Stories from Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The Perryville Pirates manufactured a run in the top of the first inning with a single, bunt and RBI double. In the top of the second, they just flat-out scored. The Pirates tallied 10 runs in the second inning and went on to defeat Central 13-2 in five innings Monday in the season opener for both teams...

A new federal program aimed at encouraging farmers to adopt more conservation practices and improve existing ones is now taking applications from area agricultural producers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Several properties owned by those not paying real estate taxes were auctioned off Monday morning during a tax sale at the Cape Girardeau County administrative building. Each year the Cape Girardeau County collector's office auctions off property belonging to people who are at least two years delinquent in paying their real estate taxes. While 500 owners owed more than $330,000 in back taxes in April, that number had dwindled from 110 Friday morning to 36 by the start of the business day Monday...

Concerned parents approached the school board during a meeting Monday to address changes in math instruction at Central Middle School. Starting this year, principal Mark Kiehne said he removed class sections for high-achieving math students.The curriculum for those classes was the same as other math sections but students were grouped according to their abilities...

When I was a little girl my father was a policeman in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Many who will read this probably knew him. As he went about his day patrolling the streets of our city he would always take the time to look for stray, neglected, abused, or injured animals. ...

It was a beautiful weekend to go visit Tower Rock. It is located close to Wittenburg, MO.

This was taken from a lookout point above where Tower Rock is located. Behind it, you can see a barge passing by!!

Drug users are making their own meth in small batches using a faster, cheaper and much simpler method with ingredients that can be carried in a knapsack and mixed on the run.

Tambra Turner, a Sikeston woman charged with a February 2008 Cape Girardeau murder, will be tried in St. Louis County starting on April 12, 2010, according to Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle. The case against Turner is set for a three-day jury trial, Swingle said...

Bollinger County Soccer League's Fall Season began this week. Nearly 150 children from Bollinger County participate in this youth league during the fall and spring seasons. Pictured is Brandon Sitze battling for control of the ball with Trent Liley...

This bird was doing some people watching while we were bird watching at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau.

A dragonfly balances on the end of a stick in the pond at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau.

My granddaughter Miranda enjoys a beautiful afternoon watching the ducks and geese at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau.

The death of Max A. Ellison over the weekend signals the end of the investigation into the 1979 murder of Deborah L. Martin, Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said Monday.

The late Marilyn Jo Ervin of Cape Girardeau was laid to rest Monday, Aug. 24, 2009 at Cape County Memorial Park Cemetery after a short ride through the cemetery with Elden Wilson and the driver, Don Megee, both of Oak Ridge. "She always wanted to ride in the buggy, but never did get to," Wilson said. "We thought we would give her one last chance." They are neighbors of Ervin's daughter, Debra Kembel. Ervin died Friday at age 76.

Joe Belcher needs a ladder to aide daughter Tara, 9 , measuring her Mammoth Sunflower Plant now standing at 12 feet tall, with a stalk measuring 10" circumference at the base. Tara is recording her sunflower's growth for a contest sponsored by the Master Gardeners. ...

Old Navy, located in the West Park Mall in Cape Girardeau, donated almost 200 pounds of food to Southeast Missouri Food Bank through their recent "Give and Get" Campaign. Pictured are Old Navy employees Amber Deck and Josh Morrow.

Maple United Methodist Church, corner of Jean Ann and Cape Rock Drive, will hold a catfish and chicken supper in the fellowship hall, Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. The meal will feature catfish and chicken, french fries, coleslaw, hushpuppies, dessert and drink. Proceeds to the building fund...

Shaun Tucker looks for and finds a hole in the goal line defense scoring a goal for his team.

David Ashby performs some fancy footwork hoping to allude his defender Travis Fox in the 3rd and 4th grade division of Bollinger County Soccer.

MILWAUKEE -- From heart-friendly margarines to sugary cereals that strengthen bones, once-demonized foods are being spiked with nutrients to give them a healthier glow -- and consumers are biting, even on some that are little more than dressed-up junk food...

