Stories from Sunday, June 26, 2011

She's been down this road before, but this trip is expected to be Pat Fanger's last walk with the Cape Girardeau School District. This week, the Cape Girardeau School Board appointed the assistant superintendent to the superintendent post for the month of July. The action made formal what had long been anticipated...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- A Chaffee, Mo., woman accused of masterminding a murder plot pleaded guilty Friday in a Bollinger County courtroom to conspiracy to commit murder in connection to the deaths of Jamie Lynn Orman, her unborn child and her teenage son.

The American Radio Relay League Field Day is the big event of the year for many ham radio operators. It means setting up an emergency-type operation away from the comforts of home. Members of the Southeast Missouri Amateur Radio Club, including onlookers, spent Saturday afternoon and overnight operating four ham radio stations from Klaus Park at Jackson, trying to contact as many of 14-hundred similar field day events across the country as they could. The event concludes at 1 p.m. Sunday...

When Garrison Freeman arrived Saturday afternoon at the Cape Comic Con in costume as the Joker's accomplice and love interest Harley Quinn, she wasn't in the least concerned about being labeled a geek. "Geekdom is amazing, and I just love it," said Freeman, who is from East Cape Girardeau, Ill., and came to the event at Cape Girardeau's Osage Centre with her friend Vaughn Boland of McClure, Ill. Freeman said she had hoped to convince Boland to come dressed as the Joker, but without success...

With their engines roaring, racers sped over hills and around corners making their way around the new Sky High Motocross Track Saturday in Old Appleton. "It's a constant adrenaline rush," said rider Aaron Gulley, 22, who drove from Jonesburg in central Missouri to take part in the track's inaugural event...

CAIRO, Ill. -- It's July 2008. It's hot. And Charlie Caldwell has been here before. He's seen this before. On Pine Street, all over in Cairo. Fire has ravaged properties all over the city. In its historic district on Commercial Street, some behind the high school on Washington Avenue, others on Cairo's main street...

CUBBYBEAR is enjoying his very first 4th of July picnic. CUBBYBEAR is very patriotic and is going to be traveling to many Submarine Reunions all over the USA in a big motorhome.

Lexi, golden retriever saluting the flag.

Someone stole several weapons and electronics from a Cape Girardeau home Thursday night, police said Friday. Police received a call from a man at 1107 Good Hope St., who told police upon returning home the front door of his residence was standing open and several weapons, including knives and guns were missing, along with laptops and televisions...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers crews are assessing a possible need to raise an area in the southernmost crevasse in the Birds Point-New Madrid levee today as water at the Ohio River gauge at Cairo, Ill., continues to climb toward a 41.5-foot crest forecast for early Sunday morning...

It's a state-of-the-art scoreboard. Digital, with video. Many of the latest bells and whistles. And come this football season, it will rise above Cape Girardeau Central High School's new events stadium, now under construction. Most on the Cape Girardeau School Board see the agreement that will pay for the scoreboard as an act of great generosity. One board member, however, sees the way the deal was arrived at as anything but transparent...

Southeast Missouri State women's basketball coach Ty Margenthaler has hit the ground running in his first two months on the job.

JOPLIN, Mo. -- The spray paint on the Mong Su Dom Tai Karate studio has nothing to do with search and rescue or visits from insurance companies. A graffiti mural, which includes the ravaged Joplin skyline, a bandaged heart and words like "hope" and "faith" now covers the north facing wall of the damaged building at 20th and Main streets...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Corinne Marie Garrett and James Patrick Mulvenon were married June 26, 2010, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Sikeston. The Rev. Glenn Eftink performed the ceremony. Organist was Nora Fuchs and soloist was Laura Vandivort, both of Sikeston...

Danielle Nicole Lindsey and Aaron Lee Schneider were married Oct. 23, 2010, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. The Rev. Dave Hulshof performed the ceremony. Reader was Becky Wehner of Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Organist was Cheryl Oberhaus and vocalist was Alan Bruns, both of Cape Girardeau...

Susan Diane Lasater and Joel Francis Allison were united in marriage April 30, 2011, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel. The Rev. Barry Pfanstiel performed the ceremony. Music was by Dottie Meyr of Cape Girardeau. The bride is the daughter of Arnold and Sandy Nagel of Jackson. The groom is the son of Dean and Frances Allison of Cape Girardeau...

