Stories from Saturday, July 17, 2004

By Jim Wallis Many of us feel that our faith has been stolen, and it's time to take it back. A misrepresentation of Christianity has taken place. Many people around the world now think Christian faith stands for political commitments that are almost the opposite of its true meaning...

Richard Lewis, 95, of Jackson died Thursday, July 15, 2004, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 23, 1908, in Jackson, son of Edward R. and Mora F. Ford Lewis. He and Mary Elizabeth Kneibert were married in 1932. She died in 1971. He and Phyllis McManus-Dockins were married in 1972...

FROHNA, Mo. -- James Michael Miesner, 36, of Frohna died Thursday, July 15, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 19, 1967, in Jefferson County, Mo., son of Clifford and Eileen Kassel Miesner. Miesner was a member of Salem Lutheran Church at Farrar, Mo...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Mark Edward Arnold, 36, of Sikeston died Friday, July 16, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born March 2, 1968, in Cape Girardeau, son of James M. "Pick" and Fleta Jo Davis Arnold. He attended Sikeston schools. Survivors include his mother of Sikeston; a brother, James Arnold of Crofton, Md.; two sisters, Kathryn Archie of Sikeston and Vickie Howard of St. Louis...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- David P. Huber, 50, of Perryville died Wednesday, July 14, 2004, in Norwalk, Calif. Miller Family Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Eva Maxine Duschl, 78, of Effingham, Ill., formerly of Jonesboro, died Thursday, July 15, 2004, at the home of a daughter in Effingham. She was born Feb. 28, 1926, in Wolf Lake, Ill., daughter of Samuel and Della Brothers Boshera. She and Elmer M. Duschl were married Oct. 25, 1947, in Marion, Ark. He died Jan. 30, 1964...

10 years ago: July 17, 1994 KASKASKIA, Ill. -- Parishioners came to Church of Immaculate Conception yesterday hoping for miracle, a way to save their historic church; but there was no miracle; Bishop Wilton Gregory of Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville told 125 people gathered in 150-year-old edifice that church will cease to hold regular services at end of August...

Hate on both sides GARY RUST seemed stunned at what he believes to be a large number of Bush haters on the Democrat side. I get the distinct impression he thinks that to be an almost unique phenomenon. That worries me. Is Rust's memory slipping, or is it merely selective? I suspect the latter. How could he possibly forget the visceral and ongoing hatred emanating from the GOP for the Clintons?...

Ridings has hole in one Madge Ridings recently recorded a hole in one at Cape Girardeau County Club as she aced No. 11, a 100-yard par 3. Witnesses were Judi Brey, Robyn Young and Marlena Jones. Tushoff cards ace Harold Tushoff of Jackson carded a hole in one Thursday at Kimbeland Country Club...

Baseball An MRI taken Friday on Mark Prior revealed no damage to the right-hander's ulnar collateral ligament or his ulnar nerve, Chicago Cubs' general manager Jim Hendry said Friday. Prior had to leave Thursday night's game in the second inning with discomfort in the right elbow. ...

Have you ever wondered why when one has little to do, he conjures up all kinds of past injustices, negative situations and unhappy events? But when people are busy, thoughts are occupied with the tasks at hand, goals to accomplish and pleasant memories. I wondered why this was so...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Blanche N. Markham, 92, of Perryville died Friday, July 16, 2004, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born Oct. 28, 1911, at Millersville, daughter of Dennis and Doshia Statler Niswonger. She and Arthur J. Markham were married Aug. 6, 1938. He died Nov. 9, 1991...

Barbara Ellen Lessley Horton, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, July 15, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Nov. 27, 1918, in Cairo, Ill., daughter of Clyde and Lee Lessley. She married Reginald Horton Aug. 9, 1936. He died March 29, 1982...

The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Tiffany A. Adams, 29, of Fenton, Mo., was arrested Sunday on a Ste. Genevieve County warrant for failure to appear in court. Jerime A. Atchley, 25, of Cape Girardeau was arrested Sunday on Cape Girardeau County warrants for probation violation on original charges of possession of ac controlled substance...

Cape Girardeau The following items have been released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Dennis G. Smith, 51, 109 Walnut St., was arrested Thursday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Arrests Joshua J. Stone, 23, 1544 Route V, New Madrid, Mo., was arrested Thursday on a city warrant for failure to appear in court...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items on Thursday: At 3:42 p.m., an emergency medical service at 430 N. Frederick St. At 7:11 p.m., an emergency medical service at 3019 Aspen St. At 8:22 .m., an emergency medical service at 1015 Sprigg St...