WASHINGTON -- It costs $1,400 to cover the oozing sore on the diabetic's foot with a piece of artificial skin, helping it heal if patients keep pressure off that spot. So when Medicare paid for the treatment but not the extra $100 for a simple walking cast to protect it, an artificial skin maker last year started giving free casts to some needy patients...

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles County coroner has ruled Michael Jackson's death a homicide, a law enforcement official said, a finding that makes it more likely charges will be filed against the doctor who was with the pop star when he died. The coroner determined a fatal combination of drugs was given to Jackson hours before he died June 25 in his rented Los Angeles mansion, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the findings have not been publicly released. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration launched a criminal investigation Monday into harsh questioning of detainees during President George W. Bush's war on terrorism, revealing CIA interrogators' threats to kill one suspect's children and to force another to watch his mother sexually assaulted...

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

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

Insurance polls; In the dark; Follow the rules; Civil debate; Expensive diseases; Reluctant stoplight; Strategy backfires; Being thankful; National divide; Important issues; Careless driving; Teaching reading; Come together; Great job; Better choice; High deductibles; Humpty Dumpty; Waiting at the light

Cape Girardeau's zoning code has not been completely overhauled for 40 years. A great deal has changed in those four decades. Many residents can recall what the city was like in the late 1960s. The center of retail activity was shifting from downtown to the Town Plaza area near Kingshighway. ...

Gill; Kneezle; Proctor; Graff; Shaver; Weibrecht; Hart; Weiss; Hughes; Hurst

25 years ago: Aug. 25, 1984 Capaha Antique Car Club holds its 14th annual antique car show in downtown Cape Girardeau; about 100 cars from four states are entered, with about 30 belonging to members of the local club. Cindy's, a new retail dress outlet for "plus" sizes, has opened at 110 N. Main St., in Cape Girardeau; the shop is owned and operated by Betty DePriest and managed by Shirley Bohnert...

NEW YORK -- To gauge consumers' strain, look no further than the rows of plastic bags awaiting layaway payments at Kmart. They are filled with back-to-school basics -- not just T-shirts and jeans but notebooks, magic markers and pencils. A record number of shoppers, shut off from credit and short on cash, are relying on Kmart's layaway program to pay for all of their children's school needs, said Tom Aiello, a spokesman for Kmart's parent Sears Holdings Corp. ...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis police board has apologized and agreed to pay damages to four people targeted before protests at the World Agricultural Forum in 2003. The American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri on Monday announced the settlement of a lawsuit it brought on behalf of the activists; the ACLU said they had planned only peaceful protests in the days around the agricultural event...

HANNIBAL, Mo. -- A few shouts and boos punctuated Sen. Claire McCaskill's health care forum in Hannibal on Monday, but the crowd crammed into a grade school auditorium offered mostly polite yet mixed feedback about the White House's plan to reform U.S. health care...

ST. LOUIS -- Laurent Robinson was thrilled to hear he'd been traded to the St. Louis Rams. It appears to be the perfect opportunity for a wide receiver hungry to prove himself yet again. Rams pass catchers are no-names for the most part following the departures of Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce the last two offseasons. The recognition factor -- or lack of it -- has been even more pronounced in the preseason with Donnie Avery out with a stress fracture...

A late push has resulted in first-year Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Dickey Nutt filling all of his available scholarships. Nutt completed his first Southeast recruiting class Monday by announcing the signing of two players and the addition of an invited walk-on...

Frank F. Tesson Jr., 89, of Jackson passed away Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009, at his home. He was born June 18, 1920, in St. Louis, to Frank F. and Nettie Larmie Tesson Sr. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II, serving from Jan. 29, 1943, to Oct. 3, 1945. He was awarded five Bronze Stars for the battles and campaigns of Normandy, Northern France, Central Europe, Rhineland and Ardennes...

