Stories from Friday, November 25, 2011

BROWNWOOD, Mo. -- A memorial service for Spc. James Burnett Jr., the Brownwood soldier killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan Nov. 16, is planned for Sunday at the old Advance, Mo., gymnasium on Route C.

First came Black Friday. Then Cyber Monday. Now, wedged in between them is Small Business Saturday. For the first time last year, a movement called Small Business Saturday encouraged shoppers to patronize local businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving...

Local and state officials will make an aggressive effort to ensure roads are safe and clear of impaired drivers this holiday season. The Cape Girardeau Police Department, Jackson Police Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol will all increase their officer presence on area roads, starting during this weekend...

While his friends and family indulged in turkey, football and family bonding on Thanksgiving, Cape Girardeau firefighter Greg Foote could be found at Fire Station No. 1 examining fire engines or studying department policy. Thanksgiving was just another day for Foote. ...

EUREKA, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri's ornament for the 2011 National Christmas Tree display in Washington will honor the state's ongoing recovery from devastating tornadoes like the one that killed 161 people in Joplin in May. And for the second year in a row, a St. Louis County woman has the honor of designing and creating the ornament for Missouri's tree, The Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis (http://bit.ly/uZ9GF7) reported...

FLYING HIGH There was a group of boys from the rural area that called themselves the Highway Gang. We were all pretty wild. We would go out to Pop Railey's place and play country records until ten o'clock at night, when Charley Feverston had to leave to catch the bus home. The rest of us might stay until ten thirty, putting nickels in the juke box and drinking RC Cola...

A Cape Girardeau historical landmark is off the housing market and being rehabilitated by a new owner. Kevin and Dominique Priester bought the 106-year-old house at 340 S. Lorimier St. in early November from Mike and Paula Haas and Quinn Strong, who bought the house from the Southeast Missouri State University Foundation in June...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- U.S. and state flags will fly at half-staff across Missouri Saturday to honor a soldier from Wayne County who died in Afghanistan. Gov. Jay Nixon ordered that flags at government buildings in all 114 counties and the city of St. Louis be flown at half-staff on Saturday to honor 21-year-old Spc. James Roland Burnett Jr. He died Nov. 16 when his unit was attacked with an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province, Afghanistan...

Bethany Baptist Ordains Tommy Chadd & Rob Huffman Tommy Chadd and Rob Huffman were ordained as Deacons November 20, 2011 in a special service conducted by Dr. Shawn Wasson, Senior Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church. Dr. Wasson delivered the "Charge" stressing the need for deacons in the church based on Acts 6:1-6, and how those men placed in positions of Servant Leadership must be godly, of good report, based on 1 Timothy 2:8-13 and emphasized both Tommy Chadd and Rob Huffman embody traits the Bible requires of a deacon. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Jay Nixon says fixing levees along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers should be job No. 1 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this winter and coming spring. Speaking at a mid-Missouri farm that had experienced some flooding during the summer's record Missouri River rise, Nixon said it is essential for Missouri's agricultural economy that levees damaged by the summer floods be rebuilt, and in a hurry...

Cape Girardeau officials are changing the way they handle business and liquor licenses, removing what they call a "quirk in the current system" that is sending mixed signals to new business owners. The Cape Girardeau City Council gave first-round approval Monday night to an ordinance that would require that applicants for such licenses comply with city codes before the license is issued...

Today is Friday, Nov. 25, the 329th day of 2011. There are 36 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Nov. 25, 1986, the Iran-Contra affair erupted as President Ronald Reagan and Attorney General Edwin Meese revealed that profits from secret arms sales to Iran had been diverted to Nicaraguan rebels...

An afternoon and evening of humorous storytelling dubbed "Where the River turns a Thousand Hilarious Tales!" is scheduled for Jan. 20 at the Rose Theatre on Southeast Missouri State University's main campus. Bil Lepp and Kevin Kling will regale the audience with tales at two shows, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Call the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau for tickets at 335-1631, and check out CapeStorytelling.com...

NEW YORK -- One of the country's largest publishers, Penguin Group (USA), has suspended making e-editions of new books available to libraries and won't allow libraries to loan any e-books for Amazon.com's Kindle. "We have always placed a high value on the role that libraries can play in connecting our authors with our readers," the publisher announced in a statement Monday. ...