BENTON, Mo. -- Rick and Cheri Klipfel of Benton announce the engagement of their daughter, Cara Klipfel, to Brandon Dirnberger. He is the son of Joe and Valerie Dirnberger of Oran, Mo. Klipfel is a 2006 graduate of Kelly High School. She received a bachelor of business administration in marketing management from Southeast Missouri State University in 2009. She is the business education teacher and cheerleading coach at Advance High School in Advance, Mo...

Pamela Olson of Jackson and David and Molly Olson of Marble Hill, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Chelsea Dawn Olson, to Daniel Louis Walter Braun. He is the son of John and Donna Braun of Scott City. Olson is a 2008 graduate of Jackson High School. She is pursuing a bachelor's degree in early childhood education at Southeast Missouri State University. She is a customer service representative at Bank of Missouri in Jackson...

Elroy and Mary Susan Kinder of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Kathy J. Kinder, to Chris A. Hill. He is the son of Patricia Hill and Allen Hill of Jackson. Kinder is a 1998 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. She is owner of Pet Guardian...

Michael and Lisa Simmons of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Laura Rose Simmons, to Justin Timothy Voss. He is the son of John and Janice Voss of Cape Girardeau. Simmons is a 2007 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School. She received a degree in health promotion from Southeast Missouri State University in 2011. She is employed at the Activity and Recreation Center in Columbia, Mo...

Monroe and Sheila Richardson of Cape Girardeau and Matthew and Roxanna Popp of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Staci Nicole Richardson, to Clifton Shaugn Illers. He is the son of Greg and Linda Illers of Cape Girardeau. Richardson is a 2002 graduate of Jackson High School. She is employed at Better Night Sleep Center...

Joe True and Mitch and Terry Baker of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Kara True, to Clayton Alan Schlitt. He is the son of Jim and Dianna Schlitt of Jackson. True is a graduate of Charleston High School and Southeast Missouri State University. She is employed by Jackson School District...

Megan Ann Spooler and Blake Jeffrey Oldson were married Oct. 16, 2010, at First Baptist Church in Millersville. The Rev. Raymond McAfee performed the ceremony. Guitarist was Matt McIntyre of Cape Girardeau, and pianist was Connie Gilliland of Jackson...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Mr. and Mrs. Ervin "Webb" Scheeter of New Hamburg will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary Thursday. Scheeter and Francy Kluesner were married June 30, 1951, at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Chaffee, Mo., by the Rev. Gereghty. Their attendants were Bill and Flora Brucker and Eddie and Willie Schetter...

BENTON, Mo. -- Henry and LaVerne Heuring of Benton celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with family on Sanibel Island, Fla. The couple was married June 17, 1961, at St. Denis Catholic Church in Benton. They have three children, Beverly (Gary) Brucker of New Hamburg, Mo., Houley Heuring of Jackson, and Doug (Kyna) Heuring of Kelso, Mo. The Heurings have four grandchildren, Todd, Derek and Kristi Brucker, and Nicklaus Heuring...

On June 14, Kelly Middle School summer students spent the day volunteering at the Southeast Missouri Area Food Bank. The students, under the direction of Trienna Quillman, Christina Dodd, Karma Beardslee and Tracy Siebert, donated their time and helped feed local families in need...

This little animal closely resembles a mouse, but it has a rounder body and head than a mouse. It also has a hairy tail that is about half as long as a mouse's tail. This is a vole. There are many kinds of voles throughout the Northern Hemisphere. In Missouri there are at least three kinds: the meadow vole, the prairie vole and the woodland vole. Because this one was found in a wooded area of Southeast Missouri, it is probably a woodland vole...

The Cape Girardeau Baptist Association recently received some Rubbermaid Totes for the Joplin, Mo., tornado victims. Mary Edmonds, an employee at the Rubbermaid plant in Jackson, requested and received the totes from its sister plant in Winfield, Kan., where the totes were made. Edmonds delivered the totes to the association...

Commander Jeff Heise, left, and quartermaster Scott Smith of VFW Post 3838 in Cape Girardeau present a check for $1,300 to Debbie Monroe of the Missouri Veterans Home. These funds are used for weekly bingo games for the residents of the home. This is only a portion of the annual support the veterans home receives from Post 3838. ...

