Stories from Saturday, July 10, 2004

Deals defers prosecution of Dexter police chief DEXTER, Mo. -- A criminal case against a former Dexter police chief has been resolved, according to Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Briney Welborn. In return for Kenny Rinehart admitting the allegations of hindering prosecution, a felony, Welborn said the state has agreed to defer prosecution. ...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Kenneth Lee Chamness, 70, of Cobden died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill. He was born Dec. 12, 1933, in Cobden, son of Ray and Elva A. Haley Chamness. He and Marietta Zupo were married in November 1954 in Berkeley, Calif. She died April 3, 1992...

Richard Dillender, 77, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born July 24, 1926, in Sikeston, Mo., son of Sam and Emily Porchie Dillender. He and Joyce Elizabeth Sadler were married Sept. 11, 1947, in Corinth, Miss. She died Feb. 24, 1992...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Alberta Pauline Baldwin, 87, of Chaffee died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at Chaffee Nursing Center. She was born May 28, 1917, at Chaffee, daughter of Benjamin and Tava Brown Snider. Survivors include a son, Bill Baldwin of Chesterfield, Mo.; a daughter, Betty Jo Rector of Santa Fe, Texas; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren...

Elizabeth E. "Sally" Baylor, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born April 26, 1918, at Crosstown, Mo., daughter of Daniel A. and Birdie E. Pullam Rhyne. She and Eldon O. Baylor were married Dec. 22, 1939, in Cape Girardeau. He died Jan. 5, 1985...

James E. McDonald, 76, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born April 16, 1928, at Steele, Mo., son of James E. and Virgie Mansfield McDonald. He and Betty Jo Greene were married June 1, 1980, in Cape Girardeau...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Florence M. "Flo" Rugh, 78, of Perryville died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at Perry Oaks Manor. She was born Sept. 22, 1925, in St. Louis, daughter of James and Irene Diamond Stewart. Rugh retired from Emerson Electric Corp. Survivors include cousins, Rita Loness of Perryville, Louise Lukefahr of Millersville, Frances Roe of Sedgewickville, William Stewart of Belleville, Ill., and Betty Gregory of Sun Valley, Calif...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Anthony J. Jordan, 35, of Mound City died Tuesday, July 6, 2004, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Massie Funeral Home in Cairo, Ill., is in charge of arrangements.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Frances Vivian Potashnick, 61, of Sikeston died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born April 18, 1943, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Ralph and Vivian Jackson Potashnick. She was a member of First United Methodist Church...

GLENALLEN, Mo. -- Walter Charles Cutsinger, 62 of Glenallen died Friday, July 9, 2004, at his home. He was born Nov. 15, 1941, in Chicago Heights, Ill., son of Walter Lee and Esther Schroeder Cutsinger. He and Beverly K. Burns were married Sept. 3, 1975...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Vera Georgia Noennig, 74, of Florissant, Mo., formerly of Perryville, died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at Perry County Nursing Home. She was born Sept. 18, 1929, at Altenburg, Mo., daughter of Ferdinand and Emma Koenig Steffens. She and Norman Noennig were marrried June 10, 1950...

ST. PETERS, Mo. -- Marvin J. Young, 51, of St. Peters died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at his home. He was born Jan. 19, 1953, in St. Louis, son of Lawrence and Vivian Curlee Young. Young was employed by Missouri Department of Transportation. He was a member of the Moose Lodge in Overland, Mo...

ANNA, Ill. -- Margaret L. Gielow, 82, of Anna died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 25, 1921, in Wolf Lake, Ill., daughter of John and Lulu Freeman Harper. She married Louis Gielow, who preceded her in death...

Shirley L. Montgomery, 69, of St. Louis died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at her home. She was born June 9, 1935, near Neelys Landing, daughter of Leach and Mary Reynolds Shelton. She and Ed Montgomery were married July 5, 1953. Shirley was president of Montgomery Engineering in Fenton, Mo. She was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church at Fruitland...

The recent verbal tug of war over whether Southeast Missouri State University should exchange its Indian mascot for a Redhawk demonstrates how much students, alumni and fans care about the university's sports teams. How much the university should spend on its sports teams is a different issue, but it's one that could decide how the Redhawks are embraced...

Once upon a time there was a man and a woman; they had nothing to call their own. Then God gave them 10 apples. God gave them three apples for food. God gave them three apples to trade for shelter from the sun and rain. God gave them three apples to spend for clothing to wear...

