Stories from Wednesday, April 6, 2011

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) -- Three more Missouri towns are going smoke-free, but one isn't. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that three towns gave approval to smoking bans in Tuesday's election. A ban in Cape Girardeau was defeated by a narrow margin. O'Fallon voters approved the measure by a 3-to-1 margin. Springfield adopted a ban, and Webb City voters endorsed a measure in a nonbinding referendum, though the Joplin Globe reports that the mayor expects the city council to enact the ban...

The Cape Girardeau city government posted a message saying there were power outages along Route 177 due to construction work in the area on its Facebook page. The message was posted around 11:30 a.m. A call to the city's public information staff wasn't immediately returned...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The sales tax rate in Chaffee will increase by a quarter-cent starting July 1, voters decided Tuesday, lending their support for the tax for fire department operations but not for storm-water and park improvements.

The Scott City Council will welcome two newcomers at its meeting next month after residents voted Tuesday to elect Ron Cummins to represent Ward 3 and Randy Morse for Ward 4. Morse, 53, receiving 60 percent of the vote, beat out incumbent Jordan Heisserer by 28 votes. Heisserer received 54 total votes...

Scott City voters returned incumbents and elected a young newcomer in Tuesday night's school board election, an election defined at least in part by a controversial dress code policy. Board president Scott Amick won a third term on the board with 26.5 percent of the vote. Fellow incumbent Sally Porch, who has served 12 years on the board, received 22 percent of the vote...

Meadow Heights School District voters approved a no-tax-increase bond issue at the polls. The measure, a $600,000 borrowing plan, unofficially has received 275 yes votes to 76 no in Bollinger County, the brunt of the district.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Having tried it for a year, Sikeston will remain a city that requires a prescription for pseudoephedrine products.

There is nothing quite so pretty as a redbud tree in full bloom.

I love when these blue bells bloom along the banks of the Crooked Creek.

such a warm sunny day out and all the beautiful colored tree's

OJ is 3 years old. He is already neutered. OJ is available for adoption at The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, 573-334-5837. See more pets available at www.semopets.org

Seated front and center is Bernice Hartman with a bouquet of Daffodils who celebrated her 95th Birthday April 5th at the Hoover Senior Alive Center. Celebrating with Bernice is (Standing left to right): Sandy Whitledge, Cherie Herbst (Hoover Center Coordinator), Barbara Warren, Helen McCarty, Norma Dawes, Ida Mitchell, Estel Bowers, and Violet Crain...

Two Perryville High School sophomores have been selected to attend the Missouri Scholars Academy, a three-week academic program for 330 of Missouri's gifted students who are ready to begin their junior year in high school. This year's Academy will be held from June 12 through July 2 at the University of Missouri-Columbia...

Cape Girardeau, MO -- On Thursday, April 7 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. the McDonald's by Walmart will be donating 25% of all sales to the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross Southeast Missouri Chapter has been serving the community for over 90 years. ...

Cape Girardeau voters narrowly defeated a hotly contested smoking ban Tuesday. The outcome was an apparent rejection of a well-heeled group of supporters who spent more than $83,000 to get out its message of the hazards of secondhand smoke. The controversial issue, which has been debated since November when Citizens for a Smoke-Free Cape began gathering signatures to put it on the ballot, failed by just 325 votes, with 3,997 against and 3,672 voting in favor, with all precincts reporting.

Two reading incentive programs at Perryville Elementary School, the AR Reading Program and the Heart Reader Program, have expanded school-wide and have motivated the students to read tens of thousands of books so far this year. Since the beginning of the school year, two classrooms have reached an outstanding accomplishment. ...

You will be seeing these teeth at various dental offices around town to raise awareness of the importance of quality dental care. The Oral Health Coalition of Southeast Missouri is raising funds for financially disadvantaged chidren who need urgent dental care...

The Cape Central High School Envirothon Team placed first overall in the Southeast Regional Envirothon competition last month at the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, qualifying the team for the state competition in Jefferson City. The team also placed first in four of the six scoring categories: Forestry, Soils, Current Events, and Oral Presentation. ...

Eight Perry County Middle School 7th and 8th grade students competed in the MCTM (Missouri Council Teachers of Math) Math Contest at St. Vincent de Paul School in Cape Girardeau on Saturday, April 2, 2011. Taking 2nd place on the 7th grade test was Mollie Kluender, which now qualifies her to compete in the state contest. ...

