Stories from March 2010

ARAB, Mo. - Two women were hurt after one vehicle pulled into the path of another Sunday afternoon. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported that the accident occurred at 3:27 p.m. when a 2005 Chevrolet pulled into the path of a 2005 Pontiac on Highway 51...

Scott City graduate Shae Simmons flashed the strong right arm that Southeast Missouri State coach Mark Hogan believes could make him a star on the college level.

Sox- "Oh I've been shot!"

Through dance, scripture and gospel music, members of area congregations celebrated National Black History Month on Sunday at St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, where they also paid tribute to notable black Americans. Five choirs, one solo singer and one dancer were part of the Gospel Extravaganza organized by Dr. ...

This is a picture of our puppy, Duke he is a bloodhound and quit a handfull. He loves to chew on bones and chase our other, little dog around.

Nicky, my 2 year old Blue Heeler, will carry around her chewy everywhere she goes. Just don't try to take it away from her!

My SEMO Humane Society dog of six years, Sally, loves to take up the whole couch when she naps. Just try scooting her over!

Sixth grade winners pictured with the seven cases holding their tabs include: (front from left) Jordan Allen, Taylor Pingel, Allison Brewer, Kailyn Fahnestock, Randy Friedrich, Matthew Neuling, Logan Lane, Logan Flieg; (standing from left) Ms. Jennifer Lauck, Myranda McAdams, Anissa Meyer, Paige Lewis, Morgan Richardet, Tessa Holland, Madeline Layton, Abigail Mercer, Devon Taylor, Joshua DeLassus, Brandon Choate, Zach Schaupert, Jesse Lankford, Dustin Weibrecht, Ms. ...

Our three year old with his dog friend Sadie Sue!

Sonic- "Drinking out of the Mason Jar" We call him Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog) because at his young age he was shaped like a ball, ran really fast, and is the actual color of real Hedgehogs. On this day he actually stuck his body down into the jar to drink the water in it and then climbed out using his back feet. The "M" on his head stands for his last name which is Menz. He is now about 7 months old now...

At a dinner to honor the 175th anniversary of First Presbyterian Church and the retirement of the Rev. Paul Kabo Jr. on Sunday, the pastor said keeping up with the sacrifices his congregation has been willing to make has taken all he could give himself...

Music students from Gateway College of Evangelism, Florissant MO, presented a concert at Calvary United Pentecostal Church in Jackson, Sunday Feb 28. Pictured is their chorale. You can learn more about the college, and their music at http://www.gatewaycollege.net/...

Music students from Gateway College of Evangelism, Florissant MO, presented a concert at Calvary United Pentecostal Church in Jackson, Sunday Feb 28. Pictured is one of their smaller choral groups, United. Caleb Randol, grandson of Rev. and Mrs. Doyle W. Randol, Cape Giradeau, is seen singing with the group...

Cape Central Middle School Sixth Grade Students of the Month for February are, front row: Lauren Kimberly, Joshua Thomas and Daniel Pieper; second row: Brynna Bockhorst, Kameelah England, Madison Jackson and Kendra Gosche; third row: Keely Ullman, Megan Stafford, Hisami Minakata and Megan Saylor. Southeast Missouri Hospital recognizes the Students of the Month in its role as the Partner in Education for Cape Central Middle School...

Cape Central Middle School Fifth Grade Students of the Month for February are, front row: Kim Spinks, Sarah Barker, Gabby Desrosiers and Hunter Stroder; second row: Amanda Stricker, Emily Sechrest and Alex Miller; third row: Jordan Collins, Philip Francis, Hunter Neal and Caylin Jordan. Southeast Missouri Hospital recognizes the Students of the Month in its role as the Partner in Education for Cape Central Middle School...

A friendly contest between the Perry County Middle School fifth and sixth graders was not only fun for the students but it ended up helping Ronald McDonald Houses across the country. The contest involved seeing who could collect the most soda tab which were then donated to the local McDonald's with the proceeds going to Ronald McDonald Houses. ...

A coalition of business and education leaders that has been steering the establishment of a community college in Cape Girardeau County for about three years is ready to pass the torch. An advisory board and a health care needs analysis will help determine the direction of Cape Girardeau's new community college center, coalition members said. The group met last week for the first time since they received approval for the project from the Coordinating Board for Higher Education in December...

Jeff Martin recently was named president of the Cape Girardeau County Board of Realtors for 2010, but before he began his career in real estate in 2003, Martin was a sales manager and a special education teacher. Business reporter Brian Blackwell recently sat down with Martin to learn how a career in teaching turned into seven years of selling homes in the area...

MINER, Mo. -- A Sikeston, Mo., man is facing drug charges related to a shake-and-bake meth lab attempt gone bad Friday morning. John D. Smith, 44, has been charged by Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Boyd with several felonies including possession of a controlled substance, possession of chemicals with intent to manufacture a controlled substance, possession of a meth precursor drug with intent to manufacture and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's budget troubles have reopened divisions among public schools, which after uniting in a quest for more money now are splintering over who should bear the brunt of state funding cuts. With state tax revenues down 12.5 percent from last year, Gov. ...

Among the many spending priorities being considered during Missouri's budget crunch is the construction and maintenance of highways. Contributing to overall shortfalls in state revenue is the fact that fuel consumption dropped 5 percent in 2009 from 2007 levels. The main source of highway funding is a 17-cent-a-gallon state tax on fuel. The less fuel purchased, the less revenue for highways...

A high school friend came to visit me from Bloomington, Ind. He described Cape Girardeau as a dying river town. Sad to say, I almost agree when compared to towns like Paducah, Ky., Cape Girardeau is a poor example of a city trying to find itself. There needs to be a revival in Cape Girardeau development such as Paducah has done with its arts center...

Bring us warm breezes and gentle showers, O God, as we await the joys of spring. Amen.

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has signed a one-year extension of several provisions in the nation's main counterterrorism law, the Patriot Act. Provisions in the measure would have expired Sunday without Obama's signature Saturday. The act, which was adopted in the weeks after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, expands the government's ability to monitor Americans in the name of national security...

Evelyn Elizabeth Heatley, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 4, 1921, in Pulaski County, Ill., to Ernest C. and Edna B. Kennedy Sandlin. She and Benjamin Robert Heatley were married June 6, 1940, in Cape Girardeau. He preceded her in death June 6, 1998...

Delmar Ray Crites,74, of Jackson, died Sunday, Feb.14, 2010, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Oct. 24, 1935, in Jackson, son of Courtland R. and Clolie Agnes Ackman Crites. He was a repairman at the former Jackson Hosiery Mill and later worked for Crown Cadillac and Riverside Lumber, both of Cape Girardeau, Lanter Courier and Cape Girardeau County Transit. He was also a member of Little Whitewater Baptist Church in Mayfield, Mo...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Margaret Lucille Moorman, 71, of Sikeston died Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, at her home. She was born Nov. 13, 1938, in Memphis, Tenn., to the late Sarah Magdaline Youngman and William Robert Dixon Jr. On Sept. 7, 1958, she was married to George Doan Moorman in Germantown, Tenn., and he survives of the home...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Verlene M. Abernathy, 84, of Perryville died Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, at Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville. She was born Sept. 26, 1925, in Belgique, Mo. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. today at Miller Family Funeral Home in Perryville. Parish prayers will be at 7:30 p.m...

Recommendations for reshaping the teacher education program at Southeast Missouri State University are in the hands of president Dr. Bill W. Stacy; Dr. Leslie H. Cochran, provost, submits 17 recommendations to Stacy, including one to phase out the laboratory school...

PARIS -- A violent late winter storm with fierce rain and hurricane-strength winds ripped across western Europe on Sunday, battering France and four other countries, leaving at least 51 people dead. The storm, named Xynthia, was the worst in France since 1999 when 90 people died. Prime Minister Francois Fillon held an emergency cabinet meeting and afterward called the storm a "national catastrophe."...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's supreme leader charged Sunday that the U.S. and its allies are behind the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency's claim that Iran may be making nuclear bombs, despite its repeated denials. The comments by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, broadcast on state television Sunday, came 10 days after the International Atomic Energy Agency said it was concerned Iran may be working on nuclear weapons, echoing conclusions reached by the U.S. and its allies...

WASHINGTON -- The White House called for a "simple up-or-down" vote on health care legislation Sunday as Speaker Nancy Pelosi appealed to House Democrats to get behind President Barack Obama's chief domestic priority even it if threatens their political careers...

There was quite a scene Saturday night as the largest crowd for a Southeast Missouri State home basketball game in five years witnessed the season-ending 71-68 overtime loss to Austin Peay. Southeast's Show Me Sellout promotion drew an announced 5,515 fans, the most to watch the Redhawks since the 2004-05 season, when two larger crowds turned out...

The Southeast Missouri State gymnastics team continued its strong season Sunday by beating Midwest Independent Conference rival Illinois State at Houck Field House. Southeast scored 194.375, compared to 193.275 for ISU, as the Redhawks improved to 11-2 overall and 6-0 in the MIC...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Thefts Property damage Miscellaneous...

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

In our last piece ("Still no action by Congress on credit default swaps," Jan. 31), we explained that these contracts are essentially insurance in the financial markets. Properly regulated, they, like insurance, can serve a useful purpose. If controlled, they allow investors to manage risk and encourage them to fund worthwhile projects...

In the near future customers will find alcohol on the shelves at Walgreens in Cape Girardeau. According to spokesman Robert Elfinger, the Cape Girardeau store is one of many in the nation that will begin selling beer and wine. Elfinger said the company decided to start selling alcohol to meet a growing customer demand...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Rock 'n' roll star and Sumner High School alumnus Chuck Berry sang at the school's annual alumni event Sunday, giving the crowd hope and energy in their fight to keep the historic 135-year-old school from closing this summer. "Go Johnny, go, go," the 700-strong crowd joined along with Berry as he sang the 1958 hit "Johnny B. Goode" that became one of the greatest rock songs of all time...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri State Auditor Susan Montee says her office is beginning to review the books of the cash-strapped Kansas City School District. In a news conference on Sunday, Montee encouraged individuals with confidential information to contact her office...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Lincoln University will begin offering a master's degree in Environmental Science beginning this fall. The Jefferson City News Tribune reported that the Missouri Department of Higher Education recently approved the degree. LU will be the only central Missouri university to offer it...

CONCEPCION, Chile -- Heroism and banditry mingled on Chile's shattered streets Sunday as rescuers braved aftershocks digging for survivors and the government sent soldiers to quell looting. The death toll climbed to 708 in one of the biggest earthquakes in centuries...

HONOLULU -- The warning was ominous, its predictions dire: Oceanographers issued a bulletin telling Hawaii and other Pacific islands that a killer wave was heading their way with terrifying force and that "urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property."...

FIRE Jackson Firefighters responded to the following call Friday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: ...

Leopold junior John Bohnsack drained a pair of 3-pointers and Lance Seiler added one to help the Wildcats pull away in the third quarter of their Class 1 District 3 boys basketball opener.

SEDALIA, Mo. (AP) - The Sedalia City Council has voted to prohibit tobacco use inside all city property, including vehicles. Council members voted Monday to ban tobacco in vehicles or buildings, including the entire City Hall campus. The Sedalia Democrat reports that the few city facilities that allowed smoking will have to designate outdoor smoking areas for employees...

Jo Ann Emerson filed for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's Eighth Congressional District this morning in Jefferson City. Emerson, a Republican, has served southern Missouri in Congress since 1996. "Representing the Eighth District in Congress is a tremendous honor, and I am very much looking forward to the conversation about the issues on voters' minds that we will have over the next several months," Emerson said. ...

Cystic Fibrosis Walk will be held on Saturday, April 17th at 9:00am. The walk will begin at Cape County Park North Pavilion # 4. To register a team or individual walker, please go to www.cff.org/Great_Strides. State: Missouri Host Chapter: Gateway Chapter...

Mark Schlichter, a Cape Girardeau native and a 1982 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Metro St. Louis. Actual press release from Suburban Journals...

Larry Bill claims to agree with opponent Tommy Sowers on a basic change to the U.S Constitution: term limits for federal Congressmen. Sowers had an article in the Huffington Post Blog and Southeast Missourian newspaper suggesting term limits can be one way to stop Congressional gridlock...

Cape Central Junior High School Cheerleaders competed at the "Jamfest" National Cheerleading Competition in Nashville, TN, recently and brought home the third-place trophy. More than twenty Cape Girardeau sponsors assisted with trip expenses. Team captains are Ashley Westbrook, Kendra Kelch, Brooke Zoellner and Sierra Jones. ...

Trinity Lutheran School, Cape Girardeau, Missouri will hold their Annual Dinner Auction on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at the Bavarian Halle in Fruitland, Missouri. Doors open at 4pm with dinner at 6pm. Tickets are on sale in the school office or call 334-1068...

When Alma Schrader Elementary School was built 50 years ago, builders made a critical mistake while working on the principal's office. A one-way mirror installed backward put the school's first principal, Vince Raddle, under the watch of sixth-graders in the adjoining classroom, said Rosie Conrad, a sixth-grade student when the school opened...

The building that housed the firm of a now-disbarred lawyer in Jackson could one day be home to a restaurant, ice cream shop or barbershop. During its meeting Monday, the Jackson Board of Aldermen approved rezoning the Joe Buerkle law firm from professional office district to local commercial district. ...

In a perfect world, people would only eat a half cup of rice, mashed potatoes and ice cream, and restaurants would proudly promote the three-ounce filet with a heaping one-cup serving of seasoned carrots. In the real world, though, Americans are overloaded in restaurants and inexperienced at estimating or recognizing portion sizes...

Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court Judge William L. Syler granted Jason J. Robert, accused of using pliers to attempt to cut off his fiancee's ring finger, a change of judge Monday. Robert's case will proceed next Monday before Circuit Court Judge Benjamin F. Lewis.

With an eye on elections that will bring at least three and perhaps four new faces, the Cape Girardeau City Council discussed Monday whether it was time to give itself a raise. The city charter requires such a discussion every five years. Since the city adopted a charter in the 1980s, council members have been paid $100 a month and the mayor has been paid $150 monthly. The last action on council pay was a one-year suspension of those salaries in advance of a tax election in 2005...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The arrest of a 20-year-old St. Mary, Mo., man has cleared all of the thefts and burglaries in Perry County so far this year, according to a news release from Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf.

CHICAGO -- When 4-year-old Eric Stavros Adler choked to death on a piece of hot dog, his anguished mother never dreamed that the popular children's food could be so dangerous. Some food makers including Oscar Mayer have warning labels about choking, but not nearly enough, said Joan Stavros Adler, Eric's mom...

CHICAGO -- Film critic Roger Ebert, who lost his ability to speak after surgery for cancer, says a Scottish company has helped him regain a voice his grandchildren can recognize. Computer programmers at a company called CereProc captured the sound of Ebert's voice from DVD movie commentary tracks, Ebert wrote in Sunday's Chicago Sun-Times. He now can type what he wants to say and listeners hear a voice that sounds like him...