A vague nostalgia arises as demolition of the old Mississippi River bridge proceeds toward a day in August when crews will begin blasting away the bridge's metal framework. The soaring new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge already is loved, but the old bridge has been such a landmark in Cape Girardeau's skyline for so long it is difficult to imagine that in a matter of weeks it will be gone...

Today Jerome Greene and Voices of Triumph will perform in concert at 7 p.m. at Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Ill. The program is presented by Anna Heights Baptist Church. Missionaries Jim and Virginia Vinton with Wycliffe Bible Translators will speak at La Croix United Methodist Church at the 5:30 p.m. worship service. They also will speak during Sunday morning services...

To the editor: I think I've written on this subject before, but I feel I need to stay on top of the issue. I teach civics in high school. I want to continue, but I may not be able to because of the content of Clint E. Lacy's guest column. I focus most of my efforts on the national government. ...

To the editor: Congratulations on a successful transitional year with the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, and my thanks to director Chuck Martin and his professional staff on a great job of creating a new refined focus. This is the best year of tourism tax growth for Cape Girardeau in four years...

To the editor: We would like to thank the Scott County Sheriff's Department for its hard work and dedication on Cheryl Anne Scherer's case. For the past 25 years the staff has shown professionalism in finding Cheryl after she disappeared from the Scott City gas station where she worked. It is evident this case has become a personal commitment to all of the staff at the sheriff's department, and we are pleased with the work they have done and will continue to do...

To the editor: I want to thank reporter Linda Redeffer for being in court Wednesday when Christopher Jones was sentenced for the second-degree murder of John Mayabb. I only have one question. In the article Thursday, why wasn't it mentioned that I was never contacted when the plea bargain was accepted? The prosecution accepted it behind the victim's family's back and then did not even call and let us know. ...

Kevin G. Smith, 46, of Valles Mines, Mo., died Tuesday, July 13, 2004, at Parkland Medical Center in Farmington, Mo., of a sudden heart attack. He was born June 3, 1958, in Peoria, Ill., son of C. Hughie and Maxine Smith. He and Mary K. Buchheit were married Feb. 25, 1979...

Egypt Mills Trinity Lutheran Church installs pastor WITH PHOTO The Rev. Kevin Olson will be installed Sunday as the new pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Egypt Mills, Mo. The ceremony will begin at 3 p.m., and a reception will follow. Olson is a recent graduate of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He and his wife, Paulette, have four children. The Olsons originally are from Victoria, Minn...

Six people were injured in a car accident Thursday on Cape Girardeau County Road 618 a half-mile east of Jackson. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the accident occurred at 10:15 a.m. when Garry Proffer, 28, of Cape Girardeau stopped his 1986 Lincoln at a stop sign, accelerated too quickly and lost control. He ran off the left side of the road and hit an embankment...

Imagine walking around in the summer wearing a fur coat. That's what cats and dogs do. During the dog days of summer, pets endure the same scorching temperatures as their owners, said Samantha Leavitt of the Humane Society of Missouri. Pets rely on their owners to help them stay cool when the weather is hot. Leavitt offers a few tips to keep cats and dogs safe in the summer's sweltering heat...

The winless American leads midway through tournament after a 66. By Doug Ferguson ~ The Associated Press TROON, Scotland -- A memorable week at the British Open turned surreal for Skip Kendall. He started it by bringing his mother to Britain to celebrate her 80th birthday. Then he had his first brush with royalty, shaking hands with Prince Andrew behind the 11th green at Royal Troon...

KUMBAKONAM, India -- Flames swept through a thatch-roofed school Friday, trapping dozens of children who clawed at brick and concrete in vain to escape after many of their teachers fled. At least 84 children were killed and 22 injured. For the burned children, big-city medical care was a five- to six-hour drive away from this southern Indian river town. Police, blaming officials at the private school for negligence, arrested the principal...