LOS ANGELES -- You don't have to be Leona Helmsley to want the best for your pet after you die. She'd left her dog Trouble $12 million when she passed away in 2007. A judge cut the award to $2 million and awarded some of the money to her grandchildren, but the Maltese still lived a life of luxury until his death in December. The dog's passing was just announced this month by the Helmsley trust...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston history teacher's second book will offer a different view of a controversial Civil War battle. Rick Justice has been Civil War enthusiast for decades. The book, which Justice plans to name "Conspiracy on the Mississippi," is the result of research conducted for a graduate school project...

Rising fuel prices, unemployment and the increase in summertime temperatures is causing more families to seek assistance from area food pantries, according to local food pantry organizers. The Salvation Army food pantry provided 472 bags and 745 meals for people in April. In May they provided 524 bags and 968 meals. And this increasing trend is consistent with the demand on other food pantries in the area...

I also want to take exception of the mayor saying young people are to blame for the litter problem in Cape Girardeau. If you mean broken beer bottles, yes, I'd chalk that up to mainly 20- and 30-somethings. But most of the paper litter I see, when I see it being tossed, is from older people. By that, I mean older than 30. What's up with that? And the cigarette butts are being tossed by everyone. It's a disgrace how much littering is taking place here...

I had an opportunity to attend a private open house at Saint Francis' new Heart Hospital Cancer Institute on Wednesday night. It included an impressive tour of a facility that places Cape Girardeau at the forefront in this vital area of medical care with inspired patient considerations and the best -- beyond words -- technology available...

O Heavenly Father, we stand in awe of you and praise your name. Amen.

RENO, Nev. -- Federal authorities plan to look into the driving and medical records of the semitrailer driver who died when the truck slammed into an Amtrak train, killing a train crew member and injuring dozens of passengers. Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said they also will look at autopsy results to determine whether the driver had consumed any drugs before the collision Friday...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The longest walk parents can make, Vice President Joe Biden often says, is upstairs to tell the children they've lost their job. "Millions have been stripped of their dignity," Biden told an Ohio audience last year. "It's time to restore their dignity."...

NEW YORK -- Many obstacles still lie ahead for supporters of same-sex marriage, and eventually they will need Congress or the Supreme Court to embrace their goal. For the moment, though, they are jubilantly channeling the lyrics of "New York, New York."...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Planned Parenthood clinics in Indiana started seeing Medicaid patients again Saturday, the day after a federal judge ruled the state couldn't cut off the organization's public funding for general health services just because it also provides abortions...

BOSTON -- A Boston College doctoral student suffered minor injuries at a lab Saturday when a chemical used in making mustard gas and methamphetamine exploded in her hand, a school spokesman said. The student, who was not identified, suffered cuts on her face after the small blast at the Merkert Chemistry Center in Boston, said school spokesman Jack Dunn. She then drove herself home...

WHITELEY, Pa. -- Fishermen are gearing up and hunters are taking aim -- for Marcellus Shale gas drilling. A new coalition of outdoors groups is emerging as a force in the debate over natural gas drilling. The Sportsmen Alliance for Marcellus Conservation isn't against the process of fracking for gas, but its members want to make sure the rush to cash in on the valuable resource doesn't damage streams, forests, and the various creatures that call those places home...

WASHINGTON -- Americans seem not to have awakened to the fast-looming debt crisis that could summon a new recession, imperil their stock market investments and shatter faith in the world's most powerful economy. Those are among the implications, both sudden and long-lasting, expected to unfold if the U.S. defaults on debt payments for the first time in history...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court's conservative majority made it harder for people to band together to sue the nation's largest businesses in the two most far-reaching rulings of the term the justices are wrapping up Monday. The two cases putting new limits on class-action lawsuits were among more than a dozen in which the justices divided 5-4 along familiar ideological lines, with the winning side determined by the vote of Justice Anthony Kennedy...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama says technological innovations can help create jobs and spur growth in clean energy and advanced manufacturing. In his radio and Internet address, the president promoted a plan he outlined Friday in which the government would join with universities and corporations to re-ignite the manufacturing sector with an emphasis on cutting-edge research and new technologies...