Crooks who use the Internet to scam unsuspecting victims are finding creative ways to bilk you. Customers of one Cape Girardeau bank recently received automated messages on their cell phones. The phony messages said there were problems with the recipients' debit or credit-card accounts. The messages asked for detailed account information to clear up the problem...

Last Saturday, the Jackson Optimist Boys' Basketball League ended another season. What should have been a chance for young boys to develop and practice basketball and sportsmanship skills was, once again, tainted by coaches who refused to play by the rules. ...

It's easy to tell when liberals are losing the argument. They get desperate and begin to call their opponents names. In recent letters to the editor Alan Journet has referred to global warming skeptics with terms such as "uninformed," "unscrupulous," "ignorant folks" and "idiocy." It was just a few short months ago that Journet smugly declared that the debate was over and that global warming skeptics should just keep quiet...

In his letter, Lee Flor of Marble Hill lamented the deadlock in Washington. I disagree. If the deadlock grows so bad that no legislation is passed, it will suit me fine. The only bills Congress has passed lately of any note all take more money out of my pocket. ...

THIS was my first year of going to the monster truck show. I was a little disappointed. I would like to see the show expanded. We'd like to see a good show instead of just a few pieces of it. If you could pass the word on to the appropriate people for next year, that would be wonderful...

For green buds and days of sunshine, we give thanks to you, O God. Amen.

John Cook is a well respected attorney in the Cape Girardeau community. However, I have some major disagreements with his op-ed piece last Thursday. He seems to be advocating a successful surrender to the war on drugs. I agree that the war on drugs has been less than successful, but I strongly disagree that discontinuing these enforcement efforts would somehow be beneficial. ...

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Argentina asked for U.S. help Monday in resolving a brewing dispute with Britain over the Southern Atlantic islands that were the subject of a brief war more than 25 years ago and where Britain has begun drilling for oil...

PARIS -- Rescue workers in dinghies cruised flooded streets on France's Atlantic coast Monday, searching for people still trapped in their homes by storms that smashed through concrete sea walls and killed at least 62 people across Western Europe...

TALCAHUANO, Chile -- When the shaking stopped, Marioli Gatica and her extended family huddled in a circle on the floor of their seaside wooden home in this gritty port town, listening to the radio by a lantern's light. They heard firefighters urging Talcahuano's citizens to stay calm and stay inside. They heard nothing of a tsunami -- until it slammed into their house with an unearthly roar about an hour after Saturday's magnitude-8.8 quake...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Democratic senators on Monday called for real-time, water-quality testing of Missouri's lakes and rivers while denouncing Republicans for a "political witch hunt" into the state's mishandling of high bacteria levels in the Lake of the Ozarks...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- More cuts are coming to Missouri government because of declining tax revenue. Gov. Jay Nixon says preliminary revenue figures from February make it clear that officials "will need to downsize the scope of state government." The governor said Monday he plans meetings with House and Senate leaders this week about lowering the state's revenue projections. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Legislation aimed at preventing Missouri gambling regulators from closing a downtown St. Louis casino has hit a roadblock. The state Gaming Commission took initial steps last month toward revoking the license of the President Casino. ...

Route M in Perry County will be reduced to one lane with a 12-foot width restriction while MoDOT crews perform routine bridge repairs. This section of roadway is from County Road 816 to Cypress Lane. Weather permitting, traffic will be reduced to one lane from 6:30 a.m. ...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following information. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Arrests Summonses Assault Thefts Property damage Miscellaneous...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Rita Mae Friga, 76, of Chaffee died Monday, March 1, 2010, at the family home. She was born Dec. 26, 1933, at Messler, Mo., daughter of Louie Jesse and Florence Elizabeth Lewis Bollinger. She and Alfred Friga were married Sept. 27, 1952...

Helen Marie Jones, 94, of Ellisville, Mo., formerly of Millersville, passed away Monday, March 1, 2010, at Bethesda Meadow Nursing Home in Ellisville. She was born March 5, 1915, near Millersville, daughter of Jessie and Desdia Stroder Sander. She and Melford P. Jones were married Nov. 8, 1932. He passed away June 3, 1977...

Brad D. Eldridge, 57, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010, at the family home. He was born Nov. 12, 1952, in Cape Girardeau, son of Glenn and Mildred Crumbaugh Eldridge. He and Carolyn Seabaugh were married Jan. 25, 1991. Brad was a forklift driver 35 years at Do It Best in Cape Girardeau. ...

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Gerald R. Curt, 91, of Villa Ridge, formerly of Olmsted, Ill., died Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010, at Daystar Care Center in Cairo, Ill. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to service time today at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Mound City, Ill...

Son to Kenny Dean and Teisha Nicole LeDure of Scott City, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 1:52 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010. Name, Deacon Cole. Weight, 7 pounds, 1 ounce. Second son. Mrs. LeDure is the former Teisha Sinn, daughter of Trina Gardner of Snohomish, Wash. She is employed by Home Acceptance Corp. LeDure is the son of Edwin and Lois LeDure of Scott City. He is employed by Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway...

New security measures have been instituted at the Cape Girardeau County Jail in Jackson over the past month in response to an outbreak of inmate violence which resulted in three prisoners suffering moderate injuries; the fights, which occurred in late January, were previously unreported to the media...

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

For the 15th straight year, active and former Boy Scouts can trade stories and memorabilia at the annual Trade-O-Ree. The event runs from 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. until noon Saturday at the VFW Hall on North Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, bringing vendors and scouts to trade old patches, pins and collectibles...

In the article 'Southeast students discuss racism and stereotypes during Black History Month program,' printed in the Southeast Missourian Friday, Feb. 26, the name of a Cape Girardeau junior high school teacher quoted should have read Jane Koppenaal. Also, Koppenaal is also studying to receive her doctorate degree. The Southeast Missourian regrets the errors...

SALT LAKE CITY -- The man charged with snatching Elizabeth Smart from her Salt Lake City bedroom nearly eight years ago could finally face a jury after a federal judge ruled Monday he is competent to stand trial. Brian David Mitchell's hallmark disruptive singing in court -- evidence he's mentally incompetent, his attorneys say -- is a "contrivance" the suspect uses to give the impression he can't control his behavior, U.S. ...

SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. -- Not far from Yosemite's waterfalls and in the middle of California's redwood forests, Mexican drug gangs are quietly commandeering U.S. public land to grow millions of marijuana plants and using smuggled immigrants to cultivate them...

OMAHA, Neb. -- A survey released Monday of business leaders and supply managers in nine Midwest and Plains states suggests the region's economy is set to grow in the coming months, but that there are also signs of inflation. The Business Conditions Index for the Mid-America region jumped to 61 in February, up from 54.7 in January and 50.3 in December...

WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve vice chairman Donald Kohn's decision to step down at the end of June gives President Barack Obama a chance to put a bigger imprint on the central bank. Kohn, the Fed's second-highest ranking official, has played a major role in shaping the Fed's strategy in fighting the worst financial and economic crises to hit the country since the Great Depression...

NEW YORK -- Mixed reports Monday on manufacturing, construction and personal income and spending made clear that the economy is enjoying modest growth even though the recovery remains fragile. Manufacturing output expanded in February for a seventh straight month. Factory output has provided one of the few areas of strength for the economy. Still, the growth in manufacturing activity slowed compared with January and fell short of economists' expectations...

WASHINGTON -- Ten House Democrats indicated in an Associated Press survey Monday they have not ruled out switching their "no" votes to "yes" on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, brightening the party's hopes in the face of Republican opposition...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Monday addressed the nation's school dropout epidemic, proposing $900 million to states and school districts that agree to drastically change or even shutter their worst-performing schools. Obama's move comes as many schools continue to struggle to get children to graduation, a profound problem in a rich, powerful nation. ...

LONDON -- British insurer Prudential PLC said Monday it will buy the Asian unit of bailed-out American International Group Inc. in a deal worth $35.5 billion that will allow AIG to pay back some of the money it owes U.S. taxpayers. AIG, which was kept alive by a $182.5 billion rescue by the U.S. ...

Action items Public hearing Consent ordinances New ordinances Resolutions Appointments Liquor licenses Other...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Vice President Joe Biden told AFL-CIO leaders Monday the government bailouts of the banking and auto industries were necessary steps the Obama administration needed to take before it could tackle causes important to organized labor...

JUPITER, Fla. -- The St. Louis Cardinals are pleased with the way David Freese has handled his personal issues. Freese was arrested in December outside of St. Louis on a drunken-driving charge. He apologized and still is slotted to be the team's third baseman this season...

All the area high school results reported Monday to the Southeast Missourian.

DELTA, Mo. -- Just when Delta looked to be on the brink of losing a 12-point fourth-quarter lead, the Bobcats collected themselves and fought off a scrappy Bell City squad 64-55 on Monday to advance to the semifinals of the Class 1 District 3 tournament...

The SEMO men's coach is on the recruiting trail after his first season with the Redhawks ended with a 7-23 record.

Cape Girardeau County will accept bids due April 1 for the purchase of 20 computers in preparation for an upgrade of software to process personal and real estate property information. At Monday's Cape Girardeau County Commission meeting, director of information systems Eric McGowen presented his proposal for the acquisition of 15 computers for the collector's office, four computers for the assessor's office and one computer for the highway department.

A man charged with stealing from a Cape Girardeau teen nightclub was sentenced to one year in jail Monday by Circuit Court Judge William Syler. Jajuan Bell, 20, of Cape Girardeau, pleaded guilty to the charge Feb. 1, which at that time was amended from second-degree armed robbery to one count of felony stealing.

NEW YORK -- Jay Leno had been absent from the nation's TV screens for less than a month, but he returned Monday night with renewed purpose. "It's good to be home," he told his "Tonight Show" audience as he began his monologue, a transcript of which was provided by NBC before airtime. "I'm Jay Leno, your host. At least, for a while."...

A man charged with attempted statutory rape, sexual misconduct and enticement of a child in Scott County had his case dismissed Feb. 25 before Circuit Judge David Dolan because he was prosecuted in federal court, said Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter Monday...

A Southeast Missouri State University student connected to the Dec. 13 beating of a fellow student pleaded not guilty to first-degree burglary and third-degree assault charges today and received a change of venue before Circuit Judge William Syler. Brett Jones, 18, of St. Clair, Mo., was arrested Jan. 25 on suspicion that he, along with four others charged in the assault, entered a home at 1325 Dunklin St., and caused serious injury to Blake Carlton, a junior at Southeast...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Two universities in St. Louis will share nearly $1 million in federal grants to study hazards in the home. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the awards Monday. Washington University will receive nearly $600,000. Saint Louis University is getting about $326,000...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Missouri House panel is set to consider a bill changing the allocation of Access Missouri scholarship money to students at public and private universities. Access Missouri scholarships for students at private colleges are currently almost twice as large as those given to students at public universities...

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) -- The faculty senate at Missouri Southern State University is supporting a proposal to add gays and lesbians to the school's anti-discrimination policies. Faculty senate President Roger Chelf says the policy approved Monday would recommend adding protections for sexual orientation to the faculty handbook. It also would ask administrators to add "sexual orientation" to the university's equal opportunity employment statement...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- It's hard enough to find a job in this economy, and now some people are facing another hurdle: Potential employers are holding their credit histories against them. Sixty percent of employers recently surveyed by the Society for Human Resources Management said they run credit checks on at least some job applicants, compared with 42 percent in a somewhat similar survey in 2006...

Jackson The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Thefts Property damage Miscellaneous FIRE Jackson Firefighters responded to the following call Sunday: ...

"People ask why do you put in all the effort," Thomas said. "It's for that feeling right there. You're on top of the world and there's nothing better than it."

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The mobile Vietnam War memorial wall will make a return to Sikeston this summer after several years, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported. During the regular Sikeston City Council meeting Monday, Tom Austin announced that his attempt to book The Moving Wall here again as part of the city's sesquicentennial celebration was successful...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Butler County Sheriff's Department recently was recognized for being in the top counties for methamphetamine lab seizures for 2009 in the Missouri Sheriff's Meth-Amphetamine Relief Team program, the Daily American Republic newspaper reported...

The Friends of the Cape Girardeau Public Library will hold its annual Spring Book Sale starting Friday at the library. Cape Girardeau Public Library Director Betty Martin says they have so many books to sell they started holding the Friends Annual Book Sale in March and again in the fall...

The case of a Pemiscot County woman charged with child endangerment after her boyfriend murdered her toddler will be heard in Scott County, KZIM KSIM radio reported. Joanie Fowler, 21, was granted a change of venue Tuesday. Deputies responded to Fowler's home Sept. 30 in response to a child not breathing. The girl was flown by air ambulance to a hospital in Memphis, Tenn., where she died the next day...

Cape Girardeau is looking for softball umpires, lifeguards and people who manage concession stands. The city also needs temporary maintenance workers and laborers to work in the parks. To fill those jobs -- 50 to 60 in all -- the city will hold a Parks and Recreation Department job fair from 11 a.m. ...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- A 3.7-magnitude earthquake occurred at 1:37 p.m. near East Prairie Tuesday, followed by a smaller 1.6-magnitude quake shortly before 6 p.m. But a geologist said it caused little to no damage in the area.

2nd Annual Father/Daughter Dance The 2nd Annual Father/Daughter Dance will be held Saturday March 6, 2010, from 6:30 p.m. -- 9:30 p.m. at the A.C. Brase Arena. Come and enjoy a night full of fun, excitement, and dancing, complete with refreshments, and arts and crafts. ...

Beautiful Daffodils in bloom on the sunny south side of the house beckon spring's arrival.

These beautiful birds have been coming to our house all winter to feed. They are a wonderful sight to see !!!

Sweet Buster is a 7 month old Pit Bull. He is a fun and energetic puppy! Buster is available for adoption at The Humane Society of SEMO, 573-334-5837. See more pets available at www.semopets.org

Last weekend, a robot competition, a basketball game and a River Campus adaptation of the musical "Carousel" were part of a slew of activities that immersed Southeast Missouri State University's new provost in university culture. After a month on the job, the university's new chief academic officer, Dr. ...

Midge Potts for Senate 2010 www.ElectMidge.com Contact: Midge Potts midge@electmidge.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 3rd, 2010 Reconciliation in Senate Should Not Be Used to Pass a Bad Bill Progressive Party Candidate, Midge Potts, Demands REAL Universal Health Care...

Saxony Lutheran High School celebrated their 2010 homecoming during the week of February 15-20. Students participated in fun activities during the week that included a daily Where's Waldo hunt, Secret Crusader clues and special dress-down days. Students concluded the week with a boy's basketball victory against South Pemiscot High School and a homecoming dance. The theme was Arabian Nights...

Midge Potts for Senate 2010 www.ElectMidge.com Contact: Midge Potts midge@electmidge.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 3rd, 2010 Potts Recommends Cutting Bloated Military Spending to Balance Budget US Senate Candidate Says More Is Needed Than Just Discretionary Spending Caps...

