Stories from Tuesday, September 18, 2012

COLUMBIA, Mo.-- Missouri's candidates for U.S. Senate and governor are scheduled to meet Friday in back-to-back debates, marking the first such forums of the general election campaign. Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and her Republican challenger, U.S. ...

A Ku Klux Klan group and Cape Girardeau officials are awaiting a federal judge's ruling about whether the city's ban on leafleting unoccupied cars would deny the white supremacy group's free speech rights during a planned visit later this month.

Saxony Lutheran High School principal Dr. Craig Ernstmeyer says a miscommunication is to blame for the school's failure to file a report with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources concerning its wastewater treatment lagoons. The school received a letter of warning from the DNR earlier this month after an inspection Aug. 24 indicated violations and the DNR still did not have the required report...

ST. LOUIS -- A large part of Jeff Fisher's rebuilding job with the St. Louis Rams is getting players accustomed to failure to believe they can win. So far, it's working. The Rams are 1-1 -- halfway to last season's win total -- heading into this week's game at Chicago. They're playing with the same attitude their coach brings to the job, too, having fun and getting the job done...

Seth Summers wasn't the trigger man, but on Monday he received the same sentence as the man who was -- 50 years in prison for being involved in what the judge described as a "horrific crime" in which the accomplice was just as responsible as the man who fired the shots.

CERRITOS, Calif. (AP) -- While the man behind an anti-Islam movie that ignited violence across the Middle East would likely face swift punishment in his native Egypt for making the film, in America the government is in the thorny position of protecting his free speech rights and looking out for his safety even while condemning his message...

City leaders in Jackson are excited about the prospect of a new community center -- especially since they won't have to convince local voters to approve using taxpayer funds for building it. But they will still need the town's support if plans for construction of a state-of-the-art center are to ever come to fruition...

Southeast Missouri State University is making efforts to improve safety for motor scooter drivers and pedestrians by altering parking. According to a university news release, motor scooter and motorcycle parking will be changed this week for reasons of safety and to improve traffic circulation in campus parking lots...

Such a pretty boy.

The runt out of the bunch.

Mau posing for the camera.

The long and winding road.

A view to the sky through the trees.

Looking pretty for the camera.

Posing for the camera.

Clouds rolling in before the storm.

Spencer and Mau laying in the sun after a day of playing.

Two members of the Cape Central Senior Class of 2013 have been selected as National Merit Semifinalists. Principal Dr. Mike Cowan announced that Penny Robinson, daughter of Dr. Bambi Robinson, and Joshua Sander, son of Lisa and David Sander, have been chosen by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and will now compete to join a current group of 91 Cape Central students who have been selected as National Merit Finalists since the 1958 academic year...

Caught this woodpecker eating on my hummingbird feeder.

My Grandson Trenton, who is 4, communicating with the wild turkeys at Watkins Wildlife Rehab in Sedgewickville, MO.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - The National Park Service ranks Missouri near the top among states in use of state and federal tax credits to renovate historic buildings. Figures compiled by the agency show Missouri had the greatest number of completed projects that were certified for tax breaks during the 2011 fiscal year. The state's 99 historic renovation projects comprised nearly 14 percent of the entire total for the nation...

The coordinator of the A+ Program at Central High School is looking to get more students involved. Janet Ruessler discussed the program, which provides scholarships to Missouri two-year colleges and vocational schools, at the Cape Girardeau School Board meeting Monday night...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Southeast Missouri State University and Mineral Area College announced an agreement Monday that will allow Southeast students to more easily transfer their credits to and earn an associate of arts degree from Mineral Area College...

The Queen of the Mississippi riverboat has made a return appearance to Cape Girardeau. Due to work on a lock near St. Louis, the Queen of the Mississippi had to reroute and is scheduled to be docked by the floodwall in downtown Cape Girardeau through noon today.

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 18, the 262nd day of 2012. There are 104 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Sept. 18, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a commission naming Rabbi Jacob Frankel of Rodeph Shalom Congregation in Philadelphia the first Jewish chaplain of the U.S. Army...

NEW YORK -- CBS' Sunday morning public affairs television show "Face the Nation" has clearly gotten under the skin of its rivals at NBC's "Meet the Press." NBC accuses CBS of some trickery in the Nielsen ratings and in scheduling designed to make its show seem more popular than it actually is. CBS detects the aroma of sour grapes. The incident is a vivid illustration of a newly competitive era on Sundays...

I have a question for people who are intelligent. Why do you say tax the rich? The rich aren't paying their full tax rate now. How can I say that? Politicians have built in deductions so they don't need to. This gets politicians money. Romney said he paid 13 percent in 2010, not the top rate of 35 percent. ...

There's new leadership at the Show Me Center at Southeast Missouri State University. Wil Gorman was named director and Shannon Buford was hired as business manager. Gorman previously served as project manager with DNC-Sportservice at Scottsdale Stadium in Arizona and Rangers Ballpark of Arlington, Texas. With management experience in several large markets, he brings a good deal of experience to the job...

I recently heard of a poll that insinuated that more people trust Obama over Romney on foreign policy. Who are these people? Are they not listening and watching to what is going on in the Middle East and around the world? Our country and the world have become much more volatile and dangerous. ...

