Stories from Tuesday, November 29, 2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The doctor who was convicted in the overdose death of Michael Jackson was sentenced to the maximum four years in prison Tuesday in a finale to the tormented saga of the King of Pop. Dr. Conrad Murray sat stoically with his hands crossed as Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor repeatedly chastised him for what he called a "horrific violation of trust" while caring for Jackson...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Local MoDOT crews are looking to do more with less this winter while helping motorists get to their destinations safely. "We currently have all of our salt supplies stocked up with what we think will carry us through the winter," David Wyman, area engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation's Southeast District, said Friday. "It may be necessary to recharge those supplies, but all of our sheds are full."...

A seven-person committee was in place Monday, charged with studying how best to manage what Cape Girardeau officials see as an explosion in the deer population in the city limits. City manager Scott Meyer released the names of the new committee members Monday afternoon. The committee is being tasked with specifically taking a look at urban deer hunting, typically a highly regimented program that allows trained hunters to kill deer with a bow on private property...

Cape Girardeau residents have a new way to keep up with public safety, get accident reports and view the city's most wanted criminals online. The Cape Girardeau Police Department, fire department and the city's public information team have created a public safety blog...

ORAN, Mo. -- The Oran High School boys basketball team didn't think it played all that well. Oran still had little trouble winning its season opener in its own tournament. The third-seeded Eagles routed sixth-seeded Richland 75-49 as the 56th annual Oran Invitational got underway...

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- Hayti Mayor Bobby Watkins and former Pemiscot County Road and Bridge Supervisor Martin Culver are among seven people arrested in connection with an ongoing investigation by the Pemiscot County Sheriff's Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control...

Mollie Stroup shot this doe during youth season. Mollie and Carson are Sister and brother. Their parents are Jason and Carrie Stroup.

Carson Stroup killed this 10pt buck in perry county on opening day of firearm season.

Follow link to see more winter weather photos from years past. http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/holy-cow-ice-falls-from-sky/

The Jackson Board of Aldermen acted Monday on a request for involuntary annexation filed by Fruitland residents nearly a year ago by accepting only areas that want to join the city, pending a public vote in February. "Being part of Jackson is a privilege, not a punishment," said Jackson city attorney Tom Ludwig after the 11-minute board meeting...

Perryville Area Career & Technology Center's Welding Technology Program Earns Membership into the American Welding Society Educational Institute Perryville Area Career & Technology Center's Welding Technology instructor, Bill Johns, has earned membership into the American Welding Society (AWS) Educational Institute program. ...

The owner of a condemned building on North Main Street says a faulty storm sewer is causing his historic building to settle. During a condemnation hearing Monday, John Wyman, owner of the former Wiggery building at 101 N. Main St., says the leaky storm sewer has allowed water to penetrate the building's foundation, causing it to shift over the past couple years...

The seventh annual Spaghetti Day held Nov. 16 at the A. C. Brase Arena was a great success, raising approximately $13,000 for city parks and facilities improvements. Over 2600 people were served during the one-day event, sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Foundation and Capaha Field Improvement Committee. ...

The Cape Girardeau Public School Board honored several outstanding students for their leadership, scholarship and service to others during last week's November board meeting. The recipients of the Terrific Tiger Award are pictured above with School Board President Stacy Kinder and Superintendent of Schools Dr. ...

Come out with your children ages 12 and under and enjoy Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 10 from 9-11 a.m., at the Osage Centre. Food and crafts will be available as children wait to tell Santa what they would like for Christmas. Entry is $5 for one child, $8 for two children, and $11 for three children. ...

The Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department is currently accepting teams for the 2012 Men's Basketball League. League play consists of five divisions, with Division 1 being the most competitive. Games will be played Monday through Thursday evenings, Saturday mornings and afternoons, and Sunday afternoons and evenings beginning on Jan. ...

The Cape Girardeau County Commission voted Monday to trade in outdated equipment toward the purchase of new equipment for all polling sites. Due to recent precinct consolidations, the county now has 33 voting locations. Each will receive updated equipment costing $245,970 from Henry M. ...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Ag Expo will celebrate its 26th anniversary Jan. 20 and 21 at the Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff. The expo, which is one of the largest agriculture trade shows in the region, was attended last year by 12,000 people. The two-day event is sponsored by Butler County University of Missouri Extension Council and the Ag Club of Three Rivers College...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A panel of Missouri appeals judges responsible for drawing state Legislature districts does not plan to hold public meetings while reaching its decision. The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the six-judge panel decided it would not operate in public sessions. The judicial commission is responsible for developing new districts because state redistricting commissions deadlocked this summer. It accepted public testimony for a day in October...