Robert Litzelfelner wants to build a new phase of homes in Bent Creek that will be more affordable than the other 300 homes already in the Jackson subdivision. While most homes cost between $250,000 and $800,000 in the development near the par-72 golf course, Litzelfelner's proposed seventh phase would allow for the construction of between 20 and 24 homes costing between $100,000 and $150,000. ...

A Jackson man was charged Monday with unlawfully entering a church and damaging an ATM at Commerce Bank, both on Cape LaCroix Road.

A St. Mary, Mo., man said to be responsible for all the thefts and burglaries in Perry County this year was granted a reduction in bond Monday by Associate Circuit Court Judge Gary A. Kamp.

Bollinger County residents who met recently with state and federal officials regarding highway issues were told help is on the way. But many of the residents say they've been told that for the past 20 years while major needs go unmet. The good news is that the residents, state highway officials -- including district engineer Mark Shelton from the Missouri Department of Transportation -- and U.S. ...

LET me get this straight. A Missouri woman defrauds 179 farmers out of $27.4 million and pleads guilty to one count of mail fraud. I have a friend who was caught with four ounces of marijuana and was forced to plead guilty to seven felony counts of possession with intent to distribute. ...

Bless us, O God, when we try to do the very best that we can. Amen.

Though the concept is certainly not original, our federal government needs only to look at the private sector to find the answer to our fiscal crisis. Two dozen major national retailers last week reported financial data, and guess how they turned around their lagging business?...

LOS ANGELES -- Just 50 miles off the Pacific Northwest coast is an earthquake hotspot that threatens to unleash on Seattle, Portland and Vancouver the kind of damage that has shattered Chile. The fault has been dormant for more than 300 years, but when it awakens -- tomorrow or decades from now -- the consequences could be devastating...

PHOENIX -- On Saturday mornings, crowds of homeless gather with other needy people at picnic tables outside a church in an upscale Phoenix neighborhood, listen to sermons and settle in for sausage, pancakes and scrambled eggs. The pastor says it's the Lord's work. Neighbors say it should be done elsewhere...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- An astounding run keeps getting better for Lady Antebellum. Already buoyed by the crossover success of its latest album, the country trio learned it's up for seven Academy of Country Music Awards when nominations were announced Tuesday...

WASHINGTON -- The post office is renewing its drive to drop Saturday delivery -- and plans a rate increase -- in an effort to fend off a projected $7 billion loss this year. Without drastic action the agency could face a cumulative loss of $238 billion over 10 years, Postmaster General John Potter said in releasing a series of consultant reports on agency operations and its outlook...

BERLIN -- Germany's highest court on Tuesday overturned a law that let anti-terror authorities retain data on telephone calls and e-mails, saying it marked a "grave intrusion" into personal privacy rights and must be revised. The court ruling was the latest to sharply criticize a major initiative by Chancellor Angela Merkel's government and one of the strongest steps yet defending citizen rights from post-Sept. 11 terror-fighting measures...

BUDUDA, Uganda -- Rivers of mud swamped houses, stores and at least one school after heavy rains in this Central African country, killing at least 70 people with some 250 still missing, officials and survivors said Tuesday. Rains that began Monday evening continued through the night, triggering landslides in the Bududa region, 170 miles east of Kampala...

SANTIAGO, Chile -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made a small dent in Chile's growing needs following a massive earthquake, handing over 25 satellite phones Tuesday while promising more in the country's capital. "We stand ready to help in any way that the government of Chile asks us to. ...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Greenville, Mo., man is being treated at a St. Louis hospital for burns he suffered Saturday afternoon trying to put out a grass fire at his home.

DEXTER, Mo. -- A search warrant executed Thursday at the home of a Stoddard County juvenile who allegedly threatened the lives of 29 fellow Puxico High School students turned up a list of names and several firearms.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Four agencies are working to bring the unemployed together with businesses that are hiring with the Sikeston Area Job Fair.

SAN DIEGO -- A registered sex offender suspected in the disappearance of 17-year-old Chelsea King likely assaulted a jogger in December in the same park where the search for King is centered, police said Tuesday. The 22-year-old Colorado woman managed to fend off her attacker Dec. 27 in Rancho Bernardo Community Park on the northern edge of San Diego, the same site where King's 1994 BMW was found with her belongings inside, police Capt. Jim Collins said...

ST. LOUIS -- A Missouri appeals court has sided with Pinnacle Entertainment in its bid to keep open the President Casino in St. Louis. The state appeals court in Kansas City agreed Tuesday with Pinnacle that the Missouri Gaming Commission acted improperly in deciding Pinnacle could neither repair nor replace the casino...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's unemployment fell slightly in January, but the state also shed 12,800 nonfarm jobs. The state Department of Economic Development reports that the jobless rate dipped one-tenth of a percentage point to 9.5 percent last month. The agency says the nation's average unemployment rate for January was 9.7 percent...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri residents might get their state tax refunds faster under a bill endorsed Tuesday by the House. State officials currently can hold onto tax refunds for up to 120 days without paying interest. Legislation given first-round approval in the House would limit that to 45 days. The shorter period would take effect immediately when it is signed into law...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's third-largest city suspended the use of red-light traffic cameras Tuesday after the state Supreme Court struck down its process for handling the tickets. In a unanimous decision Tuesday, the high court said violations of municipal ordinances, such as running a red light, cannot be handled through administrative hearings but instead must be heard in a court...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests...

Margaret "Diane" Thompson, 64, of Scott City died Tuesday, March 2, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 9, 1945, in Vero Beach, Fla., to John Bernard and Elizabeth Hughes Bennett. Thompson worked as a podiatry assistant in Stone Mountain, Ga...

Blaine Swan, 91, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, March 1, 2010, at Ramsey Creek Assisted Living Facility in Scott City. He was born May 7, 1918, in Cape Girardeau, to John Edward and Margaret Louise Ruebel Swan. He was married to Lucille Menz Dec. 9, 1943, in Scott City...

Alvin Wayne Robinett Sr., 71, of Oriole passed away Monday, March 1, 2010, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, following a long battle with numerous health complications. He was born April 1, 1938, in Sikeston, Mo., to Arthur L. and Allie M. Jobe Robinett...

Gretchen L. "Granny Goose" Wilson, 79, of Jackson died Tuesday, March 2, 2010, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from noon to service time Friday at the chapel of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson...

Charles W. Clendenin, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, March 2, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. A Masonic service will be held at 7:30...

A special celebration of the 150th anniversary of First Presbyterian Church in Cape Girardeau continues with the unveiling of a second banner in the sanctuary; in the pulpit for the service is Dr. C.E. Mount, former pastor of the church, now retired...

Spring officially starts March 20. For gardeners who love feathered friends, spring actually starts when the purple martin scouts arrive. In my recollection this date has been any time from March 3 to March 24. The actual date depends on many factors, but I think late winter temperatures are the most significant factor. Therefore, I think the scouts will arrive later this year than previous...

The following information was released by the U.S. attorney's office for defendants appearing in federal court before U.S. District Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr.:PLEADED GUILTY n Residence: St. Mary, Mo. n Charge: A felony count of conspiracy to manufacture 5 or more grams of methamphetamine...

I remember when I was a child -- long before Facebook, e-mail and Twitter -- my mom and her siblings had a round-robin letter. The oldest sibling would start the letter and then send it on to the next sibling. That person would write a letter and send it on to the next and so on. ...

All the area high school events reported Tuesday to the Southeast Missourian.

SLU also had its offense going, getting 13 hits and all of the game's three home runs, as the host Billikens won 10-6.

The status of Southeast Missouri State women's basketball coach John Ishee still is up in the air days after the Redhawks ended one of the worst seasons in program history.

Advance tried to slow the pace, but the wheels quickly fell off and the Mules raced to a 74-27 victory in their Class 2 District 3 semifinal.

The Rebels ran wild and knocked off the Wildcats 77-65 in a Class 1 District 3 semifinal game Tuesday night.

AMES, Iowa -- Missouri's Zaire Taylor prefers having the ball in his hands with the clock running down and the game on the line because, as he sees it, it clears his mind. Taylor proved yet again Tuesday night that he's at his best when the Tigers need him the most...

The Jackson boys and Notre Dame girls will be facing similar circumstances when they face sectional opponents tonight. Both teams played their sectional opponent in January during the regular season and both will be looking to avenge a loss. Jackson (16-12) will face top-ranked Webster Groves (26-2) in a 7:45 p.m. Class 5 sectional at the Farmington Civic Center. The Statesmen defeated the Indians 64-50 on Jan. 29...

Sara Wessling has always liked penning short stories, although the Bellevue teenager only wrote them for herself. Until now. On a whim, the Bellevue West High School senior poured her heart out to the publishers of the popular "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series in December 2008...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- More than 450 young people between the ages of 11 and 22 are homeless in Springfield, according to a recent count. Those numbers left members of the Task Force for Homeless Young Children in almost stunned silence Tuesday as Todd Duncan, coordinator of Youth Services at The Kitchen Inc., delivered the startling report...

Dancers of the River North Chicago Dance Company demonstrated their skills at their first and only performance at the Bedell Performance Hall at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus on Tuesday night with dance styles ranging from ballet to jazz...

The Delta Bobcats gave Scott County Central all it could handle in the first quarter of their Class 1 District 3 semifinal game Tuesday night.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's revenue is falling at nearly twice the rate that was projected just two months ago, forcing officials to take a fresh look at merging state agencies, raising fees or making deep cuts to public services. Gov. Jay Nixon held a series of private meetings Tuesday with Senate and House members to discuss the state's financial problems. ...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Pioneer Hi-Bred will build a new facility on 129 acres in New Madrid County and expects the plant to be operational and employing 50 new workers by the fall of 2011, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported. Gov. Jay Nixon today released the following statement on the announcement by DuPont that its Pioneer Hi-Bred business plans to construct a soybean seed production facility in New Madrid County:...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Puxico student charged with allegedly threatening to kill 29 of her schoolmates was ordered to remain in juvenile custody Tuesday afternoon. Her brother will also remain in state custody due to unsanitary conditions in the home, the Daily American Republic newspaper reported...

Sophie looks fierce in her pink sweater!

These eagles were fighting over a fish carcass.

No matter how cynical, dirty or ugly politics can become, it shows tremendous insensitivity to compare the second deadliest disease in our country to the American political process. In his paid op-ed in the Missourian, Tommy Sowers sensationally trivialized how cancer has touched so many Missourians -- every time, for the worse...

Local Cape Girardeau County citizens concerned about the future of our nation will have their first 2010 planning meetings in Jackson. This group is comprised of volunteers who put together last year's Tea Party events in April and July, as well as those otherwise interested...

Southeast Missouri Hospital once again has received national accreditation of its Chest Pain Center. The Hospital has earned full Cycle III accreditation with PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention). PCI is a procedure commonly known as angioplasty, which is used to treat blocked arteries of the heart...

The Perryville Area Career and Technology Center continues to hold open enrollment for its adult applicants. The process is extremely easy with the adult completing the Career Center application, interviewing with the counselor, then meeting the instructor and visiting the classroom/shop where the classes will be provided...

N.W. part of town

We were calling for her and looking all over the house when we heard her tail thumping against the sofa and saw her nose peeking over the pillow.

How wonderful to be born into a family with so many generations? Oliver Carlton Drum, born on November 5, 2009 to Bradley and Jaime Drum (Vines) is lucky enough to have lots and lots of grandparents to spoil him! On his maternal side, Oliver has one grandmother, Girada Vines (Gerlach), one grandfather, Greg Vines, two great grandmothers, Veroncett Gerlach and Joyce Vines, two great grandfathers, Richard Gerlach and Bob Vines, and two great-great grandmothers, Juanita Riggs and Nina Heise. ...

2 Year old Christian McNew getting his first hair cut, now he won't look like a girl!!!

The students at Immaculate Conception collected 212 blankets as part of a blanket drive to help orphans in Swaziland, Africa. Their efforts contributed to approximatley 2200 blankets collected in the Cape and Jackson communities.

Three Perryville High School art students were recently selected to participate in the 32nd Annual High School Art Exhibition: "Exhibiting Excellence" at Southeast Missouri State University. They are Joey Bauwens, son of Jim and Linda Bauwens, Matt Busch, son of Jack and Patty Busch, and Samantha Ervin. Each of the artists will have their art displayed from January 31 to March 7, 2010 at the Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. ...

The lunch hour arrived at Franklin Elementary School on Tuesday, and students were excited about one item on the menu -- the crispito. Principal Rhonda Dunham said the crispy tortilla roll of chicken chili is the second most popular item her school serves, behind only pizza...

The Jackson Police Department plans to boost its on-duty patrol March 12 through 14 after receiving a grant from the Missouri Department of Transporation Highway Safety Division to help keep motorists from drinking and driving. The grant, given to the department on an annual basis, covers costs for officers to work overtime hours, said Lt. Chris Mouser...

At a preliminary hearing in the case against Scott Reynolds -- a Cape Girardeau attorney in custody on four felony charges, including assault -- Associate Circuit Court Judge Byron D. Luber bound the case over to Division I Court today, finding there is enough evidence for the case to proceed.

The Bulldogs avenged one of their four regular-season losses, beating Farmington 73-62 in Wednesday's Class 4 sectional at Mineral Area College.

The culminating experience of high school existence, the "and-they-all-lived-happily-ever-after" moment when, afterward, we all ride off happily into the sunset, is coming soon. No, I'm not talking about graduation. I'm talking about senior prom. It seems like just yesterday I was a freshman making a pact with one of my best friends to attend all 10 high school dances. ...

After the death of a local teenager, Brittany Holmes, 16, wrote a letter to media outlets and politicians asking for improvements to Bollinger County roads. Since her January letter, Holmes, a home-schooled student from Marble Hill, Mo., has been attending meetings with county, state and federal representatives to lobby for better road conditions, primarily along highways 34 and 51.

What's happening this weekend

NEW YORK -- Most retail sectors including electronics and luxury items saw sales gains in February, data released Wednesday show, though snowstorms that shut in shoppers also chilled sales at women's clothing stores. The latest numbers from MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse also show online sales rose sharply and sales of footwear and men's clothing also increased compared with a year earlier...

NEW YORK -- Early gains in stocks unraveled Wednesday after the Federal Reserve signaled that the economic recovery will be slow. Stocks ended mixed after the Fed's announcement that economic activity has improved in nine of its 12 districts but that the gains are "modest."...

WASHINGTON -- Some Toyota owners say they're still having trouble with unintended acceleration after their recalled cars were repaired, and the Transportation Department said Wednesday it is looking into their complaints. The complaints raise new questions about whether Toyota's remedy will solve the problem. ...

Tonight about a dozen Cape Girardeau residents will have the first of eight weekly two-hour sessions as part of the police department's citizens police academy. Over the next few weeks these interested citizens will learn not only what police officers do and how, they will learn why as well...

