Region briefs 2/27/04

Open house to benefit Habitat for Humanity

The public is invited to a unique open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at 1542 Greenbrier in Cape Girardeau, held by SolutionWorks Investments. The auction will be held at 5 p.m. March 10. Habitat for Humanity will have materials at the Open House with information about its projects and opportunities for donations and business partnerships. Bidders can get a free loan prequalification on site with a representative from Salah-West Financial. Upon the successful closing of a transaction, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Habitat for Humanity St. Louis. For more information call (314) 865-2346, extension 22.

Friend of slain gay student coming to Cape

A friend of slain gay Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard will speak twice this week in the region to drum up support and interest for Perryville's St. Vincent Senior High School's production of "The Laramie Project" and share insights on how intolerance leads to violence. Jim Osborn of Laramie, Wyo., will speak at 7 p.m tonight at the Perry Park Center in Perryville. He will appear in Cape Girardeau at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Visions Of Pride, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community center at 30 N. Pacific. Both events are free. The high school show dates are March 12 and 13 at 7 p.m. and March 14 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the Perry Park Center box office.

National Guard company to come home today

KENNETT, Mo. -- First Sgt. Phillip Greenway of the 1137th Military Police Company announced Thursday that members of the Missouri National Guard company are due back today at 8:30 p.m. Greenway said that the armory personnel were in the process of putting together a schedule of events for a short ceremony. For more information regarding the ceremonies, contact 2nd Lt. Jamie Melchert at (573) 638-9846.

Poplar Bluff wants to start truancy court

It's working at Sikeston schools. Attendance is going up, lifting students' grades along the way. Sikeston school district's truancy court is barely a year old, but its tremendous success stories have piqued the interest of Poplar Bluff school district's administration. Poplar Bluff Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth, along with public school assistant superintendent Chris Hon, are working to develop a similar model for Poplar Bluff schools. The Poplar Bluff school board is expected to approve the plan this spring and have the district's truancy court in place by the 2004-2005 school year. Truant students and their parents must appear before the judge and explain excessive absences.

Assessor: Funding bill may avoid personnel cuts

Because of state funding cuts, the Butler County assessor's office has had to cut 40 percent of its field staff and is falling behind in assessing new construction and reassessing property values. That can translate into less money for school districts in the county. That's why Butler County Assessor Marion Tibbs was talking to area school superintendents last week about the efforts of the Missouri Association of Counties to pass legislation that would increase local funding of county assessor's offices from 1 percent of property taxes collected in each county to 1 1/2 percent, the same percentage that goes to county collector's offices. Tibbs said the extra 1/2 percent is needed to make up for state cuts affecting 80 of the 114 counties in Missouri, including Butler County.

Perry County man gets five years for drug charge

Charles Evans, 39, of Perryville, Mo., was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to five years in prison on one felony count of possession of pseudoephedrine knowing it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine. Upon release, he will be on supervised release for two years. He appeared before U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber in Cape Girardeau. Evans previously admitted that on Feb. 1, 2003, he received more than 5,000 60-milligram strength pseudoephedrine pills from a confidential informant in Stoddard County.

Former officer gets 88 months for selling crack

Timothy Collins, 37, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to 88 months in prison for distribution of cocaine base, or crack cocaine. He appeared before U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber in Cape Girardeau. Collins previously held positions as a New Madrid County deputy; chief of police in Howardville, Mo.; a police officer for Steele, Mo.; and an investigator for the New Madrid County prosecuting attorney's office. On Dec. 22, 2002, Collins sold 1.2 grams of cocaine base to an undercover officer for $200 in New Madrid. In addition, Collins was held responsible for distributing 150 to 500 grams of crack cocaine in Southeast Missouri over the last several years.

Child enticement suspect on way to CapeGirardeau

The man police say lured a 13-year-old Cape Girardeau boy to Kansas for sex is on his way to the Cape Girardeau County Jail in Jackson, said J.P. Mulcahy, jail administrator. Archillis Boglosa, 34, of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., is charged in Cape Girardeau County with a felony warrant for enticement of a child. Boglosa waived his right to an extradition hearing Tuesday at a Palm Beach County, Fla., courtroom, Mulcahy said. The suspect could see the inside of a Cape Girardeau County courtroom by the end of next week. The suspect may soon face more serious state and federal felony child sex and exploitation charges in Kansas, police said. Boglosa remains in custody in lieu of a $50,000 cash-only bail.

-- From staff reports