From terrorist attacks to Harleys, a look back

The year 2001 will forever be remembered for the events of Sept. 11.

On one clear morning a nation changed, and the events of the first eight months of the year, which had at one time seemed so important, faded into what felt like distant memories.

Southeast Missourian journalists in 2001 wrote stories about many local, regional and statewide events, and newsroom employees voted on what they considered the top 10 stories among them. Here are their choices:

1. Southeast Missouri reacts to Sept. 11

Tucked away in the security of Southeast Missouri, far from the tragedies on the East coast, people watched in horror as the events of Sept. 11 unfolded on television screens in schools, businesses and homes.

In the days and weeks following the attacks in New York and Washington, a feeling of patriotism swept through the nation, touching the lives of all Americans, including those in Southeast Missouri.

With each passing day, more and more flags began to appear in windows and on car bumpers, children made flags out of construction paper and began saying the Pledge of Allegiance with a new-found pride, churches opened their doors and a community of various faiths came together for a candlelight service at the Show Me Center.

When President George W. Bush called the nation to stand tall and go about daily activities, the people of Southeast Missouri did so with pride. Hundreds of people gathered at various places around Southeast Missouri to donate time and money, and to give blood.

The American Red Cross in Cape Girardeau couldn't handle the more than 1,200 area residents who showed up to give blood Sept. 12. Nearly 700 people were turned away or left because the wait was too long.

The annual Downtown Merchants Christmas Parade of Lights reflected the area's new- found patriotism with red, white and blue floats, and crowds who stood and cheered as members of the armed services, police and fire departments marched by.

2. Two police officers shot during drug bust

On Feb. 10, Cpl. Keith May and Sgt. Bradley Moore went to the Super 8 Motel in Cape Girardeau to investigate a tip from the SEMO Drug Task Force.

The officers found methamphetamine in 20-year-old Matthew Marsh's room. During the search, Marsh shot May in the abdomen and Moore in the shoulder.

Both officers returned fire, killing Marsh. A coroner's jury ruled they acted in self-defense.

A community-wide Back the Blue campaign helped raise money for the wounded officers in the weeks that followed, and Wal-Mart donated $1,200 to the police department for new bulletproof vests. May was wearing a 20-year-old vest the night of the shooting.

In April, May returned to a desk job at the department after weeks of rehabilitation and counseling. He has since returned to the streets. Moore remains out of work under a physician's care.

3. Dead-baby case uncovers teacher link

In June, allegations of a forbidden relationship between a Jackson junior high school math teacher and a 14-year-old girl who buried her stillborn baby in her back yard unfolded in a Jackson courtroom.

Jackson police went to the teen's home after a phone tip to a state child welfare agency and found the baby's body in a shallow grave March 14. The girl, who is now 15, was turned over to juvenile authorities but wasn't charged as an adult with any crime.

Charges against teacher Thomas Mark Sprandel, 37, came on March 30 as part of the ongoing investigation into the burial of the baby's body. The girl told a detective with the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department about the relationship after love letters were discovered in her bedroom air vent.

The baby was not Sprandel's; however, he is scheduled to appear in a Jackson court Feb. 6 on charges of statutory sodomy and endangering the welfare of a child. A jury trial for Sprandel is scheduled for March 27.

4. City Council yanks Taste liquor license

The Taste Restaurant and Lounge, a popular but troubled nightspot at 402 Good Hope, lost its liquor license July 1 and quietly closed after 11 years in business.

Before it was a bar, the building housed the People's Cafe for 34 years.

On June 18, the Cape Girardeau City Council voted 7-0 against the Taste keeping its license. The bar had been operating on a series of probationary liquor licenses for a year prior to the decision.

At the council meeting, police officials said they had responded to 42 calls at the Taste over the last year, 15 of which resulted in written reports. Ten of those were for violent incidents or peace disturbances. The total number of calls was up by seven from the previous year.

Taste owner Michael Pryor said the problem wasn't the Taste, but that the area around the bar is home to a diverse group of people who loiter along a four-block area of Good Hope. He said the groups are most prevalent on summer evenings and on weekends, including Sundays when the Taste is closed.

5. Central High School gets new principal

In February, the Cape Girardeau school board made a decision that sparked weeks of protest and mounds of citizen response.

A board of education motion on Feb. 27 to rehire Cape Girardeau Central High School principal Randie Fidler failed in a 5-2 vote. Members of the board would not comment on the decision, stating it was a personnel matter. Fidler said he suspected it had something to do with a disciplinary action involving students.