SoutheastHEALTH officials and staff, representatives of the American Heart Association, Cape Girardeau city officials, Cape Central Middle School students and others celebrated the opening of the first official Start! Walking path in the region with a lunchtime ribbon-cutting ceremony and an inaugural walk on Wednesday, April 6. ...

The Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics grades 7-8 regional contests were held at 15 sites across the state of Missouri recently. The first, second, and third place winners in each of the individual contests and winners in the team competition will compete in the State Finals in Springfield on April 30, 2011. ...

Motivating students to read at Perryville Elementary School is fairly easy to accomplish these days, especially since the students have an incentive that is definitely not "boar-ing!" Two reading incentive programs, the AR Reading Program and the Heart Reader Program, have expanded school-wide and have motivated the students to read tens of thousands of books so far this year. ...

About 80 percent of Cape Girardeau voters -- more than 6,000 -- said yes Tuesday to two propositions that constitute the city's plan to generate $72 million to pay for a new wastewater treatment plant and a multitude of sewer line improvements...

Twenty-seven students from Cape Central Junior High School (CJHS) participated in the regional National History Day contest at Southeast Missouri State University. Participants completed a research project that fit into the theme "Diplomacy and Debate: Successes, Failures and Consequences" and competed against students from all over the Southeast Missouri region in the Performance, Exhibit, Website and Documentary categories. ...

Voters showed strong support for renovation plans at Mineral Area College, overwhelmingly approving an $8 million no-tax-increase bond issue Tuesday. Voters in St. Francois County, Madison, Ste. Genevieve and Perry counties combined approved the measure with 76 percent of ballots cast in favor of it...

Voter turnout was light in Tuesday's Bollinger County municipal and school board elections with only 9 percent of eligible voters casting ballots. In the city of Marble Hill, Tim McCain won as alderman for Ward 1; he was unopposed. James Sear was re-elected in Ward 2 by write-in votes. Also receiving write-in vote were Ken Trentham, Fred Ritter, Mitch Miller, Bill Wilcox, Beverly Johnson and Mike Morris...

Tom Kimbel, a Jackson police officer for 17 years who is now retired, will fill the open seat on the Jackson Board of Aldermen, voters decided Tuesday. Kimbel beat out businessman Ron Clark with 60 percent of the vote. Kimbel received 113 votes, while Clark received 74 votes.

The wrongheaded skeptical nature of the recent Associated Presss article in the Southeast Missourian regarding 10 recently discovered paintings by George Caleb Bingham, which emanated from the Kansas City Star and now disseminates like a contagion, casts a funereal pall over Bingham's Bicentennial...

I and many in my family will miss the air show. I'm sure Cape Girardeau will miss the $80,000 it brought in last year. If whoever previously organized the event wasn't able to do so, why didn't they get someone else to manage it? I guess Cape Girardeau will just have to raise taxes again...

O Lord, may we be still and know that You are God. Amen.

Obama's first term provides an open-door opportunity for others

Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich said recently that several state agencies have done a less than adequate job in tracking federal stimulus funds. Schweich's comments on the tracking came after the first significant audit of Missouri's share of the federal stimulus funds. While the auditor found no obvious cases of misuse, he did note several examples of where the funds were not tracked or documented well...

Play ball! The St. Louis Cardinals are back in season, and it is a welcome sound on the radio. I have longed for baseball season to start for weeks now, so I am glad it is here. I loved watching all of the opening day festivities and enjoyed seeing and hearing the sounds of baseball again. ...

The prepared ham has become so ubiquitous -- honey baked and spiral cut, anyone? -- at Easter, many cooks assume they can just heat and eat, leaving all their culinary creativity for the rest of the meal. To be sure, cured and smoked pork legs are tasty as is, but there's little reason not to give it an exotic treatment, as with this apricot-peach and gingersnap crusted baked ham...

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- Ivory Coast's strongman leader Laurent Gbagbo holed up in a bunker inside the presidential residence Tuesday, maintaining he won the election four months ago even as troops backing the internationally recognized winner encircled the home...

WASHINGTON -- Prodded by an insistent President Barack Obama, Congress' top two lawmakers sought to reinvigorate compromise talks Tuesday aimed at cutting tens of billions in federal spending and averting a partial government shutdown Friday at midnight...