I enjoyed the comment where someone said he had been married 50 years and then described it as "marital endurance." Not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it? The actress Mae West once said, "Marriage is an institution, and I'm not ready for an institution."...

For sunshine after days of gray, we give thanks to you, O God. Amen.

March 4, 2010 Dear Julie, Janet Goodin runs the Christian School for the Young Years in Cape Girardeau. She decided to find out what they could do for the children of Haiti. One need is to establish preschools that can be set up in tents because people are still afraid to go back inside buildings. But children need to play, especially in the wake of a disaster...

NEW YORK -- As planes waited to take off from Kennedy Airport, the jargon-packed radio chatter between controllers and pilots was interrupted by a young boy's voice: "JetBlue 171, cleared for takeoff." An air traffic controller who brought his son to work let the youngster read a few routine messages to pilots -- and then brought in another child the next day -- in an incident that amused pilots but not the Federal Aviation Administration...

CONCEPCION, Chile -- Four days after a deadly earthquake, Chile's military finally rolled out a massive humanitarian aid effort Wednesday that promised to improve an image long associated with dictatorship-era repression. The dump trucks that soldiers spent all night helping fill with bags of food made their first deliveries in a neighborhood of military families who already had enough to eat...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday:...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Barbara Beis Kembel, 35, of Poplar Bluff, formerly of Portageville, Mo., died Tuesday, March 2, 2010, at Golden Living Center in New Madrid, Mo. She was born July 9, 1974, at Hayti, Mo., daughter of Charles Anthony and Dorothy Kraemer Beis Jr...

McBRIDE, Mo. -- Leonard W. Naeger, 67, of McBride died Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at his home. He was born July 2, 1942, at Ste. Genevieve, Mo., son of Oscar and Laverne Mattingly Naeger. He and Lois M. Munier were married Oct. 16, 1965, at Sereno, Mo...

Gretchen L. "Granny Goose" Wilson, 79, of Jackson passed away Tuesday, March 2, 2010, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 7, 1931, in Allentown, Pa., daughter of Herman A. and Mamie Mullinax Love. Gretchen worked at the Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, Calif., many years. She moved to Jackson in 1995, and had been a resident of Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau the past two years...

Charles William Clendenin, 90, of Cape Girardeau passed away Tuesday, March 2, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He resided at Missouri Veterans Home the past 12 months. He was born Nov. 9, 1919, near Portageville, Mo., son of Arthur C. and Mertie Jeter Clendenin. He and Pauline Cooper were married Sept. 18, 1942. Together they enjoyed 67 years of marriage...

Aleta Hedge, 94, of Labadie, Mo., formerly of Jackson, died Tuesday, March 2, 2010, at Bethesda Nursing Home in Ellisville, Mo. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the chapel of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Don Kuehle officiating. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson...

Al Robertson, 74, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Raymond L. Pulliam, 46, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson.

Daughter to Robert Alan and Kristina Lynn Stell of Perryville, Mo., Saint Francis Medical Center, 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. Name, Kaygan Elizabeth. Weight, 9 pounds, 9 ounces. Mrs. Stell is the former Kristina Thole, daughter of Richard and Selma Thole of Perryville. She is self-employed. Stell is the son of Robert and Mary Stell of Seward, Neb. He is employed at Buchheit...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A massive manhunt involving helicopters, roadblocks and dogs continues in and around St. Francois County as more than 100 law enforcement officers search for the suspected killer of a Missouri highway patrolman who originally was from Cape Girardeau; trooper James M. Froemsdorf, 35, of Perryville, was fatally shot Saturday night...

n A Wednesday story about an additional planned phase in Bent Creek subdivision purchased by Rob Litzenfelner from Litz Brothers Inc. should have indicated that the size of the new homes will be between 1,200 and 1,500 square feet compared to the existing homes of 2,000 and 6,000 square feet. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Opponents turned out Wednesday against Gov. Jay Nixon's plan to help balance the budget by dipping into special state funds dedicated to such things as airport improvements and spinal cord injury research. Nixon wants to transfer a total of $27 million out of 23 special accounts to help plug a hole in the proposed 2011 budget. ...

NEW YORK -- There's been a sharp drop in the percentage of America's children being bullied or beaten up by their peers, according to a new national survey by experts who believe anti-bullying programs are having an effect. The study, funded by the U.S. ...

A section of Highway 34 in Wayne County will be reduced to one lane while MoDOT crews perform pavement repairs. This section of roadway is from County Road 215 to Route OO. Weather permitting, the traffic will be reduced to one lane from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily today and tomorrow...

A section of Interstate 57 in Mississippi County will be reduced to one lane with a 10-foot width restriction while MoDOT crews perform pavement repairs. This section of roadway is located from Route J at mile marker 7 to Interstate 55 in Sikeston. They will also be repairing the on ramp from Route B to I-57. Weather permitting, the work will begin at 7 a.m. Monday and will end at 5 p.m. March 19...

A nearly 5-year-old felony robbery case in Cape Girardeau County was bound over to Division I of the circuit court Wednesday after testimony at a preliminary hearing connected Robert D. Heyl's DNA to that found on clothing worn by the person who committed the robbery...

JUPITER, Fla. -- Skip Schumaker will be feeling a lot more comfortable when he takes his spot at second base for the St. Louis Cardinals' spring training opener today. Schumaker admitted the transition from the outfield last spring wasn't very smooth and at times he doubted the move would work...

JUPITER, Fla. -- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has one suggestion for Colby Rasmus, his young, emerging center fielder: Do not get comfortable. "It's a tougher year," La Russa said Tuesday. "Last year he came like he wants to play in the big leagues. He didn't have a spot on the club. He had to work hard every day and play well and earn a spot...

The Gators swimming team took second place at the recent Great Times Invitational. Caitlyn Palmer, Kyleigh Troxel, Kristian Troxel and Caleb Coots all were high point winners for the Gators. Top-10 Gators finishers Girls 8 & under 25 freestyle -- 5. Pujol, Carly, 17.41; 7. Law, Phoebe, 18.10...

The Indians jumped out to a 20-point lead at halftime and cruised from there for a 55-30 victory over Crossroads College Prep in Wednesday's semifinal.

The Jackson boys basketball team was overwhelmed by the No. 1 team, falling to Webster Groves 62-37.

Scholarships The following students received scholarships to attend Southeast Missouri State University for the 2010-2011 academic year: Honors, achievements n Mary E. Al-Sayed of Cape Girardeau was named to the fall dean's list at Boston University in Boston...

Using only a few materials, you can make a milk carton spin on its own while suspended in the air. STEP 1: Using the nail poke a hole through the top of the milk carton and in the lower left-hand corner of each side of the milk carton. STEP 2: Cut about 2 feet of fishing line and push the fishing line through the hole in the top of the milk carton. Hang the milk carton over the bucket...

Southbound Interstate 55 in Perry County will be reduced to one lane with a 16-foot width restriction while the Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform pavement repairs. The southbound work zone is between HIghway 51 and Route B. Weather permitting, the work will begin 7 a.m. today and will end at 3 p.m. Friday...

WASHINGTON -- Buffeted by ethics inquiries, veteran New York Rep. Charles B. Rangel stepped down Wednesday as chairman of the House's powerful tax-writing committee, delivering a fresh political jolt to the Democratic Party. The action also muddied the congressional picture on taxes, coming as the House moves toward difficult debate over large automatic increases that lie just over the horizon. The outcome will affect tens of millions of American taxpayers...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues acquired forwards Matt D'Agostini and Pierre-Cedric Labrie ahead of the NHL's trade deadline Wednesday. D'Agostini had two goals, two assists and 26 penalty minutes in 40 games for the Montreal Canadiens this season, and scored 12 goals with nine assists and 16 penalty minutes in 53 games in 2008-09. He was Montreal's sixth-round draft pick in 2005...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- The state's 12 community colleges are busier than ever. The Missouri Community College Association says every community college in the state had increased enrollment this spring. The overall average increase was 13.1 percent when compared with last spring's enrollment...

PARK HILLS, Mo. (AP) -- Gov. Jay Nixon was heading to eastern Missouri on Thursday to announce grants for two colleges and a grant to help build a Mississippi River port. A "Training for Tomorrow" grant to Mineral Area Community College in Park Hills will go toward a program to help paramedics earn associate degrees in nursing...

Gleaming chrome, candy paint and timeless icons of the American roadway will cover the Show Me Center's floor Saturday as Smith's Auction Co. brings more than 170 cars and trucks to auction off. "We've got cars from the '50s, '60s and '70s, plenty of muscle cars, street rods and Corvettes," said Sherm Smith, owner and founder of Smith's Auction Co. in Dexter, Mo. Smith said typically there are one or two standout vehicles to showcase, but this year there are many standouts...

A nearly $1 million stimulus grant will allow the Perry County School District to switch to a wood-burning heating system to save on heating costs.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri has lost in the opening round of a federal competition for education grants. The U.S. Department of Education said Thursday that Missouri's application for nearly $750 million under the "Race to the Top" program is not among the finalists...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The House budget chairman is proposing to give Missouri's public schools the full amount called for under the state's financing formula. Republican House member Allen Icet, of Wildwood, released his version of Missouri's 2011 budget on Thursday...

The Boys and Girls Club of Cape Girardeau has its annual fundraiser event coming up. The sixth annual benefit auction and dance is at Ray's Plaza Conference Center in Cape Girardeau on March 13 beginning at 6 p.m. Take in live and silent auctions, raffles, appetizers from Ray's of Kelso and music from Mid-Life Crisis...

By 2011 voters could have the opportunity to approve a planning commission that would recommend countywide subdivision regulations.

POLICE The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Assaults Miscellaneous FIRE Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday:...

No matter how cynical, dirty or ugly politics can become, it shows tremendous insensitivity to compare the second deadliest disease in our country to the American political process. In his paid op-ed in the Missourian, Tommy Sowers sensationally trivialized how cancer has touched so many Missourians -- every time, for the worse...

Oak Ridge worked for two great looks at 3-pointers to tie the game in the closing seconds but neither one would fall, and the Mules ended Oak Ridge's season with a 64-58 victory.

On Saturday, Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus will host a one-of-a-kind show as "TAO: The Martial Art of Drumming" comes to the Bedell Performance Hall.

Darren Jones shaved his head once and decided it wasn't a good look. Now with hair "however long nose-length is," he said he is going to give it another shot for charity. "My hair is longer now than it probably has been in my entire life," said Jones, the youth minister at First General Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau...

The annual Children's Arts Festival is trying to boost area elementary and middle school students' interest in music. In addition to the art contest display at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri's gallery, opening at 5 p.m. today, a concert featuring around 100 student choir singers and musicians in the fourth through sixth grades will be held at Southeast Missouri State University's Academic Hall auditorium at 6:30 p.m. ...

BENTON, Mo. -- Two Haywood City, Mo., men were charged Thursday with first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and stealing in connection to a Jan. 28 Amerimart convenience store robbery in Benton. In a news release, Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said Jim "Bug" Harris Jr., 49 and Timothy Winston, 36, were identified as suspects when investigators were working a separate felony case in the Haywood City area...

MINER, Mo. - A Poplar Bluff, Mo., woman sustained serious injuries after she lost control and struck another vehicle Thursday morning northbound on Interstate 55. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said that around 9:05 a.m. a 2003 Ford driven by Julie E. Ward, 49, of Poplar Bluff was passing a 2006 Honda driven by Mary K. Roth, 66, of Mountain View, Mo. The Ford then lost control and struck the Honda near mile marker 71 before it came to a rest in the median...

This is Tigger, our baby bunny. You lay him on his back and rub his belly and he falls asleep!! He's resting up before Easter!! He's the best little bunny and very much spoiled rotten, lol.

a beautiful peaceful morning

this is penny my bullmastiff who came from the humane society when she naps on the couch which is most of the time unless we are out walking she like her little blanket to keep her warm!!

HAYWOOD CITY, Mo. -- Work is moving along on Scott County's Public Water Supply District No. 4, with officials now looking to the second phase of the project. "The storage tank has been erected and is scheduled to be finished by March 17," said Tim McIntyre, system manager. "Construction of the district's wells began on Feb. 16. Progress on the distribution lines has been hampered by poor weather, but the project is still on track for a late summer completion date."...

CAPE GIRARDEUA, Mo. -- Terry Moreland of Sikeston has enlisted in the Missouri Army National Guard. Moreland, 17, will serve with Company E of the Recruit Sustainment Program in Cape Girardeau. Through the program, he will learn basic Army skills and values and become more familiar with his role as a Soldier in the Missouri Army National Guard...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The 2008 winner of the TV show "America's Got Talent" has a new gig -- singing for the president. STLtoday.com, The Web site for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, reported Friday that Sikeston, Mo., native Neal Boyd will perform for President Obama when Obama appears in St. Louis next week...

This is our 6 yr old male boxer Beans waiting for his Daddy to come home from work.

Parker to Emerson; You can run but you can't hide your record On February 22, 2010, Team Emerson issued a letter to their constituents stating the following; As Missouri Republican's who are deeply interested in strong, experienced leadership for our congressional district, we are concerned about recent attempts to question Jo Ann Emerson's credentials. No one is working harder to bring common sense to the halls of Congress.....

Macon is a 4 month old yellow lab. There are 3 yellow and 3 black available for adoption at The Humane Society of SEMO 573-334-5837. See more pets available at www.semopets.org

Shelby Spencer of Cape Girardeau and Ruth Morgan of East Prairie didn't know each other until a few weeks ago. But today the similar health challenges they face have forged a special friendship The families of the two Southeast Missouri Hospital patients met in the Intensive Care Unit and have bonded during Shelby's and Ruth's Hospital stay. "There is a lot of camaraderie between families in the ICU," notes physical therapist Jean Schwarz, PT...

The participants of the Hoover Center Senior Alive Program made these Leprechauns as St. Patrick's Day decorations for the Hospice participants. Pictured are front row: Cherie Herbst, Coordinator; 2nd row: Linda Dockins, Belva Keller, Helen McCarty, and 3rd row: Geraldine Love, Barbara Warren, Violet Crain, and Norma Dawes. ...

Through 38 years of teaching art, Judy Barks-Westrich says she has learned as much from her students as they have learned from her. Barks-Westrich, also a mixed media artist with her own studio in downtown Cape Girardeau, teaches art at Central High School. Before she came to Cape Girardeau 15 years ago, she taught art at Sikeston High School...

3/11/2010 7:15 PM at Movies At The Mud House - HISTORY CHANNEL Presents- "That's Impossible: Weather Warfare" The power to use tornadoes, hurricanes, and the deadliest weather as weapons of war may now be possible. We'll investigate reports that weather weapons are in development and we'll reveal the technology that in the future could turn hurricanes, earthquakes, even tsunamis into some of the most powerful and plausibly deniable weapons of mass destruction the world has ever seen...