In "Breaking Dawn, Part 1," the swoony romantic silliness of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" franchise plays louder than ever. This movie may delight the "Twilight" fans, the ones who breathlessly follow every kiss and cuddle between human Bella Swan and her undead paramour, Edward Cullen. The rest of us, though, are left out in the cold...

The turkey is done. The shopping is over. It's time for Christmas to roll into town in the form of Old Town Cape's annual Parade of Lights. This marks the 20th year for the mobile display of holiday lights. The theme this year is "A Picture Perfect Christmas." The train of floats starts at Capaha Park, rolls down Broadway, turns south on Main Street and ends at Merriwether Street. Weather permitting, the parade stars at dusk (around 5 p.m.) and ends around 7 p.m. Call 334-8085 for more details...

Thousands of people braved the darkness of Black Friday this morning, but the shopping likely is not finished. Some save purchases for Cyber Monday, but others -- ahem, me, ahem -- save room for Small Business Saturday. That's when I find more personal gifts for people on my list...

Superheroes, light bulbs and love inspired the dance numbers in "Fall for Dance," the annual fall dance concert presented by the Southeast Missouri State University Department of Theatre and Dance.

I understand that the government now, in all of its infinite wisdom, wants to keep pizza in school lunches and take out potatoes. Most of my generation had plenty of potatoes and all of the ingredients in pizza served to us on a daily basis at school. ...

A strong foundation in science can affect a student's career path in a big way. Thanks to a partnership by Scott City schools and the St. Louis Science Center, more students are being challenged in areas of science, design and engineering. This past summer, three representatives from the science center trained Scott City's elementary and middle school teachers on the science inquiry method. ...

"We give up." Those three words, capturing the essence of the so-called supercommittee's failure to reach an agreement on reducing the federal debt-deficit-spending spree, should have been cause for mass celebrations in every American city and village...

Thank you, O Lord God, for your abundant grace and mercy. Amen

PHILADELPHIA -- A court in Egypt has ordered the release of three American students arrested during a protest in Cairo, a lawyer in Philadelphia confirmed Thursday. Derrik Sweeney, Luke Gates and Gregory Porter, who attend the American University in Cairo, were arrested on the roof of a university building near Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square on Sunday. Officials accused them of throwing firebombs at security forces fighting with protesters...

PHOENIX -- A small airplane with three men and three young children onboard crashed Wednesday evening into mile-high mountains east of Phoenix while going around 200 mph, the Pinal County sheriff said. The body of one child was recovered and "it is not hopeful" there are any survivors because of the nature of the crash and explosion, said Sheriff Paul Babeu...

NEW YORK -- A festive mood prevailed Thursday as the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade made its way through the crowded streets of Manhattan beneath brilliant sunshine. A jetpack-wearing monkey and a freakish creation from filmmaker Tim Burton are two of the big new balloons that were making their inaugural appearances. Paul Frank's Julius and Burton's B. joined more than a dozen other giant balloons, including fan favorites like Snoopy and Spider-Man...

SANAA, Yemen -- A U.S.-backed deal for Yemen's authoritarian president to step down fell far short of the demands of protesters who fought regime supporters on the streets of Sanaa Thursday in clashes that left five dead. The agreement ending President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year rule provides for only the shallowest of changes at the top of the regime, something the U.S. ...

RABAT, Morocco -- It should be a moment of excitement: Moroccans are choosing a parliament in elections today prompted by the Arab Spring's clamor for freedom. Yet there are few signs here that elections are even taking place. Posters and raucous rallies for candidates are absent in the cities and instead there are just stark official banners urging citizens to "do their national duty" and "participate in the change the country is undergoing."...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Los Angeles and San Francisco are seeking long-term solutions to the entrenched encampments by anti-Wall Street protesters, hoping to end the drain on resources and the frayed nerves among police and politicians. Officials in both cities have considered providing protesters with indoor space that would allow the movement to carry out its work in more sanitary, less public facilities...

CAIRO -- Egypt's military rulers rejected protester demands for them to step down immediately and said Thursday they would start the first round of parliamentary elections on time next week despite serious unrest in Cairo and other cities. The ruling military council insisted it is not the same as the old regime it replaced, but the generals appear to be on much the same path that doomed Hosni Mubarak nine months ago -- responding to the current crisis by delivering speeches seen as arrogant, mixing concessions with threats and using brutal force.. ...