Senator McCaskill has been a key supporter of President Obama and his policies and will have a tough time separating herself from him in this election Rep. Todd Akin, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, recently surprised me with his clear and passionate philosophic message about the principles of this country and the importance of this year's election...

O Lord God, may we consistently be generous, helping those in need. Amen.

Son to Cary Ray and Bonnie Lynn Vernon of Perryville, Mo., Saint Francis Medical Center, 7:47 a.m. Friday, Sept. 7, 2012. Name, Mason Ray. Weight, 10 pounds, 3 ounces. Second child, first son. Mrs. Vernon is the former Bonnie Vaughn, daughter of Rita Vaughn of Perryville and Tim Vaughn of Park Hills, Mo. She is employed at Saint Francis. Vernon is the son of Ray and Donna Vernon of Perryville. He is employed at Davis Farm Supplies...

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force, the Straight Arrow Drill Team performs a formal retreat ceremony in front of the Air Force ROTC headquarters at Southeast Missouri State University; cadets who take part in the ceremony are Mark Munsell, Ross Gartman, Chad Bartholomew, Brent Green and Deanna Martin...

BEIJING -- China filed a World Trade Organization case Monday challenging U.S. anti-dumping measures on billions of dollars of kitchen appliances, paper and other goods, adding to worsening trade strains as global demand weakens. Beijing's move came shortly before the Obama administration filed its own WTO case accusing China of improperly subsidizing exports of automobiles and auto parts...

VIENNA -- Iran's nuclear chief said Monday that "terrorists and saboteurs" might have infiltrated the International Atomic Energy Agency in an effort to derail his nation's atomic program. It was Tehran's harshest attack on the integrity of the U.N. organization and its investigation of allegations that Iran is striving to make nuclear arms...

SEOUL, South Korea -- A powerful typhoon lashed North and South Korea with strong wind and heavy rain Monday, killing at least one person, leaving dozens of others homeless and cutting power to many homes and businesses in the South. In North Korea, rain drenched parts of the country, including the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, but did not reach the capital, Pyongyang, which was windy Monday but was spared the heavy rains that lashed the South Korean capital...

CAIRO -- Libyans tried to rescue ambassador Chris Stevens, cheering "God is great" and rushing him to a hospital after they discovered him still clinging to life inside the U.S. Consulate, according to witnesses and a new video that emerged Monday from last week's attack in the city of Benghazi...

JOPLIN, Mo. -- The wife and daughter of a man killed inside a Walmart store when a massive tornado hit Joplin have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the company. The Joplin Globe reported that the suit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was transferred Friday to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. It initially was filed in Jasper County Circuit Court...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A push to offer domestic partner benefits to workers at the University of Missouri's Columbia campus appears to be on hold because of two vacancies on the nine-member board of curators. The Columbia Daily Tribune reported Monday that a former Faculty Council chairwoman wants the conservative-leaning board to hold off on the proposal until Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, fills two slots on the board...

The Missouri Retired Teachers Association will host Cape Girardeau public administrator candidates Democrat Mary Cotner and Republican Lisa Reitzel at 9 a.m. Oct. 3 at Chateau Girardeau, 3120 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau. Coffee will be served at 9 a.m., with presentations to follow at 9:30 a.m...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri appeals court panel Monday upheld the ballot summary that voters will see for a proposed constitutional amendment to change the process by which appellate judges are nominated. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the appeals court also certified the measure to appear on the November ballot. ...

NEW YORK -- As the U.S. wrestles with its biggest whooping cough outbreak in decades, researchers appear to have zeroed in on the main cause: The safer vaccine that was introduced in the 1990s loses effectiveness much faster than previously thought...

ST. LOUIS -- The first person reportedly cured of HIV said last week he is hopeful that medical advances will allow others suffering from the virus that causes AIDS to be cured, too. Timothy Ray Brown of San Francisco is known as "The Berlin Patient" because of where he was treated. He and the doctor who treated him, Gero Hutter, made their first joint appearance in the U.S. on Wednesday when Hutter spoke at a symposium on gene therapy at Washington University in St. Louis...

Heart disease is the leading cause of death and a major cause of disability in the United States. Nearly 600,000 Americans die of heart disease annually. This represents almost 25 percent of all deaths in the United States. To raise awareness of the disease, February has been recognized as American Heart Month since 1963...

BEIRUT -- In a rare public appearance, the leader of the militant Hezbollah group exhorted hundreds of thousands of supporters Monday to keep up the campaign against an anti-Islam video that has unleashed deadly violence and anger at the United States across the Muslim world...

MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin school and government employee unions Monday were considering whether to seek new contract talks after a state court threw out a controversial law that restricts public workers' collective bargaining rights. At least one major union representing about 4,700 teachers in Madison said it will demand new contract negotiations, while others said they were weighing their options...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A condemned Ohio inmate who weighs at least 480 pounds wants his upcoming execution delayed, saying his weight could lead to a "torturous and lingering death." Ronald Post, who shot and killed a hotel clerk in northern Ohio almost 30 years ago, said his weight, vein access, scar tissue and other medical problems raise the likelihood his executioners would encounter severe problems. ...