Two tie for Chip-A-Ways honors Linda Willams and Deanna Peterman tied for first place in the "A" flight of the J.C. Chip-A-Ways this week at Cape Jaycee Municipal Golf Course. Carol Brown won the "B" flight. Sharon Dow and Jon Keefe won the play of the day, which was "secret partners." Carolyn Bechle had the low putts...

To the editor: It looks like we are going to get the Prestwick Plantation subdivision. Isn't this going to overload our new water treatment plant, our already understaffed police and fire departments and our overcrowded schools? And what about Bloomfield Road? It's already like a parade with so much traffic. Wake up, city council, and do something before it is too late...

To the editor: In regard to Judge Peter Statler: If it had not been for him, my granddaughter and I would never have known where her mother was. I have been raising this granddaughter since she was 5 years old. She's 17 1/2 now. I was told at the child-support office that they were not allowed to give out information concerning this child's mother. ...

To the editor; I am responding to Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle's reduction of the first-degree murder case against Greg McNeely. I don't agree with his view, but justice in this case was to have a prosecutor prosecute this man for the cold-blooded killing of my nephew, Terry Lynn II...

To the editor: When Americans reflect on the efforts to bring forth a more perfect union, we ought to read "Democracy in America" by Alexis de Tocqueville, 19th century French philosopher, who came to America in 1830s to discover the reasons for the success of this new nation. A sample:...

Frances R. Miner, 83, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at Ratliff Care Center. She was born Nov. 18, 1920, in Cobden, Ill., daughter of Daniel D. and Clara Mae Musgraves Richardson. She and Ernest E. Miner were married Oct. 24, 1942, in Enid, Okla. He died Nov. 13, 1997...

Mary Dell Steimle, 103, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, July 9, 2004, at the Lutheran Home. She was born June 23, 1901, at Jackson, daughter of Thomas and Nellie Shepard Beasley. She and Ferdinand "Fred" Steimle were married Aug. 14, 1919. He died June 26, 1991...

Carroll M. Adams, 88, of Jackson died Thursday, July 8, 2004, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Oct. 20, 1915, at Illmo, son of Carroll Blaine and Mary Alice Humphreys Adams. He and Mable Lee Shawan were married in 1937. She died in 1972. He then married Hazel Kitchens in 1973. She died in 1989. He and Kathleen Barringer Fisher were married May 29, 1990...

10 years ago: July 10, 1994 Ground is broken for new edifice for Hobbs Chapel United Methodist Church; 101-year-old church burned Nov. 26, 1993; new, 4,800-square-foot church will be attached to existing activity center. John Starnes of Brentwood, Tenn., sings at First Assembly of God Church in evening; originally from Atlanta, Ga., Starnes has been singing gospel music full time more than 14 years...

Front-page news ON THE Opinion page, you say that Tony Blair is in trouble because he said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. But on Page 5 you print that Polish soldiers found chemical weapons of mass destruction that the terrorists were looking for. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Ricky Clemons once told a newspaper of seeing an eight-foot moose during a basketball trip to Alaska. But he never visited the state. Clemons denied Jessica Bunge was his girlfriend. But he later acknowledged the relationship in court, as he pleaded guilty to assaulting her...

WASHINGTON -- In a hard-hitting report released Friday, the U.S. Senate's Select Committee on Intelligence said the CIA and other agencies used unfounded "group think" assumptions to assess the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before last year's U.S. invasion and reached conclusions that were often "overstated," "unreasonable" or "not supported by the underlying intelligence."...

The heat and humidity of earlier in the day had subsided and a breeze was blowing by Friday evening, just in time for the opening of the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival. The spectacle of twilight flight is special, said Steve Gustafson of the AeroShell Aerobatic Team...

Farmers in Cape Girardeau County who have developed conservation plans for their land may be able to receive financial assistance from the federal government by participating in the conservation security program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture program is part of the 2002 Farm Bill and was created to promote conservation by rewarding farmers for using conservation measures...

Chris and Stephie Belle are even more grateful than most for the Internet because without it, the two self-described soul mates never would have met each other. While some view the world of Internet chat rooms as dubious place to meet your significant other, it wasn't so for the Belles, who resided on different continents...

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Michael Phelps vs. the Thorpedo. Two of the world's best swimmers going head-to-head at the Olympics. Pretty appealing, huh? Phelps set up a potential Athens showdown with Ian Thorpe by winning the 200-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic trials Friday -- clearly the most intriguing part of the quest to break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In any other season, Jeff Gordon would be a long shot to win the championship. But under NASCAR's new points system, Gordon is a legitimate threat. After back-to-back victories the past two weeks, he might even be the top contender...