R&B singer Breeze is promoting his new Album entitled:N-LUV-W/DESTINY Breeze's music has over 4000 Hit's on the ''music internet circuit'' such as YouTube,myspace, FaceBook,Tagged and Twitter. If u want to Purchase Breeze's New Cd. just e-mail him at the freezeteam@yahoo.com...

A Jackson woman was injured Friday afternoon when she drove through a red light and collided with a dump truck at the U.S. 61 and Highway 177 at Fruitland. Ashley D. Jones, 25, was taken by ambulance to Saint Francis Medical Center after she drove her 1995 Oldsmobile through a red light and collided with a dump truck driven by 41-year-old Don C. Bond of Jackson, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol...

Though Scott City native Matthew Buttrey has toured the world, he said he misses the people in Southeast Missouri the most and he credits a few of them with his success. Buttrey grew up in Scott City and learned to ice skate at the Plaza Galleria in Cape Girardeau. He graduated from Notre Dame High School in 1995 and attended Southeast Missouri State University...

Arts and entertainment briefs

SAN FRANCISCO -- Movie magic will be the toast of Tinseltown on Oscar night, and what better way to bring the festivities couch-side than with a cocktail inspired by this year's nominees? We asked mixologists from around the country to come up with award-worthy recipes. The results ranged from a classic cocktail that dates to the early days of flight to a bubbly concoction from the ice cream parlor featured in the family-friendly "Up."...

Murder plots can be funny, and the current River City Players dinner theater production, "Let's Murder Marsha," aims to prove it. Marsha stumbles upon her husband and other friends plotting something. With an armory of murder-mystery novels and an active imagination, she immediately assumes they're plotting to kill her -- and only days before her birthday...

WASHINGTON -- Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton didn't flinch when comedian Stephen Colbert congratulated her on Washington, D.C., becoming a state. "Not quite," she replied during a segment on his show not long after President Barack Obama's election...

WASHINGTON -- Jonathan Pilkington's boss wouldn't take no for an answer. During more than two years as a food runner at an upscale steakhouse in Scottsdale, Ariz., Pilkington says his male supervisor groped, fondled and otherwise sexually harassed him more than a dozen times...

WASHINGTON -- Despite doubts among many lawmakers that it'll create many jobs, the House on Thursday passed legislation giving companies that hire the jobless a temporary payroll tax break. The measure passed 217-201 on a mostly party-line vote. The bill also extends federal highway programs through the end of the year...

WASHINGTON -- Support from his own party in doubt, President Barack Obama summoned more than a dozen House Democrats to the White House on Thursday, pleading with them to put aside their qualms, seize a historic moment and vote for his massive health care overhaul...

A Jackson man facing an assault and child endangerment conviction in Cape Girardeau County has been charged with tampering with a witness for allegedly contacting the victim and asking her to drop the charges and not to testify against him in court.

The Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1978 to broadcast symphonic music of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries throughout Russia. The group first toured the United States in 2004, with 42 concert stops. This year's tour will last nine weeks and include more than 50 concerts. Following tonight's performance, the group will travel to Arizona to begin the western leg of the tour.

Southeast Missourian The organizers of April's well-attended tea party at Capaha Park are gathering today to plan activities for the year. The group will hold two meetings, at 1 p.m. and again at 7 p.m., at the Jackson Public Library on the third floor of Jackson City Hall, 101 Court St. The meeting is to brainstorm activities for the group and its volunteers...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Judge Benjamin Lewis granted a change of venue Thursday morning in the case of James E. Primer of Patton, Mo., who is charged with rape and molestation.

Cape Girardeau County residents in the Millersville area are under a boil-water order until further notice, the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center announced. A water main was broken near Bird Creek bottoms along Highway 72 during excavations, said Amanda Haimes, clerk for Public Water Supply District No. ...

Presentations about an upcoming bond issue for the Cape Girardeau School District, cap-and-trade and health care reform will highlight today's First Friday Coffee.

BARCELONA, Spain -- The Mediterranean was heaving as the 68-year-old Italian stood in the cruise ship lounge. A moment later a monstrous wave shattered the windows and sent shards into her head, leaving her bleeding on the floor and calling out for her husband...

KUNDA, India -- A stampede among thousands of poor villagers scrambling for free food and clothes at a commemorative event killed 63 people Thursday at a Hindu temple in northern India and injured dozens of others. Nearly all the victims were women and children. The stampede knocked down a gate at the compound surrounding the temple in the small town of Kunda, on the northern plains of Uttar Pradesh state...

BAGHDAD -- There were no politicians kissing babies at the campaign rally, but it came close. The band played, men danced and women swayed to the music as a speaker worked the crowd before the arrival of the main candidate -- former prime minister and secular Shiite Ayad Allawi, who made his way to the podium shaking hands and waving to well-wishers...

SAN BERNARDO, Chile -- The Desarmes family left their native Haiti two weeks after the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, joining the eldest son in Chile for what seemed a refuge from the fear and chaos of Port-au-Prince. Their sense of security lasted barely a month. It was shattered at 3:43 a.m. Saturday when one of the most powerful quakes on record shook a swath of Chile...

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's intelligent agents have arrested a senior Afghan Taliban commander, officials said Thursday, the latest move in a crackdown against the insurgent network in Pakistan. Agha Jan Mohtasim, a former finance minister for the Taliban before the U.S-led invasion in 2001, was detained in the southern city of Karachi, two intelligence officials said. ...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests...

It has been 40 years since many of watched the blurry -- and amazing -- live TV images of the first man on the moon. Since them, the U.S. space program has focused on an orbiting space station, shuttle trips and unmanned exploration of nearby planets and asteroids...

This letter was sent to Dickey Nutt, men's basketball coach at Southeast Missouri State University:On behalf of the entire city of Cape Girardeau, I want to personally thank you and your team for bringing pride and dignity back to the Show Me Center...

ALL three National Merit Semifinalists from Central High School went on to achieve National Merit Finalist. They are Nina Scheibe, Josh Wen and Janna Trautwein. This puts these kids in the top 1 percent of high school students nationwide. This is big news and speaks highly of the school system here. ...

John Michael "Johnny Mike" Eldridge, 56, of Cape Girardeau passed away Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Sept. 26, 1953, in Cape Girardeau, son of John W. and Nola F. Sample Eldridge. John was a 1971 graduate of Central High School...

Stephen D. Campbell, 58, of Jackson passed away Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at his home. He was born Jan. 15, 1952, in Shreveport, La., son of Jack and Anne McGill Campbell. He and Jane Hilton were married Feb. 15, 1980. Stephen was a member of New McKendree United Methodist Church in Jackson. He owned and operated Campbell Realty in Cape Girardeau...

Oma "Aleta" Hedge, 94, of Labadie, Mo., formerly of Jackson, passed away Tuesday, March 2, 2010, at Bethesda Meadow Nursing Home in Ellisville, Mo. She was born June 11, 1915, near Burfordville, daughter of Dennis A. and Carrie "Zelma" Helderman. She and Floyd James Hedge were married June 19, 1935. He passed away Feb. 13, 1977...

Raymond Lee Pulliam, 46, of Cape Girardeau passed away Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Sept. 8, 1963, in Cape Girardeau, son of Raymond C. and Jean McBay Pulliam. He and Patty Wallman were married Jan. 11, 1986...

Alfred Charles "Al" Robertson, 74, of Cape Girardeau passed away Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born June 11, 1935, in Los Angeles, to Alfred Sebron and Irene Albertine Robinson Robertson. He and Mary Ann Rheinecker were married July 4, 1958, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Belleville, Ill...

ORAN, Mo. -- James Dale Wagoner, 52, of Oran died Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 14, 1957, at Belleville, Ill., son of James Earl and Patricia Ann Rafalowski Wagoner. James retired from Delta Air Lines in Atlanta as a stewarder. He was a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church in Stockbridge, Ga...

A proposed quarter-cent sales tax for four years to produce local revenue to help construct a Mississippi River port passes with ease in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties; the tax will go into effect Jan. 1. A fundraising campaign for the Family Learning Center is launched in the morning with an informal breakfast at the facility at 605 Broadway; the goal of $20,000 would provide about one-fifth of the not-for-profit organization's budget for the year...

SOUTHLAKE, Texas -- Toyota has for years blocked access to data stored in devices similar to airline "black boxes" that could explain crashes blamed on sudden unintended acceleration, according to an Associated Press review of lawsuits nationwide and interviews with auto crash experts...

For those who make music and share it with others, we pray to you, O God. Amen.

WASHINGTON -- The economy is showing renewed strength as retail sales surged last month and factory orders also increased. Such gains could lead to more hiring -- if they can be sustained. Retailers said Thursday that store sales rose in February by the largest amount since November 2007. And orders to U.S. factories in January posted their sharpest rise in four months. It was another sign that manufacturing is helping drive the economic recovery...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Republican House budget chief proposed Thursday that Missouri provide public schools with the full amount of money called for by the state's financing formula, even as others raised new concerns about whether it could afford to do so...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Gov. Jay Nixon has signed legislation providing up to 20 extra weeks of benefits for unemployed Missourians. The governor signed the bill just hours after lawmakers gave it final approval Thursday. It takes effect immediately...

LOS ANGELES -- Spread 10 ways, the phrase "nominated for best picture" hasn't had much of a box office effect. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences doubled the number of nominees this year in hopes of drawing more attention to more movies. But the revenue bump for this year's crop is less than the one enjoyed by last year's five best-picture hopefuls...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- After an investigation, the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and Chaffee Police Department arrested James A. Stewart, 29, of Chaffee after a search of his residence revealed an illegal marijuana growing operation.

Several years ago, when most of my aunts and uncles on my mother's side of the family had died or had become incapacitated, one of my cousins assumed the responsibility of keeping everyone informed by e-mail. Cousin John's original task was to remind all the cousins -- 15 survive -- and their extended families about the annual family reunion. I have questioned my family's sanity at times, especially when it comes to holding an outdoor reunion in Southeast Missouri in August...

St. Vincent dug an early hole and couldn't climb all the way out. The Indians fell behind by five points after one quarter and fell to top-seeded Eskridge 60-50 in their Class 2 District 5 boys basketball semifinal Thursday. Kyle Rollet led St. Vincent with 20 points, while Sean Martin netted 13 in the loss...

The 2010 Southeast Missouri State baseball team has already posted one win over a major conference program. Southeast will have a chance to add to that total over the next three days as the Redhawks play four games at the BankFirst Challenge in Starkville, Miss...

Host Delta lived up to its billing as the overwhelming favorite in the two-team Class 1 District 3 tournament with an 85-36 rout of the Braves.

Meadow Heights put on a defensive clinic on its way to a 53-22 victory against Oran in the Class 2 District 3 girls basketball championship game.

The Scott County Central Braves overwhelmed second-seeded Richland 84-46 at Delta High School.

DALLAS -- The St. Louis Blues are working on another late-season surge. Paul Kariya scored twice, combining with Brad Boyes for a pair of goals during a 17-second span of the first period, and the Blues extended their winning streak to a season-best five games with a 6-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night...

The River North Chicago Dance Company performed in Bedell Performance Hall on Tuesday, and as part of their visit, they held a free master dance class Monday. "Open to the public" and "geared toward all levels" coaxed me into the practice room. In case there's any doubt, I'm in the lower level...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Jason Bay's debut was low key, but David Wright homered in his first at-bat and the New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 17-11 on Thursday. Bay, a former Red Sox left fielder, went 0 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout in his first game of the spring and first live action with the Mets since signing a four-year, $66 million contract in December...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston not-for-profit group will host an event this month to collect and dispose of old prescription medications with the idea of keeping those drugs out of the hands of children, the Sikeston Standard Democrat reported. Trends indicate more of today's teenagers are passing on the hard-to-obtain street drugs and opting for the typically easily accessible prescription drugs...

Expecting a decline in unemployment by the end of 2010, a St. Louis economist believes the U.S. economy is poised for a recovery.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) -- Another Missouri community college is receiving a grant to educate students in growth industries. Gov. Jay Nixon was scheduled to visit St. Charles Community College on Friday to announce the Training for Tomorrow grant. The money will help the college develop training programs in such fields as surveying, technology and sustainability, and business operations...

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) -- Members of a student group pushing for specific policy protection for gays and lesbians at Missouri Southern State University said Thursday that they will continue to protest at the central administration building until the nondiscrimination policy includes reference to sexual orientation...

Blue and red flags line Route W in Cape Girardeau, signs that work has begun on a project to add shoulders along four miles of the road from Lexington Avenue to LaSalle Avenue. The project, financed with federal stimulus money approved last year, has seen a difficult launch, first when bids came in well over budget and more recently when bad weather delayed projected start dates in November and again in early February...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri found out Thursday it lost in the opening round of a federal competition for education grants. The U.S. Department of Education said Missouri's application for nearly $750 million under the "Race to the Top" program is not among the finalists. But Missouri education commissioner Chris Nicastro said the state plans to submit a revised application by the next deadline June 1...

Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle was reappointed Tuesday to a 13-member Missouri Supreme Court Committee assigned to write jury procedure used in criminal cases in Missouri. He is one of two prosecutors in Missouri appointed to the committee, which also makes any necessary amendments to the Missouri Rules of Criminal Procedure...

Jackson The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Summonses Miscellaneous Jackson Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday:...

Maestro Alexei Kornienko conducts the Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra through "Romeo and Juliet, Fantasy -Overture in B minor" during a performance at the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall on Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus on Friday, March 5, 2010. The Orchestra also played other Russian masterpieces including "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43" and "Scheherazade, Op. 35." The venue sold 539 presale tickets for this event.

My Grandson Vincent had a great time playing in Capaha Park on Saturday. After getting a new cowboy hat, could the day be any better?

My Grandson Vincent & I enjoyed the Riverfront Saturday. Also, meeting "new friends" Cleopatra & Dominick.

Pictured from left Danielle McGuire, American Cancer Society Community Manager; Crystal Burress & Christy Bock, Corporate Sponsorship Chairs; Sonjay Joseph Fonn, DO; and Elizabeth Hartsfield, Manager

Richard L. Ochs Jr., a 24-year-old Cape Girardeau man, who has been employed in the sales department of a local radio station, is names the new project director for the Chamber of Commerce; he fills the post vacated last November by Donna Hanschen when she was named director of the Convention and Tourism Bureau...

Carla Jordan, director of the Perry County Lutheran Historical Society, says she's not the type of woman who can wear hats -- but she's excited about the society's new exhibit anyway. The exhibit, titled "Hats Off to 100 Years: The Perry County Lutheran Historical Society 1910-2010," opened Feb. ...

Note: Dave Hardesty continues a day-by-day account of his Mississippi River kayaking trip, an adventure shared with his friend Danny Rees. Day two: Sunday, Sept. 23, 2007 We made camp across the river from Hickman, Ky., at mile 921.5. Paddled 39 miles today with a strong headwind from 10 a.m. on. As planned, we made it to Columbus, Ky., for lunch after meeting the Delta Queen on her way north just below Wycliff, Ky....