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans set up a politically defining clash over the size and priorities of government Tuesday, unveiling a budget plan that calls for both unprecedented spending cuts and a fundamental restructuring of taxpayer-financed health care for the elderly and the poor...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- William Thomas "Billy Taylor" Hancock Jr., 55, of Advance died Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at his home. He was born June 1, 1955. Hancock attended First Baptist Church in Advance. He was disabled. Survivors include five sisters, Ida Grooms of Advance, Laurel Dunlap of Louisberg, Mo., Niki Davis of Wappapello, Mo., Robin Taylor of Lafayette, La., and Brenda Yeager of Washington state...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Cabrini A. Bierbaum, 64, of Mound City died Monday, April 4, 2011, surrounded by family and friends. She was born Feb. 28, 1947, in Cairo, Ill., daughter of the late Walter W. and Roslyn Scheuing Waite. Cabrini loved people and found great joy working the front desk at Daystar Care Center in Cairo...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A suspected arsonist was arrested after he allegedly attacked police at a Monday morning fire in Sikeston. Around 7 a.m. Monday, the Sikeston Department of Public Safety responded to a call regarding a structure fire at 223 Petroleum St. As the police and fire divisions arrived on the scene, they found a home fully involved with fire...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Mildred Lucille Page, 92, of Marble Hill died Saturday, April 2, 2011, at Woodland Hills in Marble Hill. She is now playing piano for the heavenly choir. She was born July 6, 1918, in Lutesville, Mo., daughter of Willard and Minnie Bretz Hastings...

Daughter to Jerry Leland and Jessica Leigh Pickett of Jackson, Southeast Hospital, 3:50 p.m. Friday, March 25, 2011. Name, Kearsten Reece. Weight, 7 pounds, 13 ounces. Third child, first daughter. Mrs. Pickett is the former Jessica Spooler, daughter of Kenny and Michelle Spooler and Mike and Vickie Webb of Jackson. She is manager at Pizza Inn. Pickett is the son of Patsy Pickett of Jackson. He is manager at Jimmy John's...

Jean Blades, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, April 5, 2011, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

Clarence Melvin Baugher (aka Mighty Fine or Percy), 73, of Mammoth, Ariz., passed away Thursday, March 31, 2011, at his home, with his family by his side. Although battling prostate cancer, his cause of death was congestive heart failure. Clarence was born June 2, 1937, in McClure, Ill., to Clarence and Lena Hunsaker Baugher...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Alzina Burkley, 86, of Mound City died Saturday, April 2, 2011, at her home. Visitation will be from noon to service time Thursday at Massie Funeral Home in Mounds, Ill. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Johnny Nelson officiating. Burial will be in Spencer Heights Memorial Park in Mounds...

Thanks to thousands of termites, a project undertaken to simply fix a leaky roof at the Broadway United Methodist Church at Scott City is nearing completion with a total cost of around $86,000; termites had damaged the church tower, sanctuary and basement walls and floor joists...

Should the City of Cape Girardeau be allowed to borrow $72 million to build a new wastewater treatment plant to bring the city in line with DNR regulations?

Should the City of Cape Girardeau extend a quarter-cent sales tax to fund wastewater treatment operations and retire bonds to pay for a new wastewater plant? The tax would sunset in 2037.

SALT LAKE CITY -- A joint venture between three of the nation's four largest cellphone carriers will soon offer the United States' first commercially available mobile fare payment program to a public transportation system. Isis, a mobile commerce joint venture between AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, announced Tuesday it will roll out the pilot program in Salt Lake City in 2012, offering an alternative to credit and debit cards for Utah Transit Authority fare payments...

ST. LOUIS -- Residents in St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo., overwhelmingly agreed Tuesday to retain their 1 percent earnings taxes, passing on a significant tax cut but keeping a revenue source that provides a huge chunk of the budget in both of Missouri's big cities...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Assault Firefighters responded to the following call Saturday:...

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

Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday:...

Results from the April 5, 2011 election in Scott County.

Harold France: xx Michael Hughey: xx Should Mineral Area College be authorized to issue $8 million in bonds to renovate and improve facilities and upgrade technology? The bonds would not increase the debt service levy. Yes: xx No: xx Elect three Numbers are partial. District has voters in other counties. Get overall race total at www.semissourian.com/election...

Some things bear repeating: Plant vegetables. The tastes of fresh-picked beans, lettuce and tomatoes, grown from seeds of varieties bred for flavor rather than commercial appeal, will knock your socks off. Not to mention the satisfaction of doing "work" that puts food directly into your belly...

Vote totals from the April 5, 2011 election in Bollinger County.