Fidler, who had been principal since 1996, was replaced by Michael Cowan, an Oak Ridge, Mo., native and principal of Valley Park High School in suburban St. Louis.

In an ironic twist, Fidler took the job Cowan vacated at Valley Park. Cape Girardeau citizens who supported Fidler didn't let him leave for St. Louis without letting him know he would be missed.

After the board's initial announcement, teachers and students wore black armbands to school and started a letter-writing campaign to members of the school board.

6. Jerome Mallett executed for murder

On July 11, at 12:01 a.m., convicted murderer Jerome Mallett looked at Sarah Froemsdorf, the wife of a highway patrolman Mallett killed in 1985, and said, "I'm sorry."

Five minutes later he was dead.

Mallett's death came after 15 years on death row, three failed court appeals and several last-minute attempts by his family to obtain clemency from Gov. Bob Holden.

On March 2, 1985, Froemsdorf pulled Mallett over for speeding on Interstate 55 near Brewer, Mo., in Perry County.

It was then the trooper learned Mallett was wanted in Texas. Mallet was handcuffed and placed in the passenger seat of the patrol car, but because of a deformity that allowed Mallett to compress his hand, the prisoner was able to slip out of the right handcuff and lunge for the trooper's sidearm.

Mallett opened fire at point-blank range. The first round blasted out the driver's side window of the patrol car. The second round, which struck Froemsdorf in the left lower chest, was stopped by his ballistic vest but slammed him against the driver's door, breathless. As Froemsdorf struggled to defend himself, a third shot passed through his left hand and tore through his neck, through his trachea and carotid artery.

The fourth and final shot struck the trooper as he tried to escape, killing him instantly.

Mallett was arrested in Desloge, Mo., after three days on the run following the crime. Mallett was found guilty in a Schuyler County courtroom. On March 7, 1986, Mallett was placed on Missouri's death row.

Froemsdorf's widow and three daughters witnessed Mallett's execution in July with more than 25 other people. At least three of the state witnesses were state troopers. Another 20 troopers were on hand at the prison to show support but did not witness Mallett's death.

7. Census shows Jackson leading growth

The 2000 census reports, released March 15, showed that Jackson, Mo.'s population over the past 10 years has been growing, and people were building homes and opening businesses there.

Jackson's population grew by 2,700 people, or 29 percent, in the 1990s making it the fastest-growing town in Southeast Missouri.

Cape Girardeau grew by 874 people, or 2.5 percent.

Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City combined reflected a population of 51,887 in the 2000 census, nearly 4,000 more than in 1990.

Cape Girardeau County remained the most populated county in Southeast Missouri, with an 11.5 percent increase over the 1990 census.

Chaffee, Charleston, Dexter, Poplar Bluff and Sikeston saw their populations decline.

8. Fruitland fire kills mother, three kids

A 24-year-old mother and three of her children died when fire swept through the family's second-story apartment in a small house along U.S. 61 in Fruitland, Mo., May 21.

Robin Muench, 24; her daughter, Angela, 5; and son, Phillip, 2, were found lying together near a bedroom window. Nathan, 1, was in the bed. All four died from smoke inhalation.

Before Muench was overcome by smoke she was able to save her other son, Joshua, 4, by tossing him out of a window. He survived.

The fire apparently started from a cigarette in the bedroom of the home. It took firefighters from three volunteer departments about an hour to extinguish it.

The husband and father, Matthew Muench, was at work when the fire broke out. He received a call and returned home to find firefighters battling the blaze.

9. Natural gas bills hit all-time high

During the coldest time of the year, in late January and early February, natural gas prices soared to record highs, leaving some customers with bills three times higher than normal.

The cost hike was attributed to a decrease in the national supply of natural gas. The decrease was caused by less gas exploration and production in the 1990s and increased consumption of national reserves due to cold winter.

Some customers were left trying to pay off their bills in mid-summer. For those who couldn't afford to do so, their gas supply was turned off and they are now struggling to pay a percentage of their bill to have it reconnected for the next few months.

10. Cape Girardeau goes HOG wild

On Sept. 7, more than 3,000 rain-soaked Harley riders in black leather and colorful bandanas rolled into Cape Girardeau and were met by welcome signs posted on several businesses around town.

For three days the Harley Owners Group members attended seminars, paraded through town and partied with the locals.

It was the first time the annual HOG rally came to Cape Girardeau, and after the members left many local residents were left hoping it wouldn't be the last.

The event brought $1.2 million to the area.

hkronmueller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128