Access to doctors; Tacky cartoon; Too much debt; Stupid arrest; Big bills; Shocking control; Text bullying; Make some calls; Good story; Fix streets first; Cruel people; Hot jobs

For all that makes us happy, we give thanks to you, O God, who has given us laughter. Amen.

Something is happening to civil discourse in American politics, which has long been considered rowdy compared to its European cousins. The years-long U.S. presidential campaign process must look like a circus to observers in countries where a weeks-long parliamentary process chooses the head of government...

Hunter education program to be offered online The Missouri Department of Conservation will be offering an online hunter education certification. Students must be at least 11 years of age with Internet access. This free program involves reading the student manual online, taking and passing an online exam and attending the mandatory five-hour hands-on field day on Aug. ...

NEW YORK -- A small plane and a tour helicopter carrying five Italian tourists collided and fell into the Hudson River and onto the New Jersey waterfront Saturday, and authorities believed all nine people aboard the two aircraft were killed. The accident, which Mayor Michael Bloomberg called "not survivable," happened just after noon and was seen by hundreds and maybe even thousands of people out enjoying a clear summer day...

CHICAGO -- Vehicles already were lined up for one of the weekly auto auctions benefiting Texans Can, a charity that helps at-risk teenagers and their families, when prospective donors started to call, saying they had changed their minds. "They said they went ahead and traded it in for the 'cash for clunkers' program," said Cheryl Rios, vice president of the Dallas-based charity that serves as many as 6,000 students. She estimates Texas Can already has lost $75,000 to the federal program...

TEHRAN, Iran -- A young French academic and local staff of the British and French embassies stood trial Saturday with dozens of Iranian opposition figures and confessed to being involved in the country's postelection unrest. Iran's opposition and rights groups have condemned the trial as a sham and say such confessions are coerced and scripted. ...

ISLAMABAD -- Senior Taliban commanders denied that their leader, Baitullah Mehsud, had been killed in a CIA missile strike, while conflicting reports emerged late Saturday of a clash between rival Taliban factions during a meeting to chose a successor...

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's foreign minister has asked the Iranian ambassador to Baghdad to shed more light on the circumstances surrounding the detention of three Americans caught crossing the border between northern Iraq and Iran. The case of the three Americans, now in Iranian custody after associates said they had inadvertently crossed the border during a hiking trip, has put the Iraqi government in the uncomfortable position of balancing the needs of two close allies who are also mutual antagonists.. ...

WASHINGTON -- Sonia Sotomayor became the Supreme Court's newest justice Saturday, pledging during a brief ceremony at the high court to defend the Constitution and administer impartial justice. Sotomayor, 55, is the first Hispanic justice and only the third woman in the court's 220-year history...

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

Cape Girardeau: Arrests; Summonses; Assaults; Thefts; Burglary; Jackson: Arrests; Theft; Assault; Miscellaneous; Cape Girardeau County: Arrests; Southeast Missouri State University: Theft

ST. PETERS, Mo. -- Gilda Rosa Kieling da Silva, of St. Peters, formerly of Sappington, Mo, fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church, died Friday, Aug. 7, 2009, at the age of 78. She was the loving wife of the late Dr. Jose Carlos da Silva; dear daughter of the late Lino and Ilka Wanda Kieling; devoted mother of Marcus da Silva, Anne (Tom) Moreland, Flavio da Silva, Jacqueline (George) Stephen, Pascal (Marta) da Silva, Anelise (Chris) Mossinghoff, Particia (Chuck) Depner, David (Cynthia) da Silva, the late Pierre da Silva; cherished grandmother of 20 and great-grandmother of four; dear sister of the late Plinio (Diva) Kieling, Dulce (the late Beno) Zilles, the late Irmigard (Francisco) Lummertz, Celia (the late Americo) Pozatti, the late Ilska Kieling, the late Ilse Kieling, the late Sylvio Kieling, Carmem (Francisco) Franco, Myrna (Darcy) Monteiro; and sister-in-law of Martha Kieling.. ...