Totals listed are for contested races and ballot issues only. Should the Advance School District raise its tax levy from the state minimum of $2.75 to $3 per $100 assessed valuation? Yes: xx No: xx Elect three Numbers are partial. District has voters in other counties. Get overall race total at www.semissourian.com/election...

Should the city institute the "Cape Girardeau Smoke-Free Air Act," prohibiting smoking in places of public accommodation?

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- The Carter County Commission unanimously approved the resignation of Sheriff Tommy Adams Tuesday morning after the sheriff was jailed on a drug distribution charge. After calling the meeting to order, Presiding Commissioner John Bailiff said he had a resignation letter from Adams...

Shattenkirk burns his former team with a goal and two assists

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols found a way to be productive while still shaking out early season kinks. Pujols had the tying and go-ahead RBIs, and Kyle McClellan rebounded from a shaky beginning to pitch well in his first career start, helping the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 on Tuesday night...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Frank Haith has heard the criticism that Missouri settled for a safe choice rather than a home-run hire for its new coach. After seven years leading a Miami basketball program at a football-first school with little fan interest and plenty of other south Florida distractions, Haith welcomes both the added scrutiny and heightened interest in his fortunes...

The Southeast Missouri State women's tennis team lost its fifth straight match Tuesday, but freshman Elizabeth Nyenwe continued her strong play. Nyenwe notched her fourth consecutive victory and remained undefeated in the Ohio Valley Conference. She accounted for Southeast's lone win in visiting Tennessee-Martin's 6-1 triumph...

The Chaffee baseball team defeated Scott County Central 12-6 on Tuesday.

All the scores from Tuesday that were reported to the Southeast Missourian.

The Southeast Missouri State baseball defeated host Arkansas State 8-5 on Tuesday.

Senior right-hander Logan Bartels did a little of everything in the Jackson baseball team's victory over rival Central. Bartels earned the win on the mound and smacked a home run in the Indians' 13-6 win March 29. Bartels struck out eight over 5 2/3 innings against the Tigers...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Mary Browning, 82, of Olive Branch died Monday, April 4, 2011, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Crain Funeral Home in Tamms, Ill., is in charge of arrangements.

PHOENIX -- Boeing engineers figured the joints holding the skin in place on their older 737 jetliners would begin to wear, but only as the planes neared retirement. They never expected it to happen in middle age. Caught off guard when a piece of the fuselage on a Southwest Airlines jet peeled away as it flew over Arizona last week, they are rushing to create inspection and repair instructions for hundreds of similar planes in service worldwide...

TOKYO -- Fishermen who lost their homes and boats in Japan's tsunami now fear radioactive water gushing into the Pacific Ocean from a crippled nuclear plant could cost them their livelihoods. The contaminated water raised concerns about the safety of seafood in the country that gave the world sushi, prompting the government to set limits for the first time on the amount of radiation permitted in fish...

BREGA, Libya -- Libyan government forces bombarded a key oil town Tuesday as an Obama administration envoy met with the opposition leadership in its de facto capital, a possible step toward diplomatic recognition. NATO said nearly a third of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's heavy weapons have been destroyed. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Route K in Perry County will be reduced to one lane with a 16-foot width restriction today and Thursday, while Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform routine bridge maintenance. This section of road is between Route B and County Road 600. Weather permitting, the work will be done from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Signs will mark the work zone. For more information, contact the MoDOT's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Route N County Road 418 to County Road 438 in Bollinger County will be closed today and Thursday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a pipe beneath the roadway. Weather permitting, work will be done from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Route B in Perry County will be reduced to one lane with a 16-foot width restriction today and Thursday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform routine bridge maintenance. This section of road is between County Road 512 and County Road 614. Weather permitting, the work will be done from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily...

Erin Abell left a job in finance to volunteer for John McCain's presidential campaign in early 2008. She had hoped to return to the industry after the election, but by then Wall Street was on life support, and Abell had to live off credit cards until joining a friend's startup...

Guardian Angel School Super Students 1st grade: Jordan Diebold, Brittany Dirnberger, Traci Hency, Hayden Kimball, Lauren Kimball, Camryn Lynch, Aubrie Rash, Logan Rose, Lydia Tankersley, Emily Williamsen. 2nd grade: Kennedi McVay, Cooper Priggel, Chloe Prindle, Langdon Scheeter, Myles Trankler, Katie Webb...

