Region/state digest 12/22/04

Former Cape resident to speak on ABC show

TV viewers who watch "Good Morning America" on ABC will see an interview of a former Cape Girardeau resident today. Dr. Mark Stacy, son of Southeast Missouri State University professor Jane Stacy, will talk about a discovery he made during a research project on a medication used to treat Parkinson's disease. "People who would not gamble at all suddenly find themselves gambling," Jane Stacy said. Mark Stacy is the medical director of the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Center at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. The segment will be aired between 7 and 9 a.m.

Two injured in accidents on slick roads Tuesday

Slick roads caused accidents that injured two Scott County women in separate accidents Tuesday morning. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Sarah Daniels, 42, of Chaffee, Mo., lost control of her 1998 Chevrolet Blazer on a slick U.S. 61 two miles north of Sikeston, Mo., at 7:30 a.m., ran off the side of the road and overturned. She was taken to Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. At 7:38 a.m., Rebecca Kluesner, 41, of Scott City lost control of her 1999 Chevrolet on ice-covered Route PP, three miles east of Kelso, Mo., ran off the road, hit a ditch and overturned. She was taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau with minor injuries.

Two Cape men sentenced on cocaine charges

Two Cape Girardeau men were sentenced Tuesday for separate drug-related crimes. Jamoris Nunley, 22, was sentenced to five years in prison for a felony count of distribution of cocaine base. On July 9, 2003, Nunley sold cocaine to an undercover officer on South Benton Street. Howard Smith Jr., 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on a felony count of distribution of five grams or more of cocaine base and a felony count of possession of cocaine base with the intent to distribute five grams or more. On Aug. 5, 2002, Smith sold cocaine base to an undercover officer in Cape Girardeau. Several days later, he was found in possession of a plastic bag containing 5.3 grams of cocaine base, which at the time he admitted he intended to distribute.

Farmer fined $4,000 for poisoning birds

A Southeast Missouri farmer was fined $4,000 on Tuesday on federal charges that he used pesticide to kill about 350 birds, including migratory and federally protected ones. Authorities said Kenneth Schaffer, 51, of New Madrid County, used pesticide-tainted bird seed to kill birds of various species, including several doves. Prosecutors said the case surfaced Aug. 8, when someone reported to the state Department of Conservation numerous dead birds near a highway near Lilbourn, close to several areas of bird seed mixture spread on the ground. When questioned, Schaffer -- who farms the area where the dead birds were found -- admitted mixing the seed with the pesticide Bidrin, blaming crop losses on blackbirds, authorities said.

Four arrested in Perry County undercover probe

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A two-month undercover drug investigation led to the arrest of three Perryville residents and one Cape Girardeau resident. Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf said this is the third operation of this nature his office has conducted this year. Arrested were: Jennifer A. Hahn, 18, charged with a felony possession of a controlled substance (Xanax); Raquel L. Lawrence, 29, charged with felony distribution of more than five grams of marijuana; Michael L. Welty, 55, charged as a persistent and prior offender with felony distribution of more than five grams of marijuana; Matthew L. Houren, 21, charged with felony distribution of more than five grams of marijuana. All but Houren are from Perryville; Houren is from Cape Girardeau. All are being held in the Perry County jail in lieu of $10,000 cash-only bond.

Panel: Quicker action might have saved teen

ST. LOUIS -- A teenager at a private boot camp might have survived a spider bite if he had received more immediate medical attention, a fatality review panel has concluded. Roberto Reyes of Santa Rosa, Calif., died Nov. 3, less than a week after being enrolled at the Thayer Learning Center Boot Camp and Boarding School in Kidder, Mo. Medical examiners have said his death was probably the result of a spider or insect bite. A child fatality review panel, made up of state and county officials, issued a report last week saying that "earlier medical treatment at the Thayer Learning Center may have prevented this fatality." It's unclear whether the operators of the Thayer Learning Center Boot Camp and Boarding School will face criminal charges for medical neglect.

St. Louis parishes learn of closings

ST. LOUIS -- Two southside Catholic churches that serve Mexican immigrants and other Hispanics would close under a reworking of sweeping plans to close about 30 parishes in south St. Louis and north St. Louis County. St. Cecilia Church on the south side would close rather than become a church serving Spanish-speaking Catholics. St. Francis de Sales, a south side church known for its towering 300-foot steeple, has been serving an increasingly Hispanic congregation. Initially, it was slated to become the new St. Louis-area home for Masses in Latin, and its Hispanic parishioners would go to St. Cecilia. Under a reworked plan, St. Francis de Sales would close, largely because of the cost of needed repairs. Parishioners from both churches would merge with two other congregations. Archbishop Raymond Burke is expected to make the final decisions by mid-January.

-- From staff, wire reports