Danny D. "Jitter" Prather, 69, of Thebes, Ill., died Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Chapel. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the chapel...

Johnson; Mayberry; Bickings; Denman; Turner

25 years ago: Aug. 9, 1984 A vehicle plunges into the Mississippi River in Cape Girardeau, but it isn't known whether anyone is inside; the white truck rolls down the embankment at the Broadway floodgate, curves south along the bank and enters the river...

ST. LOUIS -- A few years ago, amateur photographer Robert Crowe discovered a bizarre and mysterious message embedded in the asphalt of a downtown street. The colorful piece of mosaic-like artwork, about the size of a license plate, carried the seemingly indecipherable phrase: TOYNBEE IDEA IN Kubrick's 2001 RESURRECT DEAD ON PLANET JUPITER...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri started its new budget year with a 7.5 percent drop in revenue in July compared with last year. The state Office of Administration said Friday the two largest tax sources, personal income taxes and sales taxes, are both down from July 2008. Sales tax collections are 9.5 percent less than a year ago, and personal income taxes are down 5.9 percent. But corporate income taxes were up 28.4 percent in July. Tax refunds were up by 14.7 percent compared with 2008...

Schott wins title at junior championship Cape Girardeau's Jesse Schott carded a 72 to win the title in the boys 18 holes 14- to 18-year-olds division of the Perry County Junior Golf Championship at Perryville Country Club. Perryville's Brett Wengert finished three shots back...

Baseball Golf Tennis Submit items by mail, fax or e-mail to be included in the calendar. Triathlon...

Eagle Ridge Christian MONDAY--Pizza, cheese sticks, corn, applesauce. TUESDAY--Grilled cheese sandwich, salad, buttered noodles, yellow cake. WEDNESDAY--Chicken & noodles, green beans, bread & butter, mandarin oranges. THURSDAY--Crispito with cheese sauce, refried beans, salad, fruit cocktail...

PITTSBURGH -- Tony La Russa said he did. Matt Capps and Albert Pujols said he didn't. Even if the pitch that hit Pujols didn't get away from Capps, the first-place St. Louis Cardinals took yet another game from the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates...

BOLLINGER COUNTY, Mo. - A Marble Hill man was injured Sunday evening in a one-car accident on County Road 304. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the accident occurred around 5:25 p.m. when a 1999 Volkswagen driven by Margaret R. Bucholtz, 64, of Marble Hill ran off the roadway. ...

HOLLAND, Mo. -- The Pemiscot County prosecuting attorney is reviewing an incident which resulted in gunshot injuries of two individuals early Friday. According to Pemiscot County Sheriff Tommy Greenwell, deputies were called to a residence on Route F, just west of Holland around 2:30 a.m. ...

U.S. 61 in Jackson will be reduced to one lane this week while a contractor resurfaces the road, according to a MoDOT news release. Work will take place at night -- 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. -- starting Wednesday and continuing through Saturday, from Route D to the Highway 34/72 interchange...

More than 800 of the traps are being used in Wayne County this summer to track the spread of the emerald ash borer, an Asian beetle estimated to have killed 50 million ash trees in 10 states.

Seventy-five years ago today, the trolley system owned by Missouri Utilities Co. made its final run through Cape Girardeau.

AKRON, Ohio (AP) -- The battle was everything Tiger Woods expected. The finish was nothing anyone imagined, except for Woods hoisting another World Golf Championship trophy at Firestone. Woods was in trouble in the trees on the famous par-5 16th hole, one shot behind Padraig Harrington, trying to figure out how he could squeeze out a victory Sunday in the Bridgestone Invitational...

These 2 little yellow finches seemed to be enjoying the beautiful summer day.

This little female hummer was taking a break and also protecting her feeder!

These 2 deer were among a large herd seen out feeding today! What a gorgeous sight to see!!!

Give us, O God, the desire and tools to build something better in our lives. Amen.

Speakers at U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's annual picnic Saturday voiced concern about the cap-and-trade carbon emissions bill before Congress.