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the Southeast Missourian newsroom, librarian Sharon Sanders sits calmly in her office, surrounded by the relics of Cape Girardeau's past. She spends her days shuffling through past and present news clippings, a pot of coffee to one side, a radio on her other...

Stephanie C. McAnelly, 100, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, March 1, 2010, at the Lutheran Home. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. March 27 at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. Hornbeak Funeral Chapel in Fulton, Ky., is in charge of arrangements...

Larry Wayne Stone, 65, of Kingwood, W.Va., died Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010, at West Virginia University Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. He was born Nov. 23, 1944, in St. Joseph, Mo., son of Leon Edward and Edna Mae Heatley Stone. Larry graduated from Jackson High School in Jackson. He was a dump truck driver with Lone Star Industries in Cape Girardeau more than 30 years...

William E. "Billy" Huckstep, 66, of Jackson passed away Thursday, March 4, 2010, at Heartland Care and Rehab Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 22, 1943, in Cape Girardeau, son of William C. and Jannie M. Pulliam Huckstep. He and Sue Whaley were married Oct. 19, 1968, in Sedgewickville, Mo...

Kolton Rogers PATTON, Mo. -- Kolton James Rogers, infant son of Jamie Rogers of Patton died Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Graveside service will be at 11 a.m. today at Patton Cemetery, with the Rev. Carl Cureton officiating...

KELSO, Mo. — Richard Weber, 79, of Kelso died Friday, March 5, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City.

Andrea Weatherspoon Andrea Renee Weatherspoon, 3, daughter of Crystal Stults of Cape Girardeau and Chad Weatherspoon of Scott City, died Friday, March 5, 2010, in a traffic accident in Franklin County, Ky. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City...

Geneva "Jenny" E. Simpher Balke, 85, of Alton, Ill., passed away Friday, March 5, 2010, at St. Anthony's Health Center in Alton. She was born May 21, 1924, in Scott City, daughter of John and Lula Henderson Gibson. She and Ralph Balke were married April 15, 1983, at St. Matthew's Catholic Church in Alton...

Eugene E. Myers, 89, of Jackson passed away Friday, March 5, 2010, at Jackson Manor Nursing Home. He was born June 28, 1920, in Vincennes, Ind., son of John F. and Nora B. Pfaff Myers. He and Eunice L. Eiler were married Sept. 15, 1949, in Vincennes...

Cape Girardeau will host its third annual Storytelling Festival: Where the River Turns a Thousand Tales on April 9, 10 and 11 on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi River. The festival will be located in full view of the Mississippi in historic downtown Cape Girardeau and will include six of the nation's premiere storytellers...

Joe Touchette loves to create a new landscape from scratch -- but he really loves to transform a messy, overgrown yard into a beautiful landscape. "It's a lot of fun. A lot of times I'll think I should have taken a picture before and after, because it looks so different," says Touchette, owner of Plants Plus in Cape Girardeau. ...

March is Women's History Month, and TBY wants to celebrate women -- of the world, the nation, and Southeast Missouri -- who have made a difference. Someday, we hope these women go down in Cape Girardeau history. TBY is a magazine for older adults published by the Southeast Missourian.

COLUMBIA, Ky. -- A Kentucky sheriff said a claustrophobic deputy has lost his job after accidentally locking himself in a jail cell and trying to shoot his way out of it. Adair County Sheriff Ralph Curry told WKYT-TV no one was hurt when Charles Wright fired his weapon. ...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A monkey that has eluded capture in the Tampa Bay area for more than a year has again escaped from Florida wildlife officials. Authorities were called to a neighborhood in St. Petersburg on Wednesday when the rhesus macaque monkey was spotted. ...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- In South Carolina, any group that plans to overthrow the federal government -- or any other government in the U.S. -- must register its activities. It's the law. Now some state legislators are looking to repeal it. State Sen. ...

EL PASO, Texas -- A mad emu gave deputies a Texas-sized hard time. El Paso authorities say the big bird was running loose Tuesday, snarling rush-hour traffic near Interstate 10 and attacking deputies trying to restrain it. Deputies with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office tried to prevent the tall, flightless bird from running into traffic. ...

LONDON -- The House of Lords has a momentous decision to make: Should it get cats to chase the mice that have infested one of Britain's most famous buildings? London's Houses of Parliament, also known as Westminster Palace, has rodents, and the peers aren't exactly sure what to do about it. ...

SYDNEY -- About 5,200 naked people embraced each other on the steps of Sydney's iconic Opera House on Monday for a photo shoot by Spencer Tunick. Tunick, who is known for his nude group photos in public spaces, posed participants for more than an hour in a variety of positions. ...

LONDON -- An English dog owner has been fined after taking his pet for a stroll while driving next to him in his car. Prosecutors said Paul Railton was spotted driving at low speed along a country lane in December, holding his dog's leash through the car window as the animal trotted alongside. ...

"It's ridiculous," Notre Dame coach Renee Peters said. "Words can't explain it. I'm thrilled."

The Nancy Hunter Chapter NSDAR met Feb. 24 to present the Good Citizen Awards at Cape Girardeau Public Library. Ruth Lang, regent, led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance to American flag before turning the Awards Presentations over to award chairperson, Dorothy Points...

Cape Girardeau Elementary MONDAY--Breaded catfish strips & bread or turkey & cheese on bun, corn, pears, vanilla wafers. TUESDAY--Cheeseburger or turkey & cheese on bun, fries, grapes. WEDNESDAY--Ravioli or turkey & cheese on bun, green beans, hot roll, pineapple...

"TAO: The Martial Art of Drumming" was performed Saturday for a nearly sold-out crowd at the Bedell Performance Hall on Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus. People from all over Southeast Missouri attended the performance, based upon the principles of Taiko drumming.

Whether they were there to purchase the car of their dreams or just to dream about the cars, more than 1,200 people wandered among decades of automotive history at the Show Me Center during Smith Auction Co.'s collector car auction Saturday.

Congress put off a big decision last week. When lawmakers voted to extend unemployment benefits, they also postponed until April 1 the workings of a law that would cut up to $285 billion from Medicare payments to doctors over the next 10 years. With physician groups warning the cut would force doctors to reduce the number of Medicare patients they treat, Congress left current rates in place. ...

Scott City celebrates its 50th anniversary today, the day when the towns of Ancell of Fornfelt formally ceased to exist. "We're a very thriving community," said Carolyn Pendergrass, president of Scott City Historical Preservation Commission and a resident for 40 years...

Olivia enjoying her 3rd birthday at the Conservation Nature Center in Cape.

Once Cecily Fliege got a squirmy first-grader to sit down on a cafeteria stool at South Elementary School in Jackson, the student quickly started going through the reading booklet. His finger slid across the page as he pronounced sounds, each preparing him for words found later in the book...

Before the multischool concert of the 2010 Children's Art Festival on Friday night inside Academic Hall auditorium on the Southeast Missouri State University campus, students chatted excitedly to their friends and waved at family and friends as they took their seats.

Jessica Dawn Burnett and Brett Thomas Burger exchanged wedding vows Jan. 23, 2010, at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in New Hamburg, Mo. The Rev. Michael Casteel performed the ceremony. Organist was Cheryl Kern of New Hamburg, and soloist was Kari Bickings of Oran, Mo. Server was Alex Burger, son of Heath and Karen Burger or New Hamburg, and nephew of the groom...

Amanda Jo Elfrink and Joshua Tyler Lukefahr were married Sept. 26, 2009, in the lobby of Marquette Tower in Cape Girardeau. John Rice performed the ceremony. Violinist was Steven Schaffner of Cape Girardeau. Parents of the couple are Loren and Catherine Elfrink of Oran, Mo., and Robert and Suzie Lukefahr of Jackson...

Candace Christine London and Matthew Robert Schlueter were married Aug. 1, 2009, at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Kelso, Mo. The Rev. Timothy Vowels performed the ceremony. Organist was Betty Ressel of Kelso, and soloist was Jessica Deering of Marion, Ill...

Ellen Anne Young and Tyler Donald Zimmer were united in marriage Oct. 10, 2009, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Columbia, Mo. The Rev. Steve Kuhlmann performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Phillip and Nancy Young of Jefferson City, Mo. Donald and Toni Zimmer of Cape Girardeau are parents of the groom...

Glen and Nancy Hamm of Scott City announce the engagement of their daughter, Laura Manissa Hamm, to Dustin Levi Benfield. He is the son of Paul Benfield of Marble Hill, Mo., and Regina Ward of Sikeston, Mo. Hamm is a 2008 graduate of Jefferson College. She is a registered veterinary technician at Skyview Animal Clinic...

Beth Nielsen of LaVergne, Tenn., and Craig Benz of Pacific, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Erica Danielle Schnurbusch, to Aaron Robert Bornstein, both of Kansas City, Mo. He is the son of Allan and Nancy Bornstein of Cape Girardeau...

Jerry and Valerie Fischer of Bad Axe, Mich., announce the engagement of their daughter, Justine M. Fischer, to Jeremy W. Reid. He is the son of Donald and Elizabeth Reid of Jackson. Fischer is pursuing a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Texas in San Antonio. She is employed at Vanguard Veterinary Clinic in San Antonio...

Jim and Lisa Burns of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Michaelyn Christine Burns, to Adam Clayton Ross. He is the son of Eddie and Brenda Ross of Jackson. Burns received a bachelor of arts degree in interior design from Southeast Missouri State University in 2008. She is store manager at Bloom in Cape Girardeau...

FRIEDHEIM, Mo. -- David and Rebecca Ruesler of Friedheim announce the engagement of their daughter, Tabitha Jean Ruesler, to Johnnie Shane Price. He is the son of Joyce Baker of Oak Ridge. Ruesler is a 2008 graduate of Oak Ridge High School. She is employed at Watch Me Grow Daycare and Preschool in Jackson...

Dennis and Rene Breland of Charleston, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Ashley Nicole Breland of Cape Girardeau, to Kacey Lee Proctor of St. Louis. He is the son of Gary and Cindy Shelton of Poplar Bluff, Mo. Breland is a 2003 graduate of Poplar Bluff High School. She expects to graduate this year from Southeast Missouri State University, where she is majoring in business management. She is HR/marketing director at Exit Realty-Thomas Meyer Associates...

J.W. and Mary J. Jones of Jackson recently observed their 60th wedding anniversary. A family celebration will be held at a later date. Jones and Mary Julene McBride were married Feb. 11, 1950, at Emanuel Evangelical Church in Jackson. They have two children, Steve (Patti) Jones of Jackson, and Deborah (Glen) Griffin of Chaffee, Mo. ...

Deadly and devastating earthquakes around the globe have raised our awareness of what could happen in the U.S., particularly along major faults on the West Coast and within the quake zone of most concern to Southeast Missouri: the New Madrid Fault. Earthquake science has found ways to track shifts in Earth's crust, and the scientific understanding of these changes continues to improve. ...

Students from St. Paul Lutheran School's kindergarten classes held their own "Winter Olympics" Feb. 23 and 25 in the school gym. With the aid of the fourth grade classes, kindergarten athletes participated in six events: bobsled (kneeling on a wheeled scooter and pushing off to see how far they would glide); speed skating (sliding stocking footed in heats to a finish line); curling (sliding a paper plate on the floor and measuring the distance traveled); figure skating (weaving in and out of cones and being timed); ski jumping (jumping a measured distance from the bleachers); cross country skiing (timed while sliding along a balance beam until they stepped off).. ...

The fungus seen here is growing on a decaying pile of wood. The common small puffball mushroom is not an unusual sight, but the captured image of spores bursting forth makes a pleasing photo. Even after the winter's cold and days of being covered in snow, this little group of puffballs is still viable. I have been aware of this small group of puffballs since early last spring and now into March, they are still emitting spores...

NEW MADRID -- It is the oldest home in New Madrid, but it is housing one of the newest attractions to the community. Wednesday afternoon the Hart-Stepp House opened its doors to members of the River Heritage Association, a group formed to promote tourism and the cultural heritage of the Missouri counties along the Mississippi River. They were the first to see the art work of a newly formed group of New Madrid County photographers and painters...

SOUTHEAST Missouri State University did a fabulous job on the recent production of "Carousel." The performers, especially the pit orchestra, did such a professional job. Folks in Cape Girardeau should be thrilled and proud to have live entertainment of this level in our town...

Bloomfield Elementary students raised and donated $4219.36 to the American Red Cross for relief efforts in the earthquake stricken country Haiti.The students collected change and other donations from the Bloomfield community for 8 days.Bloomfield Elementary School principal Amy James said of the efforts, "This was a great life lesson for the students. ...

For longer days and seasonable temperatures, we give thanks, O God. Amen.

Eleven Perryville High School vocal music students were selected for membership in the Southeast Missouri All-District Choir. The students were selected from more than 500 students who auditioned last fall from the Southeast Missouri region. Perryville students who were chosen for the choir are NiColette Gremaud, Dani Knott, Sierra Sauer, Ashley Hotop, Alyssa Kapp, Nate Kinnison, Adam Thieret, Daniel Wilkes, Mia Pohlmann, Dalton Manche and Dayne Voelker...

Mark Schlichter, a Cape Girardeau native and a 1982 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, has been named a board member for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Metro St. Louis. Before being nominated to the board, Schlichter served on the Ronald McDonald Scramble for Charity committee and coordinated an employee fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities for the past 10 years. Currently Schlichter is serving as senior vice president for CSI Leasing in St. Louis...

After 25 years in ministry, the things that bring the Rev. Ron Watts the most satisfaction at his church, La Croix United Methodist Church, are the things that are outwardly focused and outside the walls of the church. Watts said his church does a great deal to serve the poor and underserved populations locally and internationally. ...

The Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School cheerleaders recently finished third in the Jamfest National Cheerleading Competition in Nashville, Tenn. More than 20 Cape Girardeau sponsors assisted with sending the cheerleaders to the event. The team captains were Ashley Westbrook, Kendra Kelch, Brooke Zoellner and Sierra Jones. The squad is coached by Laura Matlock and assistant coach Jessica Grandcolas...

In 1976, during a music competition in Ocean City, N.J., yours truly committed a fashion faux pas. Those who are familiar with the sartorial trend of the mid-1970s will recall that leisure suits once were all the rage for men. I took my leisure suit to the boardwalk competition and discovered the rules prohibited anything other than a white shirt, tie and sport coat with matching trousers. ...

For Lent this year, I'm giving up giving up. I have recently gotten to know a young woman, a junior in college, who has spent the past year investing her time in a group of six high school sophomore girls. Once a week, starting at 5:30 a.m., she starts to pick up a few of the girls to meet the others at 6 for breakfast and to study the Bible, talk about God's grace and what is happening in their lives. ...

Cargill recently donated a RESQ-tube to the Mississippi County Rescue Squad. The RESQ-tube aids in rescue during a grain engulfment, when a person has fallen into a grain bin. It is designed to stop the flow of the grain toward the victim and block any additional pressure that may be created from rescuers as they are performing the rescue. ...