An unknown vandal broke out a window of a Salvation Army van over the weekend as the charity was gearing up to kick off its annual holiday fund drive. Cape Girardeau police received a call at about 3 p.m. Friday from a Salvation Army worker about the broken window, according to Cape Girardeau police spokesman Darin Hickey. The Salvation Army worker had taken the van home and discovered the broken window during that time. Nothing was reported missing from the vehicle, and police have no suspects...

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 29, the 333rd day of 2011. There are 32 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Nov. 29, 1961, Enos the chimp was launched from Cape Canaveral aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5 spacecraft, which orbited earth twice before returning...

NEW YORK -- Hold out your poles and sway your hips side to side. Lift one leg up and try not to lose your balance. There are no steep hills below you or trees to avoid. Instead, you've got hand weights and a stepper. And you hope not to bump into your neighbor...

Is there really an energy crisis? Is that what our administration wants us to believe? On March 2, 2011, the Southeast Missourian published an article titled "Does the president want $8/gallon gasoline?" The article states that on Jan. 19, 2009, the day of President Barack Obama's inauguration, the price of gasoline was (averaging) $1.83. Since then, gas has fluctuated to as high as $3.87 on June 11, 2011...

The Southeast Missouri State University football team's season ended earlier this month with a heartbreaking loss to Murray State. The Redhawks, coming off last year's historic run that led to the program's first OVC championship and playoff berth, didn't have the strongest of records this year. However, there were some positives...

Being politically correct stops us from saying "merry Christmas" or calling it a Christmas tree. Recently I heard on the news that military bases cannot have a cross on the chapel for fear someone's feelings will be hurt. A Catholic school is being sued for having too many Christian emblems. How about all those people who are offended by Christ or the Cross form a line and pull out your nickels and tell someone who cares. This is the United States of America, not Islamabad or Saudi Arabia...

WILL someone please repair the latest deepening dip in LaSalle Avenue before I break a shock? WHEN I hear Obama speaking on his re-election tours lately, berating the rich and sympathizing with the Occupy Wall Street hooligans, I am reminded that he has accumulated about $1 billion for his campaign. ...

O Lord Jesus, may we strive to be a blessing to others every day. Amen.

TOPEKA, Kan. -- When a high school senior tweeted that Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback "sucked," among other invectives, reaction at the state Capitol led her principal to demand an apology. Instead, it was the Republican governor offering a mea culpa Monday, forced to admit to a self-described overreaction by his staff that subjected him to ridicule for efforts to police a teenager's Internet musings...

CAIRO -- They waited in long lines for hours to vote, despite a new wave of unrest, fears about a sharply divided society and uncertainty over the nation's future. For the millions of Egyptians who cast ballots Monday, the first parliamentary elections since they ousted Hosni Mubarak were a turning point in history -- if for no other reason than they were finally getting a chance to be heard after decades of rigged voting...

WASHINGTON -- An American imprisoned in Cuba since December 2009 after bringing communications equipment onto the island wanted reassurance that what he was doing was legal but was told by his company not to ask Cuban officials, the man's wife said Monday...

WASHINGTON -- Americans bought slightly more new homes in October, a hopeful sign for the troubled housing market. But the median sales price fell to its lowest level of the year, and the overall sales pace is trailing last year's -- the worst in half a century...

Lawrence E. Neal, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011, at the Missouri Veterans Home. He was born Sept. 17, 1932, in Sturgeon, Mo., to Russell and Alice Ott Neal. Lawrence first married Esther Ott on May 14, 1953, in Sturgeon. She preceded him in death Dec. 3, 1990. He then married Claudia Vogt June 29, 1991, in Ste. Genevieve, Mo...

Viola Mary Sebastian, 87, of Jackson passed away Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, at her home. She was born Feb. 26, 1924, in Menfro, Mo., daughter of Lawrence "Edward" and Burnetta Gertrude Smith Welty. She and Vern "Bunny" Sebastian were married Feb. 27, 1943. He passed away June 13, 2007...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Juanita P. Richbourg, 74, of Chaffee died Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 16, 1937, in Deering, Mo., daughter to Floyd and Eunice Horn Sparks. She married Richard "Dick" Richbourg on Aug. 16, 1965...

Robert L. Ruff, 88, of Cape Girardeau passed away Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, at the Missouri Veterans Home. He was born Sept. 13, 1923, in East St. Louis, Ill., to George H. and Ada Green Ruff. He and Nellie Kerr Huey were married June 6, 1959, in Cape Girardeau...

