Burfordville man pleads guilty to gun charge

A Burfordville, Mo., man pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to one felony count of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Timothy J. McCall, 37, had been previously convicted of two driving while intoxicated charges in 1991 and 2000. On Aug. 4, 2002, Cape Girardeau County deputies went to McCall's residence. Upon arrival, they found a .303 caliber rifle propped up near the front door of the residence. McCall admitted he had bought the gun and had fired it earlier in the day.

He now faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing was set for Dec. 3.

Impact of Southeast topic of First Friday

Southeast Missouri State University's economic impact on the region will be the topic of this month's First Friday Coffee, scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Friday at the Show Me Center.

The presentation will be on a survey and study recently released by the university. They detail how students spend their money, how much they spend and how dollars make their way through the local economy in the form of payroll and university purchases.

For more information, contact the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the monthly event, at 335-3312.

Sikeston to purchase excess consumer powerSIKESTON, Mo. -- Put up a windmill or install solar panels that gather enough power and the Board of Municipal Utilities might have to write you a check.

The Sikeston City Council approved a bill during their regular meeting Tuesday to provide for the purchase of excess power generated by customers through renewable power sources.

If the electricity generated by the customer-generator exceeds the electricity supplied to the customer by the utility, the customer-generator is to be credited for the net value of the electrical energy delivered to the utility at the utility's avoided cost.

-- From staff, wire reports