Celine is a 1 1/2-year-old dilute calico cat. She is friendly and has a ladylike personality. Celine has been spayed and is up-to-date on her shots. For more information, contact Safe Harbor at 243-9823. ...

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

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Summonses Assault Burglary Theft Miscellaneous Cape Girardeau County...

Larry Don Aufdenberg, 68, of Burfordville died Friday, March 5, 2010, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 14, 1941, in Cape Girardeau to Arnold H. and Esther Edna Grebing Aufdenberg. He and Margaret Lufcy were married July 13, 1962, in Cape Girardeau...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Clyde L. "Pug" Goodman, 82, of Cobden died Thursday, March 4, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 2, 1927, in Cobden, son of Aurthur F. and Gladys E. Grace Goodman. He married Carol L. Warren on July 9, 1976, in Cape Girardeau...

Hazel R. McKimmy of Jackson, formerly of Waterville, Ohio, Federal Way, Wash., and Columbus, Ohio, passed away on her 88th birthday Wednesday morning, March 3, 2010, at Jackson Manor in Jackson. She was born March 3, 1922, in Wichita, Kan., to Arthur and Pearl Beckner Reeves. She married Harold E. McKimmy on Sept. 2, 1944. He preceded her in death Dec. 12, 2007...

Ellen Popp, 59, of Jackson died Saturday, March 6, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 10:30 a.m. to time of service Saturday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Robert Henrichs officiating...

MARBLE HILL, Mo, -- Donald Feagan, 73, of Marble Hill died Friday, March 5, 2010, at his daughter's home in Marble Hill. A celebration of life visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at Hutchings Funeral Chapel in Marble Hill...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- William V. Hunt, 94, of Greenville, S.C., formerly of Perryville, died Saturday, March 6, 2010, at his residence. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and from 6:30 to 9:20 a.m. Wednesday at Young and Sons Funeral Home in Perryville...

Son to Kenny Dean and Teisha Nicole LeDure of Scott City, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 1:52 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010. Name, Deacon Cole. Weight, 7 pounds, 1 ounce. Second son. Mrs. LeDure is the former Teisha Sinn, daughter of Trina Gardner of Snohomish, Wash., and the late Tim Sinn. She is employed by Home Acceptance Corp. LeDure is the son of Edwin and Lois LeDure of Scott City. He is employed by Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway...

Sam Walton, founder of the Wal-Mart chain of discount stores, yesterday received the Southeast Missouri State University's Marketing Achievement Award; Walton was the keynote speaker at the university's 1985 Marketing and Small Business Seminar. Cape Girardeau police chief Ray Johnson, speaking to the City of Roses Chapter of the American Business Women's Association, calls the recently signed seat belt law a "weak bill"; while he says he's pleased Missouri became the fifth state to pass the law, he feels it should offer more stringent penalties for violators.. ...

Colin McClain of Cape Girardeau will be on the question-and-answer show "Jeopardy!" on March 23. McClain, who graduated Central High School in 2003, auditioned after an online test last May and was chosen for the show in December. "He's very excited," said his mother, Judy. ...

n A section of Highway 177 in Cape Girardeau County will be closed to traffic Wednesday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a pipe under the road. Weather permitting, the work will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on a section of road between Peace Pipe Lane and Mohave Lane. The work area will be marked with signs...

In a pitch to businesspeople, leaders of the Cape Girardeau School District emphasized cost savings and efficiency as they sought support for a $40 million bond issue.

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ky. -- A 3-year-old girl from Cape Girardeau died early Friday morning in a traffic accident on a Kentucky interstate. A news release from the Kentucky State Police said that the accident occurred shortly before 1 a.m. when two tractor trailer trucks collided near mile marker 53 on Interstate 64.

LOS ANGELES -- Too predictable. That's the persistent complaint about the Academy Awards, whose drama generally is sapped by a glut of earlier award shows that spell out what films will win at the Oscars before the show starts. Not this time -- at least for today's top prize...

REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- Still furious over the aftermath of the global financial crisis, Iceland's voters Saturday rejected a $5.3 billion plan to pay off Britain and the Netherlands for debts spawned by the collapse of an Icelandic Internet bank, according to initial results...

CONCEPCION, Chile -- A father's unanswered cry for his missing son rang out Saturday from the wreckage of a fallen 15-story apartment building that has become a symbol of Chile's devastating earthquake. "Jose Luis! Jose Luis!" cried the man, Jose Leon, peering into holes in the concrete that had been carefully cut by rescuers who used body-sniffing dogs to help recover victims...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday called the official version of the Sept. 11 attacks a "big lie" used by the U.S. as an excuse for the war on terror, state media reported. Ahmadinejad's comments, made during an address to Intelligence Ministry staff, come amid escalating tensions between the West and Tehran over its disputed nuclear program. ...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- The skinny teenager appears nervous, and with reason: He is waiting for a tap on the shoulder that could send him back to the dismal prison where he spent four years without being charged or seeing a judge. He is one of more than 5,000 prisoners who fled their cells after January's devastating earthquake and are now being rounded up by Haitian police and returned to a system notorious for appalling conditions and delays...

DENVER -- Chris Stewart completed his first NHL hat trick with a penalty shot, and Milan Hejduk scored twice in his return from a seven-week injury layoff to help the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 7-3 on Saturday night. Craig Anderson made 39 saves in his team-record 20th consecutive start for Colorado. The Avalanche beat St. Louis for the third time in three meetings this season, snapping the Blues' season-high five-game winning streak...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Chasing a loose ball, Marcus Morris collided with Marcus Denmon and fell backward. His head hit a courtside table with an audible thud, causing a quiet hush to come over the rowdy Missouri fans. Morris lay on the court for several minutes, then gingerly walked to the locker room amid respectful applause. He returned to finish up a double-double, and the second-ranked Jayhawks went on to beat rival Missouri 77-56 on Saturday...

The St. Vincent girls basketball team fell in overtime to host New Haven 56-50 in the championship game of the Class 2 District 5 tournament Friday night. St. Vincent, the No. 2 seed, led by as many as nine points in the second half after entering halftime tied at 15-15...

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team has lost three of its first four games at the BankFirst Challenge. All three were narrow defeats and two were gut-wrenching, extra-inning affairs Friday as the three-day event opened in Starkville, Miss. Southeast began play Friday with an 8-7, 11-inning loss to Michigan State of the Big 10 Conference...

The season is less than three weeks old and the Southeast Missouri State baseball team already has had a bad run of luck with injuries. Southeast has suffered its second season-ending injury of the young campaign to a starting player. Junior college transfer second baseman Taylor Heon is out for the remainder of the year with a knee injury that will require surgery...

The Southeast Missouri State softball team had a rough weekend, losing all four of its games at the annual Missouri Breast Cancer Awareness Tournament in Columbia, Mo. In action Saturday, Southeast (4-7) was beaten by host Missouri 13-0 and Missouri State 7-3. Missouri is ranked third and fourth in the two major national polls...

I am grateful to Cape Girardeau lawyer John L. Cook for his op-ed piece against drug prohibition. It takes courage and clarity of vision. I have much respect for the Teen Challenge program and the individuals who are taking advantage of its help, as well as Dr. Jack Smart for directing the program. It takes gumption and faith...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Catherine Marion Rosenburg, 88, of Marble Hill died Thursday, March 4, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Liley Funeral Home in Marble Hill, with the Rev. Micah Bristow officiating. Burial will be in New Morley Cemetery in Morley, Mo...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The death of a Poplar Bluff woman's estranged mother led to a reunion of family members that was more than a half-century in the making. Cleo Emery, 68, met her younger sister, Sandy Jaspering, 64, of Foley, Mo., for the first time in their lives last month...

NEW YORK -- Toyota Motor Corp. plans Monday to try to undercut suggestions that its electronics systems caused the sudden acceleration problems that led to the recall of more than 8 million vehicles. The automaker plans an event in which it will seek to debunk a critic who claims faulty gas pedals did not cause the sudden acceleration...

Two men were charged Friday in connection with break-ins at two Cape Girardeau pharmacies. Carlos Miniel, 17, of Cape Girardeau and Charles Dobyns, 20, of Benton, Mo., were charged with second-degree burglary and felony stealing in connection with incidents at John's Pharmacy, 2001 Independence St., and attempted burglary at Broadway Prescription Shop, 710 Broadway.

(LAURA SIMON~lsimon@semissourian.com)

(KRISTIN EBERTS ~ keberts@semissourian.com)

JUPITER, Fla. -- Marlins ace Josh Johnson started earning his $39 million contract Saturday:~ Outfielder Colby Rasmus belted a home run in defeat He struck out Albert Pujols looking to end a perfect first inning. Making his first start since signing his four-year deal in January, Johnson allowed two earned runs in two innings in Florida's 6-5 win over the St. Louis Cardinals...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams have signed free agent A.J. Feeley as part of what could be a big shakeup at the quarterback position. Terms of the deal announced Saturday were not disclosed, but media reports said Feeley got a two-year contract...

Dealing with health care, greenhouse gases and the deficit has fractured traditional political parties, leading to a rise of factions that is crippling Congress, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson said Friday.

KELSO, Mo. -- Richard Fred "Dick" Weber Sr., 79, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Kelso, died Friday, March 5, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau, after being admitted there from the Missouri Veterans Home. He was born April 4, 1930, in Fornfelt, Mo. (now Scott City), son of George L. and Olivia Strack Weber...

Pet name: Nicky Owner: Julie Durbin Favorite activity: Carrying his chew toy around the house. ...

The League of Women Voters of Southeast Missouri is holding voter registration throughout Cape Girardeau in preparation for the April 6 municipal elections. Wednesday is the deadline to register. Contested elections in Cape Girardeau include mayor, city council members for wards 1 and 2 and the Cape Girardeau School Board. ...

When Maj. Randall Baucom received word that the Army was sending him to Iraq in 2006, he immediately began to worry about what he would do with his two mixed-breed dogs. Buster and Little Girl, a 70-pound male and a 40-pound female, were about a year old and a bit rambunctious, said Baucom, who was stationed at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas...

Students from 26 schools throughout the region will be presenting their projects at the 54th annual Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair Tuesday at the Show Me Center. This year 407 students will participate, the most in at least five years. The top project in the senior division and an alternate will be chosen to advance to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose, Calif. ...

Jackson The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Thefts Miscellaneous...

A Jackson woman received serious injuries when her car ran off the road and struck a bridge on Route Z near Gordonville, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.

A small-business owner from Gordonville has become the first Democrat to file for Cape Girardeau County presiding commissioner.

The University of Missouri, as expected, dominated Sunday's gymnastics meet at the Show Me Center. But host Southeast Missouri State also was excited about its performance during the three-team Outback Invitational. MU, ranked 18th nationally, won every individual event and rolled to the title with a season-high road score of 196.200...

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - A Perryville, Mo., man sustained moderate injuries in a rollover accident off Interstate 64 Sunday afternoon. Donald E. Merrill, 68, of Perryville was driving his 2002 Chevrolet Blazer eastbound on the interstate when it ran off the right side of the roadway around 4:15 p.m., according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The vehicle then struck a barrier before overturning near US 67...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Statewide tornado drills scheduled for Tuesday in Missouri and Kansas have been postponed because of a small risk of an actual tornado. The National Weather Service postponed the drills on Monday to avoid any confusion. Thunderstorms are possible in parts of both states on Tuesday...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Historically, churches have always served as safe havens. All of that changed in recent years, though, following church shootings in Texas, Colorado, Tennessee and California and closer to home in Southern Illinois and in southwest Missouri...

Although nationally, March of Dimes has made significant strides in increasing survival rates among newborns, a group of local women from Montgomery Bank want to do more to advance the organization's research. At a March of Dimes fundraiser today, the women also sought to support local teenagers in the search for the perfect prom dress...

When the going gets tough, the tough get... pregnant? That's exactly what Charles DiStefano, local director for Missouri Mentoring Partnership, plans to do March 15-19 to raise awareness and funding for his young parent program. The MMP, which has been funded through a contract with the Missouri Department of Social Services for fifteen years, was not included in Gov. Jay Nixon's FY2011 budget recommendations...

On February 27th the Celebrate HOPE (Hunger, Orphans, Poverty and Education) event was held in Cape Girardeau and over $121,000 was raised to construct a children's home in Swaziland, Africa. Janine Maxwell, author of It's Not Okay With Me, and vice president of Heart for Africa, a faith-based organization bringing hope to the people of Africa, was our guess speaker with over 590 people in attendance...

KENDALL AND HER BUDDY MAX ENJOYING PLAYING IN THE CAR ON THE WAY TO MAW-MAW AND PAW-PAWS HOUSE!

Payten Elder LOVES to play with measuring cups.

United Way of Southeast Missouri announces $38,126 in federal funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) in Cape Girardeau County. This amount represents a 20% decrease from last year. The award was made by the National Board chaired by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency and consisting of representatives from The Salvation Army, American Red Cross, United Jewish Communities, Catholic Charities, USA, National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. ...

Aurelia enjoyed her 5th birthday party at her Great-Grandma's house. Uncle, Great Uncles, Great Aunts, Cousins, friends and Grandma's and Grandpa helped her celebrate her Birthday! She had LOTS of fun and the weather co-operated beautifully!

For those who grow in beauty and love, we give thanks to you, O God. Amen.

Polyps to the People Team Win Sculpture Contest Southeast Missouri State University students (from left) Beth White, Natalie Metzger and Ryan Paluczak stand by their winning polyp sculpture at West Park Mall on Saturday. Not pictured is Edward Haney. ...

When Wayne Godwin began renting a home at 2350 Route Y in December he assumed all that was included in the package was a house and land. He never dreamed he would one day stumble upon another added feature -- stolen gravestones dating back to the late 1800s...

Lucy loves to dig in the mud for mice! She is a pomeranian, but not a "prissy" one, this dog is all tomboy!

SIKESTON, Mo. -- One of the goals of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is to make its medical services more convenient for veterans to use. And that's what the VA has done with the opening of a community-based outpatient clinic in Sikeston, said Glenn A. Costie, chief executive officer of the VA Hospital in Poplar Bluff, Mo., during a Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Sikeston facility...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A letter from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has some of the health insurance company's customers in Southeast Missouri concerned they may soon not be covered at the nearest hospital. Officials and employees of Scott and Mississippi counties were among the customers notified in a letter dated Monday that, because of the termination of the provider contract with Anthem by Missouri Delta Medical Center on Feb. ...

Telephones, Italian meat and Redhawks are just a few words to describe Bill Holland's business interests. A former director of marketing for SBC and John Volpi & Co. meat company in St. Louis, Holland became executive director of the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation in June 2009. Business reporter Brian Blackwell recently visited with Holland to learn more about his past experiences with various companies and his view of what challenges lie ahead for the foundation...

Generous donors have responded to efforts to raise money for special signs along Interstate 55 in Southeast Missouri honoring soldiers who lost their lives while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001. As a result, four of the signs are scheduled to be up by Memorial Day, and donations for other signs around the state are being accepted...