St. Denis School 3rd grade: Haley Burger, Krista Dirnberger, Britt Gage, Addie Gage, Mallory Glastetter, Haleigh Halter, Devin Heuring, Macy Landeros, Andrea Richman. 4th grade: Landon Cureton, Sydney Dittlinger, Peyton Eftink, Andrew Halter, Ragan Schlosser, Allison Seiler, Grace Urhahn...

Scott City Elementary School A Honor Roll 3rd grade: Daniel Biggs, Jacey Brant, Noah Braun, Carlie Estes, Alexys Littlepage, Kassie Northington, Tony Seabaugh, Spencer Stratman. 4th grade: Chloe Clayton. B Honor Roll 3rd grade: Andrew Auer, Jasmine Barajas, Joseph Brown, Emma Bryant, Claudia Cassout, Gavin Crider, Ramsey Evans, Josh Frey, Kobe Hann, Ellie Huckstep, Madison Klingeman, Mason Koeberl, Zoe Lee, Aaron Littleton, Anthony Long, Chloe McAlister, Mina McKee, Cody Nichols, Jazmine Nickens, Sam Niswonger, Landon O'Brien, Anthony Smith, Hayley Spies, Jordanne Talley, Aidan Thompson, Shelby Walton, Porcelain Wells, Ashley Wilthong.. ...

St. Vincent de Paul Parish School Third Quarter A Honor Roll 4th Grade: Bailey Beussink, Hayden Carrington, Hannah Dodson, Alex Dow, Zach Fehr, Alex Harold, Cole Knight, Nash Lochmann, Tanner Logel, D.J. Lynch, Sydney McClintock, Braden Noel, Eli Oberle, Lily Parker, Carly Pujol, Ethan Spinner, Andrew West...

St. Augustine School A Honor Roll 5th grade: Collin Dumey, Clare Fennewald, Megan Heisserer, Nate Hulshof, Ben Jansen, Kassidy Leimbach, Adam Moeser, John Scherer. 5th grade: Grant Beussink, Abagail Estes, Madison Heisserer, Claudia Kern, Danielle Kluesner, Grant Wilson, Addie Ziegler...

Kelly Elementary School 3rd grade: Matthew Agin, Hayden Bollinger, Bri'anna Buchanon, Victoria Collom, Haley Dodd, Allison Ferrell, Ashley Garrett, Colton Glastetter, Molly Hanners, Riley Holdiness, Kelly Ivy, Trent Kelsey, Carolina Lara, Mason Laymon, Mason Martini, Alexandria Miller, Addie Nichols, Jacob Ott, Sabrina Williams, Rylee Crumley, Mariah Draves, Zach Hatley, Timothy Hooper, Adison Musgrave, Madison Myers, Morgan Pulliam, Payton Ramsey, Macey Senciboy, Madison Stanley, Jacob Bird, Dylan Childers, Samantha Coffee, Abigail Gates, Dallas Gunter, Erika Holloway, Noah Hupp, Elizabeth Martin, Jimmy May, Bennett Sutton, Taylor Vinyard.. ...

Chaffee Elementary School 3rd grade: Casey Clover, Reece Felty, Brandon Foulk, Nicole Graf, Raven Hollis, Jake Medlin, Seth Menz, Allie Miller, Ashtyn Rains, Bailee Rister, Emma Sigman, Braden Spies, Grace Arnzen, Tyler Essner, Natalie McMullin, Wyatt Parker, Braelyn Pobst, Samantha Welter...

Chaffee Junior & Senior High 7th grade: Carleigh Burnett, Brandon Ivester, Ryan Jobe, Noah Orr, Morgan Rutherford, Julia Sutterfield, Jordan Wilburn. 8th grade: Kodi Ballard, Victoria Blue, Ryan Burton, Megan Chisum, Jessie Evans, Lane Henson, Sarah Holman, Lyndsey Livingston, Kaitlin McFerron, Dylan Montgomery, John Montgomery, Trevor Morehead, Bailey Owens, Molly Parker, Jacob Perkins, Lyndsey Statler, Brody Swinford, Susan Weber, Chelsie Whitlow...

St. Joseph School A Honor Roll 5th grade: Anthony Madalon. 6th grade: Daylon Reed. 7th grade: Marisa Hall, Olivia Jordan. 8th grade: Morgan Campbell. B Honor Roll 5th grade: Elijah Venable. 6th grade: Ryne Enderle. 7th grade: Valerie Bahr, Madison Swift...

The Jackson girls soccer team defeated Perryville 1-0 in overtime Tuesday.