Kathrine Porter Russell "Po" Lamkin, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Aug. 24, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home...

Dr. Pamela Hindman Hearn, 73, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009, at her home. Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Robert S. McAtee, 72, of Perryville died Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, at Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today and 6:30 a.m. to service time Wednesday at Young and Sons Funeral Home. An American Legion service will be held at 7...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Fred W. Nanney, 69, of Marble Hill died Monday, Aug. 24, 2009, at Landmark Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Liley Funeral Home in Marble Hill. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Revs. Bill McCormick, Kenny Cook and Tim Nanney officiating. Burial will be in Crader Cemetery near Marble Hill...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Beverley Patterson, 66, of Bloomfield passed away Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009, at her home. She was born Jan. 31, 1943, in Puxico, Mo., daughter of Loyd and Mary Louise Harris Snider. She and Richard E. "Pat" Patterson were married April 29, 1966. He preceded her in death April 15, 2001...

GLENALLEN, Mo. -- Beulah E. Francis, 97, of Glen-allen died Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009, at Eldercare of Marble Hill, Mo. She was born Sept. 12, 1911, at Glenallen, daughter of George Avery and Rose Adeline Cooper Smith. She and Henry Coy Francis were married Dec. 28, 1929. He died March 3, 1991...

7 p.m. today Board of Education Office, 614 E. Adams St. Public hearing Regular meeting Finance Action items Informational items...

In other action the board approved the following items:n Prepayment of $1.65 million of general obligation bonds...

Marlen Oehl, 89, of Oak Ridge passed away Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 24, 1920, in Friedheim to Henry and Docilla Sauer Oehl. He and Lorene Rose were married Aug. 17, 1947, at Zion Lutheran Church in Gordonville...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Bernice Bernadine Montgomery, proud wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and longstanding businesswoman in Southeast Missouri, died at the age of 99 years Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009, at Saint Francis Medical Center with her family by her side...

BERNIE, Mo. -- Jacquline Hester Eaves, 75, of Bernie departed this life Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009, at Malden Nursing Center in Malden, Mo. She was born Jan. 26, 1934, at Bloomfield, Mo., daughter of Riley and Wilma Robinson Hester. She and J.C. Eaves were married Aug. 25, 1953, at Bloomfield. He preceded her in death May 6, 2007...

Sister Rose Francis Brockmeyer, SSND, formerly of Cape Girardeau, fortified with the sacraments of Holy Mother Church, died Friday, Aug. 21, 2009. Beloved sister to a brother, Alfred (Ruth) Brockmeyer of Hawk Point, Mo.; seven sisters, Bertha (Paul) Essner of Benton, Mo., Theresa (Joseph) Schreckenberg of Hillsboro, Mo., Frieda (Joseph) Seyer, Julie (Donald) James and Dorothy (Paul) Summers, all of Cape Girardeau, Frances (Joseph) Willenbring and Millie (Charles) Seyer of Jackson; our dear aunt, great-aunt and friend.. ...

UNITY, Ill. -- Ollie Stroup, 92, of Unity died Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, at Daystar Center in Cairo, Ill. She was born Sept. 17, 1916, in Russellville, Ark., to Henry and Pnola Nutt Standridge. She married Claude W. Stroup in 1940. He preceded her in death in 1970...

Danielle Dock wasted no time finding her groove in the circle. Kelly's senior pitcher threw a no-hitter in the Hawks' softball season-opener Monday. Kelly downed East Carter 4-0 behind 14 strikeouts from Dock. "She did a really good job," Kelly coach Rhonda Ratledge said. "She was on fire."...

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had 75,000 paying guests and a few dozen freeloaders over to his new house the other night to watch football. Punters for the visiting Tennessee Titans immediately showed their gratitude by using his $40 million TV set for target practice...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The State Emergency Management Agency announced today that Sikeston will receive a $1,068,693 grant to repair the city's municipal utility system, according to a SEMA news release.