CUPERTINO, Calif. -- Orders for the iPhone 5 topped 2 million in their first 24 hours, more than double the amount of its predecessor over the same period. Apple started taking iPhone 5 orders at 2 a.m. Friday. The company also says that while most orders will be delivered Friday, demand for the iPhone 5 exceeds the initial supply, so some of the devices are scheduled for delivery in October...

LOS ANGELES -- Thousands of illegal immigrants have inundated the nation's second-largest school district with requests for copies of records that might qualify them for the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the district said Monday...

SAN FRANCISCO -- An Alabama man was charged this month with the 1980 murder of an Oxnard teen. A Placerville man was arrested last month for a 1986 rape and murder of a San Mateo teen. A San Francisco man is currently on trial for the murder and robbery of a tourist two decades ago...

NEW YORK -- Occupy Wall Street protesters celebrated the movement's anniversary Monday by clogging intersections in the city's financial district, marching to the beat of drums that were a familiar refrain last year. Protesters roamed around the lower Manhattan financial district all morning in groups of a few dozen each, from one intersection to another and back again, chanting loudly about the ills of Wall Street. ...

CHICAGO -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel's appeal to the courts to end a six-day teachers strike in the nation's third-largest city set off a new round of recriminations Monday, but did little to end a walkout that has left parents scrambling and kept 350,000 students out of class...

*** JACKSON The Jackson Police Department released the following item. Arrests do not imply guilt. Burglary * Burglary was reported in the 1000 block of Anna Street.

Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday:...

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

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Pauline Virginia Wood, 90, of Marble Hill, formerly of Cape Girardeau, passed away Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, at the home of a daughter. She was born Dec. 17, 1921, in Ellington, Mo., daughter of Fred and Viola Katherine Sweeney Counts. She married Paul Edward Wood on June 12, 1938, in Cape Girardeau. He preceded her in death July 5, 2008...

BENTON, Mo. -- Mary Pauline Pulliam, 72, of Benton died Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, at her home. She was born Feb. 11, 1940, in Illmo (Scott City) to George Nathan and Stella Mae Holder Dodson. She married Norman Ray Pulliam on Oct. 11, 1958, in Illmo. He preceded her in death Oct. 18, 2009...

ST. LOUIS -- Marvin Theodore Oberndorfer, 89, of St. Louis died Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, at Christian Care Home in St. Louis. He was born May 17, 1923, in Frohna, Mo., son of William and Elsie Grebing Oberndorfer. He and Dorothy Dambach were married Oct. 24, 1948. She preceded him in death May 8, 2011...

Thomas A. Key, 82, of Middleburg, Fla., formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, at Memorial Hospital Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Fla. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Phyllis Raye Griffin, 68, of Paducah, Ky., a native of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012, at Hope Lodge in Nashville, Tenn. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. until service time Thursday at Milner and Orr Funeral Home in Paducah. A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Ryan Harpole officiating...

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

Southeast Missouri State volleyball player Taylor Masterson was named the Ohio Valley Conference offensive player of the week Monday. Masterson, a redshirt freshman, is the first Southeast player to earn that distinction since Emily Hughes garnered the honor in 2009...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri quarterback James Franklin says there's a 90 percent chance he'll start this week at South Carolina. Franklin sat out the Tigers' 24-20 victory over Arizona State on Saturday because of inflammation in his right shoulder. The 6-foot-2, 228-pound junior was in full uniform before the game and announced as the starter by the public address announcer, but instead donned a cap and headset at kickoff...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Rodger Saffold will be out at least a month because of a right knee injury. Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Monday that Saffold has a third-degree MCL sprain and other damage to the knee, but said it was not season-ending...

Highway 146 at Ware, Ill., will be closed today and Wednesday for repairs on the Union Pacific Railroad crossing. Union Pacific will make repairs near the intersection of Highway 3 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. No traffic will be allowed through the construction area. The road will be open at night. For more information, go to www.dot.il.gov...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Titanic exhibit that coincided with the 100th anniversary of the ill-fated voyage drew nearly 123,000 people to Kansas City's Union Station. The Kansas City Star reported that it wasn't immediately known how much the exhibit netted. But the station's chief financial officer, Jerry Baber, said the break-even point was about 75,000 tickets...

The Southeast Missouri Pachyderm Club will host Republican candidates from three uncontested races Thursday at Dexter Bar-B-Que on 236 S. Broadview St., in Cape Girardeau. Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan, Coroner John Clifton and Treasurer Roger Hudson are scheduled to speak about their offices and answer questions. ...

The Southeast Missouri State football team had a forgettable performance Saturday night at Southern Illinois. SIU thoroughly dominated, piling up 565 total yards and holding Southeast to 186 yards during a 35-14 romp in the Redhawks' final nonconference contest...

The Jackson Indians needed a late rally in the second game to sweep Park Hills in a volleyball match Monday at Jackson High School. The Indians won the first game 25-11, but then found themselves in a 19-13 hole in the second game with Park Hills riding the momentum of a five-point run...