Amy Nocole Gregory, 31, of Jackson died Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011, at her home. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. until time of service Wednesday at Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

Son to Grant Allen and Amanda Jean Medlin of Jackson, Saint Francis Medical Center, 5:40 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011. Name, Remy Allen. Weight, 9 pounds, 5 ounces. First child. Mrs. Medlin is the former Amanda Bollinger, daughter of David and Linda Bollinger of Jackson. She is an appointment secretary at Orthopaedic Associates. Medlin is the son of Darrell and Cheri Medlin of Cape Girardeau. He is asset protection coordinator at Walmart in Perryville, Mo...

Ruth Edna Heuer, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011, at Ratliff Care Center. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Chapel, and from 9 a.m. until service time Saturday at St. Andrew Lutheran Church. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the church, with the Rev. Paul Short officiating...

CHATHAM, Ill. -- Carol Ann "Cookie" Edmison, 70, of Chatham died Monday, Nov. 28, 2011, at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Ill. She was formerly of Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to service time Thursday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau...

A downtown Cape Girardeau tradition -- Hutson's Fire Furniture's animated holiday windows -- was unveiled Thanksgiving, marking the 26th year the business has delighted shoppers with Christmas scenes. The county commission on Wednesday approved a request from the Industrial Development Authority that up to $7 million in "qualified" bonds be sold to finance construction of an addition to Cape Retirement Community; the expansion will be at the northeast corner of Independence Street and Mount Auburn Road.. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The combination of slick roadways and heavy traffic during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend claimed three lives in Missouri, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reports. Between Wednesday evening and Sunday, troopers investigated a total of 365 traffic crashes, three of which proved fatal. In all three crashes, the deceased drivers had not been wearing seatbelts...

ATLANTA -- More parents are opting out of school shots for their children. In eight states now, more than 1 in 20 public school kindergartners aren't getting all the vaccines required for attendance, an Associated Press analysis found. That growing trend among parents seeking vaccine exemptions has health officials worried about outbreaks of diseases that once were all but stamped out...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- Insurance companies have paid out $1.13 billion in claims from the Joplin tornado, and that's expected to climb to as much as $1.9 billion, the state's insurance department director said. An estimated 7,500 homes were destroyed in the May 22 storm that wiped out about one-third of the community and killed 161 people. ...

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

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Arrests Summonses Assault Robbery Thefts Miscellaneous...

LOS ANGELES -- For now, Wall Street protesters camped out on the Los Angeles City Hall lawn still have their tent city after defying a deadline to pack up and clear out. "Still occupied," read the sign of a protester up in a tree. Hours after emerging from a possible confrontation with police largely unscathed Monday, demonstrators turned to the federal courts to keep officers away...

ANNA, Ill. -- James Donald Simmons, 71, of Anna died Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011, at Illinois Veterans Home in Anna. Graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Anna City Cemetery. Military honors will be conducted by Carroll P. Foster VFW Post 3455 of Anna and Illinois National Guard Funeral Honors Team in Marion, Ill...

The Salvation Army kettle campaign is kicked off with the lighting of the Tree of Lights with Maj. Ben Stillwell and Crystal Britt on Monday, Nov. 28, 2011, at West Park Mall. (Fred Lynch)

All the local high school events reported Monday to the Southeast Missourian.

Southeast Missouri State redshirt junior guard Nick Niemczyk has been named the Ohio Valley Conference newcomer of the week after averaging 20 points in a pair of home victories last week. Niemczyk, a graduate of Bell City High School, also had 10 rebounds, four steals and two assists...

ST. LOUIS -- Instead of pulling out all the stops on a season long lost, Steve Spagnuolo is showing his tentative side. The St. Louis Rams' coach declined Monday to second-guess decisions that factored into a three-point loss to the Arizona Cardinals a day earlier...

Jane Morrill has been excited about today ever since she first took a look at the Arkansas State women's basketball schedule several months ago. Morrill, a Notre Dame Regional High School graduate, will have a homecoming of sorts when the Red Wolves (2-2) visit Southeast Missouri State (0-6) for a 7 p.m. tipoff...

Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Dickey Nutt has not beaten his former team since taking over in Cape Girardeau. Nutt hopes the third time proves to be the charm when the Redhawks (3-3) and Arkansas State (1-4) square off at 7:05 p.m. today in Jonesboro, Ark...

Wehrenberg Theatres will host its annual Cans Film Festival on Saturday. Guests who bring five canned food items to any Wehrenberg Theatre will receive free admission to any movie starting before 5 p.m. Those who bring an additional 10 cans or more, for a total of 15 or more per person, will also receive a free movie pass applicable to a future visit...

Beginning Jan. 1, the fee to rent Jackson park pavilions for the day will be $15 for city residents and $25 for nonresidents. Each site has water and electricity and is cleaned prior to each reservation. The current fee for anyone to rent one of the eight pavilions throughout the city parks is $10. Reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis in person at Jackson City Hall. For more information on Jackson city parks, call 243-3568...