The Missouri Department of Transportation's contractor will close Nash Road/County Road 218 from the west entrance of Do It Best Corp. to east of the sewage treatment plant entrance as part of the improvements for the Route AB extension. During the closure, the contractor will remove old pavement and place base rock for the new pavement. ...

MONDAY--Pizza, corn, fruit. TUESDAY--Chicken strips, oven fries, fruit. WEDNESDAY--Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes & gravy, fruit. THURSDAY--Chicken nuggets, noodles, fruit. FRIDAY--Grilled cheese, green beans, fruit. MONDAY--Chicken nuggets, potato wedges, corn, fruit...

Joyful Praise Church of God in Christ will be selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts for $6.25 for a box of a dozen to raise money for their missions department. Doughnuts will be brought to the church, 1507 S. Sprigg St., July 8 for pickup or delivery. Orders and payments must be submitted by July 5. Contact April Austin for more information or to place an order at 618-306-3649...

A Cape Girardeau man has been charged with felony stealing after a car parked on North Spanish Street was reported stolen to police early Friday morning. Cpl. Al Spencer of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said Cedric John Lucious, 22, 1012 W. End Blvd., was arrested and charged with stealing a motor vehicle...

We have this amazing, awe-inspiring God who makes every effort to give us moments that take our breath away. He does it time and again in the way the sun sparkles through the tree leaves at twilight, the way someone truly smiles at us and in the way the sunrise is different every morning. The way he not only hung stars in the sky but went the extra mile and drew pictures with them...

Josh Hollingshead, 23, uses his passion for God and his word to co-teach the youth group at Wednesday night Bible studies at Mount Auburn Christian Church in Cape Girardeau. Originally from Gideon, Mo., and an alumnus of Southeast Missouri State University, he enjoys watching and playing basketball and reading. Here he shares why he likes ministering to youth and how God's word is alive and working in his own life...

A childhood friend of Jacque Sue Waller, missing from Jackson since June 1, has organized a community search and flier distribution for Sunday in hopes of finding the missing mother of three or information about her disappearance. Members of the public interested in joining Bobby Sherrill for the search event should gather at 9 a.m. at Mid America Rehab clinic in Cape Girardeau. They'll deliver fliers from the Fruitland area to north Cape Girardeau...

June 21 marked the official start of summer, kicking off a season filled with pool parties, road trips and outdoor adventures. But as fun as summer break can be, the various activities that fill its days can bring a number of hidden health hazards and dangers along with them. When lighting the camp fire or spending the day out in the sun, keep these safety essentials in mind and make sure your summer vacation is a safe one for you and your family...

A house on North Spanish Street sustained extensive damage in a Saturday morning fire. Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to 1227 N. Spanish St. shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday to find about half the 1,800 square-foot home involved in the fire. No one was home at the time of the fire, according to Battalion chief Mark Starnes. ...

A parishioner purchased the Oxford English Dictionary for me. This is the "big boy" of dictionaries. It's got every word you can possibly imagine -- unabridged, unaltered, uncompromising and unsparing. If a word has appeared in the English language, it's in the OED...

Pet name: Charlie Owner: Allie Boyer Favorite activity: Waiting for Allie to drop some food Pet name: Charlie...

Missouri Brigade The Missouri Brigade of the Society of the Descendants of Washington's Army at Valley Forge held its 31st annual meeting on June 18, at The Gatesworth, in St. Louis. Local Cape Girardeau resident, Ronald L. Beasley was in attendance, along with his daughter Elizabeth Beasley Herbst, who resides in St. Peter's, Mo. Beasley serves as the Brigade Inspector, and Herbst serves as the Brigade Adjutant...

Addie is a 2-year-old tabby who loves attention and is a sweetheart of a cat. For more information, contact Safe Harbor at 243-9823.

Jenny is 8 months old. She is already spayed. Jenny is available for adoption at the Humane Society 334-5837.

NEW YORK -- A wave of pharmacy robberies is sweeping the United States as addicts and dealers turn to violence to feed the nation's growing hunger for narcotic painkillers. From Redmond, Wash., to St. Augustine, Fla., criminals are holding pharmacists at gunpoint and escaping with thousands of powerfully addictive pills that can sell for as much as $80 apiece on the street...