COMBAT OUTPOST HANSON, Afghanistan -- A turkey trot it was not. The U.S. Marines' top general, James Amos, sprinted up and down the Helmand River Valley in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, visiting front-line Marines at nine remote outposts to share Thanksgiving and applaud their gains against the Taliban in a region where al-Qaida hatched the 9/11 plot a decade ago...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Corey Andrew Wilson, 17, of Poplar Bluff died Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. He was born Sept. 26, 1994, in St. Louis, to Matthew Wilson and Ellen Christine Newberry McCoy. Corey was a resident of Sonshine Home in Poplar Bluff the past six years. He will be missed by his many friends there. He adored his sister and loved for someone to read to him...

Wanda Dodson, 90, of Scott City died Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. She was born Feb. 2, 1921, in Hartman, Ark., to Floyd and Eunice Snow Sparks. She went to school in Hartman until moving to Crowder, Mo., when she was 12 years old. She married Joe Dodson on Aug. 30, 1942, in St. Charles, Mo. They celebrated 56 years together before his death in 1998...

Betty Catherine Haas, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 8, 1922, in Cape Girardeau to Christian J. and Friedericke Louise Sprenger Bauer. She and Alvin G. "Bud" Haas were married June 19, 1943, in St. Louis. He died Aug. 16, 1996...

Daughter to Ryan Duane Bruce and Rebecca Danielle Bucher of Whitewater, Saint Francis Medical Center, 4:54 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011. Name, Harper Madison. Weight, 6 pounds, 3 ounces. First child. Ms. Bucher is the daughter of Sharon Bucher and Jerry Bucher of Collinsville, Ill. She is in management with Aeropostale. Bruce is the son of Tammy Johnston of Whitewater and Gary Bruce of Jackson. He is in management with AFLAC...

Visitation for Milford W. Klaus, 86, of Friedheim, Mo., will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday and from 8 a.m. to noon Sunday at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 2 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Friedheim, with the Rev. Roger Steinbrueck officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery...

Robert L. Ruff, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, at the Missouri Veterans Home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Donny Ford officiating. Burial will be in Cape County Memorial Park...

William R. Heuring, 90, of Scott City died Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011 at his home. He was born Dec. 5, 1920, in Scott City (Ancell) to Bernard and Regina Glueck Heuring. He and Annis Seabaugh were married Aug. 29, 1942, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Scott City...

BASRA, Iraq -- A string of bombings in a southern oil city killed 19 people Thursday evening and injured dozens more, a sign of the security challenges Iraq will face after American troops go home. The U.S. military is drawing down its troops ahead of an end-of-December deadline to have all American forces out of the country. Incidents like Thursday's triple bombing in a city seen as key to Iraq's economic development show the dangerous prospects awaiting Iraqis next year...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday:...

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

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A researcher at the University of Missouri's flagship campus in Columbia has found that turkeys don't need as much protein as they're getting and that adopting his feeding plan could save the industry $100 million. Jeff Firman, a professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, tested his theory on 800 turkeys, giving them a mixture that included more cheap grains and fewer proteins. ...

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

Music is a favorite part of the holiday season for many people. Charity and volunteering also seem more prevalent. The 16th annual Sounds of the Season benefit concert combines the two for area residents.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Any matchup between Missouri and Kansas is intense. Their rivalry traces back to the Civil War, spawning legendary tales, driving wedges between families and growing more bitter with time. The schools can't even agree on the series record...

ST. LOUIS -- It was tough enough for the St. Louis Rams to be competitive when they all were healthy. Lately, mounting injuries have increased the degree of difficulty for the Rams (2-8), who played for the NFC West title last January but have been among the NFL's worst teams this year. Four starters did not practice Wednesday, notably middle linebacker James Laurinaitis with a foot injury, and seven others were limited...

Ryan Bass led the nation in goals-against average and tied for the most shutouts in the country as the goalkeeper for Rockhurst University.

Cape Girardeau firefighters are receiving some good experience this week, burning a large building in the Cape County Park that was in bad condition and ordered demolished by the county commission; for the past 12 years, the building had been used by the Cape County Senior Citizens Nutrition Center...