ST. LOUIS -- The Chicago Cubs were down, and Jason Marquis kept them there. Marquis pitched into the ninth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals got solo home runs from Edgar Renteria, Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds and Tony Womack in a 6-1 victory Friday night...

To just about nobody's surprise, the Plaza Tire Capahas and Tradewater (Ky.) Pirates won lopsided first-round games Friday as the National Baseball Congress Mid-South Regional got under way at Capaha Field. The host Capahas and defending champion Pirates were considered the class of the field entering the four-team tournament -- and they did little to dispute that...

WASHINGTON -- The government told cosmetics makers Friday they can no longer use brain and spinal cord tissue from older cattle in lipstick, hair sprays and other products. The new Food and Drug Administration regulations come in the wake of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease last December. They are aimed at preventing the disease from reaching people, where it can cause a rare but similar fatal condition, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Butler County Sheriff Bill Heaton was charged Friday with a misdemeanor count of stealing, a misdemeanor count of tampering with a witness and a felony count of acceding to corruption. The charges were filed by Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle, who earlier this year was appointed special prosecutor by Butler County Circuit Court Judge Mark L. Richardson...

Friday's Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee was a long time coming. The subject of the gathering at the Show Me Center was a preview of the results of a Community Assessment Partnership survey project that began almost two years ago...

DEARBORN, Mich. -- Gary McCord is going to skip work to play golf. And he's not going to get in trouble. McCord, better known as a TV golf analyst than an occasional player on the Champions Tour, surged into the lead at the Senior Players Championship on Friday with an 8-under 64...

Baseball The Chicago White Sox plan to put designated hitter Frank Thomas on the 15-day disabled list today because of inflammation in his left ankle. The White Sox learned Friday they will lose Thomas, one day after fellow slugger Magglio Ordonez came off the disabled list. ...

Whitewater Presbyterian plans annual picnic for July 17 Whitewater Presbyterian Church will hold its annual picnic July 17 with children's games, turtle races and gospel music at 4 p.m. A meal also will be served at the church. Churches to hold simulcast on same-sex marriage debate...

Charlotte Reed wants children to have as many chances to take part in a worship service as adults, so she tries to incorporate skits, drama and puppets into nearly every service. Reed is a children's minister at Bethel Assembly of God Church and is planning the third annual CAPEFEST children's ministry workshop...

Today Xtreme Xperience from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Greater Dimension Ministries in Cape Girardeau. The youth event is for ages 5 to 18 and includes a military camp theme. Lunch is provided. Gospel singing service at 7 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church in Villa Ridge, Ill. The Gloryroad Travelers and Destiny will perform...

WASHINGTON -- An appeals court on Friday upheld the government's decision to single out Nevada as the site of a nuclear waste dump but ruled that the federal plan does not go far enough to protect people from potential radiation beyond 10,000 years in the future...

LOS ANGELES -- Rudy Tomjanovich and the Los Angeles Lakers have had an adversarial relationship since 1970. He played against the Lakers; was punched and almost killed by one of them; sued them, and coached against them. After all that, the parties have joined forces...

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The highest U.N. court issued a sweeping condemnation of Israel's occupation policies Friday, siding with the Palestinians in declaring that Israel must tear down the 425-mile-long security barrier it is building in the West Bank...

NEW YORK -- A gritty documentary series about police that has filled the usual time slot for "NYPD Blue" has some viewers seeing red. After only three episodes, the ABC News series "NYPD 24-7" has infuriated a firefighters union and annoyed New York Police Department officials. Even Mayor Michael Bloomberg has panned one policeman's performance...

PORTLAND, Ore -- In the world of Christian video games, players sport the armor of God, the best weapon is a ball of holy energy known as a "smite," and demon-possessed Roman soldiers drop to their knees in prayer when they're hit. Right now, the religious-themed games represent just the tiniest fraction of an $11-billion industry, but developers expect the market to grow with the popularity of faith-based movies and books such as Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" and the "Left Behind" series of novels.. ...

ANGERS, France -- Lance Armstrong recovered from an early fall and avoided a late crash, finishing in a pack behind stage winner and former teammate Tom Boonen of Belgium in the Tour de France on Friday. Armstrong, trying for a record sixth straight Tour title, was thrown from his bike but not hurt in a crash involving a number of cyclists about 20 minutes into the sixth stage, a 122-mile run from Bonneval to Angers...

During the late 1970s, Randy Johnson helped the Capahas break through a tough slate of Missouri teams to advance to Wichita and the National Baseball Congress World Series. Starting next spring, his son, Casey Johnson, will try to help the Southeast Missouri State's baseball team win the Ohio Valley Conference and advance into the NCAA tournament...