WADI KHALED, Lebanon -- When the Arab Spring came to Talkalakh, the little Syrian hill town a few minutes walk from this border village, it seemed to last barely a moment. Squads of secret police descended on the town within hours of the first protests. Then the army came with its tanks, and the shadowy pro-government militia called the shabiha...

EL YUNQUE NATIONAL FOREST, Puerto Rico -- Deep amid the dense greenery of a rainforest, down an unmarked road, behind a barbed wire fence in a low-slung compound monitored by security cameras, government scientists are nursing a special patient back to health...

PUL-I-ALAM, Afghanistan -- The American soldiers stormed into the Afghan family's compound in the middle of the night, kicking in doors and shouting. They ordered everyone into the yard, bound their hands, covered their heads and interrogated them for hours before taking away three men who had done nothing wrong...

William E. Spitzmiller, 77, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, June 25, 2011, at The Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Jean Hellwege, 73, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, June 25, 2011, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

Marvin Dowdy, 74, of East Cape Girardeau, Ill., died Saturday, June 25, 2011, at home. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Tamms, Ill.

Daughter to Craig and Suzanne Jackson of Columbia, Mo., Boone Hospital, 4:54 a.m. Saturday, June 11, 2011. Name, Hadley Rebecca. Weight, 6 pounds, 8 ounces. Second child, first daughter. Mrs. Jackson is the former Suzanne Schwartz, daughter of Charlie and Becky Schwartz of Chaffee, Mo. She is a teacher with the Columbia public schools. Jackson is the son of Lee and Linda Jackson of Crystal City, Mo. He is employed by the American Red Cross...

Edna L. Balsmann, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, June 24, 2011, at The Lutheran Home. She was born July 24, 1925, in Poplar Bluff, Mo., to Jessie and Anna E. Weisbrod Frizzell. Edna graduated from Apple Creek School in Old Appleton. She and William L. "Bill" Balsmann were married June 19, 1948, at Cape Girardeau. He died Oct. 18, 2007...

The Southeast Missourian, Cape Girardeau's daily newspaper for 82 years, has been sold to Gary W. Rust, president of Concord Communications here, effective tomorrow, it is announced by Michael J. Sexton, Missourian publisher, and Rust; Thomson Newspapers has owned the Missourian since 1977...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs...

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POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (AP) -- A Southeast Missouri teenager accused of setting another teen on fire has been found not guilty. A jury deliberated one hour and 22 minutes Friday before reaching the verdict in the case of 18-year-old Billy Joe Rasberry of Poplar Bluff, who was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action...

The Associated Press TRIPOLI, Libya -- Libyan authorities on Saturday accused NATO of killing 15 people in an airstrike that hit a restaurant and bakery in the east, though the alliance said there were no indications that civilians had died. It was the latest outcry from Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's government blaming NATO for killing civilians amid a four-month uprising that has sparked a civil war. NATO insists it does all it can to avoid such casualties...

Mr. and Mrs. Robert N. Lemons of Cape Girardeau recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Lemons and Doris Bowden were married June 16, 1951, at Grace United Methodist Church, by the Rev. George Heslar. The couple has a daughter, Robyn Albright-Seals and husband Mike of House Springs, Mo. They have three grandchildren, Justin (Athena) of Jackson, Lindsay Albright VanGennip (Scott) of O'Fallon, Ill., and Katelyn Albright of House Springs...

Ronnie Scott struck out one and allowed two earned runs to lead the Cape Girardeau Ford and Sons Post 63 Senior American Legion baseball team to a 5-2 win over Shelbyville, Mo., at the Paducah tournament Friday. Logan Morris went 1 for 3 with two RBIs, while Dustin Crowden and Luke Hinkebein both drove in a run...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals are 1-4 since Albert Pujols broke his left wrist. Of course, they were struggling before the three-time NL MVP went down. "It's easy to point to that," Lance Berkman said after a 6-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night. "But we've got guys who are pretty capable...

Southeast Missouri State junior free safety Tylor Brock has been named a first-team preseason All-American by Consensus Draft Services. Brock led the Ohio Valey Conference with six interceptions last year. He tied Southeast's single-season record for interceptions while earning All-American and all-OVC honors...

First-year Southeast Missouri State women's basketball coach Ty Margenthaler said next season's roster should look similar to the 2010-11 version with two exceptions.