My least favorite word in the English language has become "entitlements." Growing up, I was taught that I was entitled to a free public education and that if I worked hard it would help give me opportunities to succeed. That was all I was "entitled" to. ...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is trying to persuade a weary public and wavering Democrats to get behind his frantic, late-stage push on health care, while Republicans dig in and demand starting from scratch after a year's worth of work. "Now, despite all the progress and improvements we've made, Republicans in Congress insist that the only acceptable course on health care is to start over. ...

Norman W. Wood, 87, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, March 6, 2010, at his home. He was born April 13, 1922, in Cape Girardeau to William and Josephine Schaaf Wood. He and Betty Jean Bock were married Sept. 7, 1946, in Cape Girardeau. She preceded him in death Oct. 7, 2009...

Janet Marie Burger, 69, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, March 6, 2010, at her home. She was born Aug. 14, 1940, in St. Louis to Joseph Edwin and Ruth Marie Bradley McDowell. She and Charles D. Burger were married May 10, 1969, at Herculaneum, Mo. He preceded her in death May 27, 2008...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Irene E. Hopfer of Perryville, formerly of Longtown, Mo., died Sunday, March 7, 2010, at Perry Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation. She was 101. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Young and Sons Funeral Home in Perryville, with the Rev. Paul Winningham officiating. Burial will be in the Zion Lutheran Cemetery in Longtown...

Owners of stolen property which has been held as evidence by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department and is no longer needed soon may be able to claim the property; the department recently began reviewing all county property evidence, some of which dates back to the early 1970s...

HAYWOOD CITY, Mo. -- Work is moving along on Scott County's Public Water Supply District No. 4, with officials now looking to the second phase of the project. "The storage tank has been erected and is scheduled to be finished by March 17," said Tim McIntyre, system manager. "Construction of the district's wells began on Feb. 16. Progress on the distribution lines has been hampered by poor weather, but the project is still on track for a late summer completion date."...

Next month Regents Parc will gain a wine and spirit shop. Primo Vino, 1610 N. Kingshighway, Suite 105, will offer mostly wine, high-end liquor and imported beers, according to general manager Keller Ford. Other items for sale will include sausages, cheeses, glassware and wine bottle openers...

A federal judge has ordered a bus company involved in an Arizona crash that killed six people and injured more than a dozen others to cease interstate operations. U.S. District Judge George King of the Central District of California in Los Angeles issued the order against Tierra Santa Inc. and its owner, Cayetano Martinez...

BAGHDAD -- Iraqis defied insurgents who lobbed hand grenades at voters and bombed a polling station Sunday in an attempt to intimidate those taking part in elections that will determine whether their country can overcome deep sectarian divides as U.S. forces prepare to leave...

KARACHI, Pakistan -- Two Pakistani officers and a government official said Sunday that an American charged with treason for working with al-Qaida had been captured, a development that could deliver another significant blow in the U.S.-led battle against the terror network...

LOS ANGELES -- "Avatar" has racked up record after record at the box office, but on Sunday night, "The Hurt Locker" took the year's top movie prize. The Iraq War drama won Oscars, including best picture, at the 82nd annual Academy Awards. In besting ex-husband James Cameron in the best director win, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the category...

JUPITER, Fla. -- Cardinals pitchers Kyle McClellan and Rich Hill, fighting for the same spot in the starting rotation, got off to a good start as St. Louis defeated Florida 7-4 on Sunday in exhibition action. McClellan set the pace with a sharp three innings before Hill allowed a run in his two innings...

I covered Thursday's Class 1 District 3 tournament championship game won by Scott County Central and had an interesting conversation with electrifying Braves senior point guard Bobby Hatchett, who is being recruited by a number of Division I programs...

The Central hall of fame has stood at 39 members for eight years. That's long enough for former Central athletic director Terry Kitchen, who's put his go-getter mindset to changing that number soon. Kitchen, a HOF member himself who oversaw the school's hall of fame for 12 years during his tenure as AD, and current Central AD Lance Tollison are spearheading the movement to resurrect the dormant shrine to the school's past athletes and coaches. ...

After three narrow losses at the BankFirst Baseball Challenge in Starkville, Miss., Southeast Missouri State finished up the four-game, three-day event with a lopsided defeat. Michigan State pounded the Redhawks 9-0 on Sunday, sending Southeast to its fifth straight loss...

Robin Marberry has joined Offices Unlimited as an account executive. Marberry will provide sales and customer service for the company. Trade Secret, a full service salon inside in West Park Mall, has added stylist Shelby Strom. Cheryl Mothes has been named a principal with Edward Jones' holding company, Jones Financial Companies. A finanancial advisor with Edward Jones in Jackson for the past 10 years, Mothes was one of 34 people from more than 40,000 associates chosen for the distinction...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Inmates at a central Missouri prison are rehabilitating abandoned puppies as part of a Missouri Department of Corrections program. "Puppies for Parole" started at the Jefferson City Correctional Center. According to the Jefferson City News Tribune, three other prisons are looking to do the program in the future...

Sandra Bullock dressed the part at Sunday's Academy Awards: She wore a gleaming metallic slim-fitting gown that seemed fashioned after the Oscar statuette itself. The dress, like best actress Bullock, was a winner, making her one of many who stepped up their style on what is considered Hollywood's most important runway. Top actresses made bold color choices, donned stiffer shapes and used sparkle strategically to get them noticed...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Arrests Summons Assaults Thefts Property damage Miscellaneous...

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Kansas City was held up as a national example of bold thinking when it tried to integrate its schools by making them better than the suburban districts where many kids were moving. The result was one school with an Olympic-sized swimming pool and another with recording studios...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The once flush-with-cash Kansas City school district is considering a radical plan to close nearly half its schools to stay afloat. Schools officials say the cuts are necessary to keep the district from plowing through what little is left of the $2 billion it received as part of a groundbreaking desegregation case...

The Jackson Recycling Center will expand its spring and summer hours on Saturdays only beginning April 3. According to a news release from the City of Jackson, the recycling center, 509 Eastview Court, will be open each Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 30...

As part of 2010 Severe Weather Awareness Week for Missouri, the city of Jackson will hold a tornado drill at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. A siren will sound for three-minutes. Jackson fire chief Jason Mouser said the drill is a reminder that all individuals and businesses should have a severe weather plan in place, along with a weather-alert radio and an emergency kit containing a flashlight, prescription medicine, bottled water and a first-aid kit on hand...

POLICE Jackson The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrest Thefts Property damage Miscellaneous FIRE Jackson Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: ...

Although none Notre Dame players have participated in the semifinals of the state basketball tournament before, six of them have already participated a final four this school year.

A Perryville man was injured after his vehicle struck a fence near Old Appleton late Monday. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Daniel P. Taylor, 23, was driving his 2007 Roketa westbound on County Road 506 around 10 p.m. The vehicle then ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a fence...

Southeast Missouri State University President Dr. Ken Dobbins painted a bleak picture for the financial future of the state and university Tuesday afternoon. "We're here because this is a major, major undertaking," he said during a presentation to faculty and staff in Academic Hall Auditorium...

A Southeast Missouri State University student charged in the off-campus Dec. 13 assault of another student waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Associate Circuit Court Judge Gary A. Kamp today. Pili Showers, 21, of Cape Girardeau, was charged Feb. ...

Nevaeh Boyd being pushed by her older sister Aleshia Glastetter at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau

Aleshia Glastetter and her father David Glastetter getting ready to leave for the big night of fun at the 2010 Father Daughter Dance

Aleshia Glastetter and her step-siter Micah Boyd showing off their dresses before they head out the door with their fathers for the 2010 Father Daughter Dance

Micah Boyd and her father Ronald Boyd getting ready to leave for a night of fun at the 2010 Father Daughter Dance

Mollie doing wat she does best.

Bob Parker Blows Away the Competition in Missouri Sovereignty Project Ranking In its ranking system for Missouri's federal legislative candidates released today, Missouri Sovereignty Project ranked Raymondville rancher and realtor Bob Parker, Republican candidate for the Eighth Congressional District, first among 26 candidates. The Democrat candidate received a score of 9, while his Republican primary opponent, incumbent Jo Ann Emerson, received a 2. Parker scored 43...

The Heartland Pops Band and Chorus will present a patriotic concert Sunday, May 23 at 2:15P.M. at Crossroads Fellowship Church in Jackson. The band will play plenty of John Philip Sousa marches. The chorus will perform the patriotic cantata, "Ring All The Bells" by Derric Johnson. ...

A picnic area at General Watkins Conservation Area, Morley Missouri

March 7-13 is National Lutheran Schools Week. Students in Mrs. Ward's fifth grade class at Trinity Lutheran School in Cape celebrated by visiting another fifth grade class at St. Lorenz Lutheran School in Frankenmuth, Michigan. With the help of SKYPE, students were able to communicate using webcam. ...

Cape Girardeau--9 students from Keyboards & Kindermusik Conservatory--a piano, keyboard and Kindermusik teaching studio in Cape Girardeau--recently received Gold Cup awards from the National Federation of Junior Music Clubs. The Junior Music Festival was held on February 20th. ...

A Daisy woman who formerly co-owned Fruitland Diner faces an April court date for allegedly collecting more than $12,000 from sales tax of items sold at the restaurant but failing to forward that money to the Missouri Department of Revenue. If convicted, Krissty Steers, 28, could face between one day and one year in jail and/or a fine not exceeding $1,000 for charges relating to when she operated the restaurant at 5841 U.S. 61...

Jason J. Robert, a Cape Girardeau man accused of using pliers to attempt to cut off his fiancee's finger, was granted a change of venue Monday before Circuit Court Judge Benjamin F. Lewis. Robert's case will now be heard in New Madrid County. In addition to trying to cut off her ring finger, Robert, charged with second- and third-degree assault, made threats to kill his girlfriend, according to a probable-cause affidavit. ...

Jackson city officials are preparing for a busy 2010. Plans this year include streamlining the city's electric conversion system, revamping a sewer system and, in what officials and business leaders believe will be important in increasing commerce, extending Old Orchard Road to East Main Street...

Communities show off their best sides when they promote and support projects to benefit those among us who need special attention. Two current projects fit the bill. The Jackson Jaycees recently contributed $10,000 for an all-accessible playground. Melaina's Magical Playground is to be built at Cape County Park North. ...

I recently received a questionnaire with multiple-choice answers in the mail from the Republican National Committee. The sixth question asked: "Do you believe America is better or worse off than it was before Barack Obama became president?" The answer choices were: Yes, No or No opinion...

PRESIDENT Obama will run up a deficit this year of 10.6 percent of the nation's gross domestic product. The last time the deficit hit double digits as a percentage of GDP was 1945 when Germany and Japan surrendered. The U.S. won the Cold War without ever running a double-digit deficit. President Reagan bankrupted the Soviet Union, not the United States. President Obama will bankrupt the United States in a short time...

WESTMORELAND, N.H. -- Two of the oldest people in the world have died on the same day. Mary Josephine Ray, who was certified as the oldest person living in the United States, died Sunday at age 114 years, 294 days. She died at a nursing home in Westmoreland but was active until about two weeks before her death, her granddaughter Katherine Ray said...

ST. LOUIS -- Statewide tornado drills scheduled today in Missouri and Kansas have been postponed because of a small risk of an actual tornado. The National Weather Service postponed the drills Monday to avoid any confusion. Thunderstorms are possible in parts of both states today...

The following information was released by the U.S. attorney's office for defendants appearing in federal court before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Monday. SENTENCED n Charge: One felony count of possession of 5 grams or more of cocaine wih the intent to distribute...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday:...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests...

David F. Waychus, 59, of Nora Springs, Iowa, died Thursday, March 4, 2010, at Iowa Veterans Hospital in Des Moines. Graveside service was held Monday at Memorial Park Cemetery in Mason City, Iowa, with the Rev. Kenneth B. Gehling officiating. Full military honors were conducted by members of Mason City Veterans Memorial Association...

Andrea Renee Weatherspoon, 3, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, March 5, 2010, in Franklin County, Ky. She was born Aug. 28, 2006, in Cape Girardeau, to Crystal Lynne Stults and Chad Andrew Weatherspoon. She is survived by her parents; a sister, Jaylin Allison Sisk of Cape Girardeau; maternal grandparents, Christopher and Cathy Stults of Dexter, Mo.; maternal great-grandfather, Lawrence Matty of North Charleroi, Pa.; paternal grandmother, Joyce Weatherspoon of Scott City; paternal great-grandmother, Dorothy Dees of Scott City; and paternal great-grandfather, Lee Brooks of Chaffee, Mo.. ...

Mary Lou Gibson, 78, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, March 7, 2010, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson.

ANNA, Ill. -- Benjamin F. Schuler, 79, of Anna died Friday, March 5, 2010, at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, Ill. Graveside service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Anna City Cemetery, with Susan Middleton officiating. Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home in Anna is in charge of arrangements...

Hazel E. Fiehler, 92, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, March 8, 2010, at Chateau Girardeau Skilled Nursing Center. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

Lewis Son to Felix Antoine Lewis and Rose Marie Staple of Cape Girardeau, Saint Francis Medical Center, 7:24 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, 2010. Name, Felix Antoine III. Weight, 8 pounds, 1 ounce. Third child, first son. Ms. Staple is the daughter of Frank and Bess Staple of Cape Girardeau. She is a student. Lewis is the son of Felix Lewis of Cape Girardeau. He is a student...

Two Cape Girardeau businessmen were honored last night at the annual Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce dinner for their contributions to the community; Paul L. Ebaugh was recipient of the Golden Deeds Award, and Melvin J. Van de Ven was named the winner of the Go-Getter Award...

n An article in Sunday's Southeast Missourian had the incorrect date of the candidate forum to be held by the League of Women Voters. It will be at 7 p.m. March 16.

For those who face the future with faith and hope, we pray to you, O God.

WASHINGTON -- Democrats facing strong headwinds this election season have at least one reason for optimism, according to polling that found the party's large black voting bloc eager to stay involved even without Barack Obama on the ballot. About two-thirds of black adults in four states say they are closely following news about the upcoming midterm elections, and between 74 percent and 80 percent say they are very likely to vote, according to the poll, conducted by the nonpartisan Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. ...

WASHINGTON -- The virus that causes AIDS can hide in the bone marrow, avoiding drugs and later awakening to cause illness, according to new research that could point the way toward better treatments for the disease. Finding that hide-out is a first step, but years of research lie ahead...

Peanut butter recalls. Spinach scares. Contaminated meat. Is it any wonder Americans are jittery about their food? So much so that when The Associated Press recently ran a recipe for traditional spaghetti carbonara -- complete with its only barely cooked egg -- e-mails poured in...

DETROIT -- Detroit, the very symbol of American industrial might for most of the 20th century, is drawing up a radical renewal plan that calls for turning large swaths of this now-blighted, rusted-out city back into the fields and farmland that existed before the automobile...