NEW YORK -- An emotional Martha Stewart was sentenced Friday to five months in prison for obstructing a federal securities investigation, then marched outside the courthouse to declare that "a small personal matter" had been blown out of proportion and urge supporters to stick with her company's products...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. -- Former St. Louis Blues player Mike Danton admitted in federal court Friday that he sought to have his agent killed as part of a plot that unraveled when the would-be hit man turned out to be a police informant. Danton, who was to have been tried in September with co-defendant Katie Wolfmeyer and was scheduled for a pretrial hearing next week, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cause a person to travel in interstate commerce to commit murder...

The Associated Press A minor earthquake sent trembles over parts of Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and western Kentucky on Thursday night. A preliminary measurement indicated it was a magnitude-3.5 quake, according to Bruce Presgrave, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center...

Plaza Tire emerged with an exciting 5-4 victory. By Marty Mishow ~ Southeast Missourian Despite never having beaten the Plaza Tire Capahas, the Riverdogs have played their Cape Girardeau baseball rivals close on several occasions...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Opponents of an amendment to allow a casino in southwest Missouri are rolling out television and radio ads that play on fears of expanding gambling. The TV spot is to begin airing Monday in the Kansas City and St. Louis markets to counter the ads from casino supporters that have run statewide for a few weeks. The radio spot will run only in St. Louis, organizers said...

A Southeast Missouri radio station will broadcast two debates next week between Missouri Gov. Bob Holden and challenger Claire McCaskill. The debates will be at 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. One will take place in St. Louis, the other in Kansas City. They will be broadcast live on several radio and television stations, including KRCU, the 90.9 FM Public Radio affiliate station in Cape Girardeau...

Marlon Anderson cracked a three-run pinch home run in the eighth inning as St. Louis defeated Cincinnati 7-5. By Terry Kinney ~ The Associated Press CINCINNATI -- Marlon Anderson sure got his manager's attention. Anderson had a pinch-hit three-run homer in the eighth inning Friday night to lift the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-5 victory over the Cincinnati Reds...

The Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Marion Jones was back on the track Friday night, and looking unbelievably ordinary again. Jones faded to last in her five-woman qualifying heat in the 200 meters at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, but still advanced to today's semifinals because six runners withdrew from the race...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- A security panel headed by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat declared a state of emergency in the Gaza Strip early today after a wave of kidnappings involving a Palestinian police chief, a security official and four French citizens...

With modern technology, creating works of art is no longer limited to paints, brushes and canvas. It can also be created by using a keyboard and mouse. Evidence of this is currently on display at the Cape Girardeau Public Library. The library is featuring 30 student works created during Southeast Missouri State University's computer art workshop, a four-week course that taught students to make art using Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Macintosh computers and scanners...

Wanted: Jobs for 99 workers who will be laid off from the Rubbermaid plant in Jackson this summer. That's the goal of Missouri's Rapid Response Team. The team includes representatives from the Department of Economic Development and the Division of Employment Security and the not-for-profit Workforce Investment Board of Southeast Missouri. ...

LA MONGIE, France -- Lance Armstrong's teammate and another rider were cleared to race in the Tour de France on Friday despite their involvement in a case of suspected doping, a cycling official told The Associated Press. The Council of Professional Cycling settled a dispute between Tour organizers and cycling's governing body on whether Pavel Padrnos of Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service team and Italy's Stefano Zanini of Quick Step-Davitamon could continue to race...

LA MONGIE, France -- Lance Armstrong took a big step toward a record sixth straight Tour de France crown on Friday by surging past key rivals on the first climb in the Pyrenees. The Texan moved from sixth to second in the overall standings following a ride in which he was runner-up to stage winner Ivan Basso of Italy...

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- President Bush will return to Missouri early next week, attending a rally at the Family Arena in this St. Louis suburb, a spokesman for the Bush-Cheney campaign said Friday. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. The rally starts at 5:35 p.m. A worker at the campaign's St. Louis office said the doors close two hours later. Ticket information is available from Bush-Cheney Missouri headquarters, (314) 427-4917...

ST. LOUIS -- The quiet killing of nearly six dozen Canada geese from this city's massive Forest Park has angered an animal-preservation group that considers it a needless slaughter. Without notice June 23 -- during molting season when the birds had no flight feathers with which to flee -- park workers and state conservationists rustled up 69 geese, then shipped them off to be killed and processed. The meat reportedly went to poor people through a Columbia food bank...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The Philippines withdrew 11 more soldiers from Iraq on Friday to meet the demands of kidnappers holding a truck driver hostage, ignoring warnings from Washington that the move sends the wrong signal to terrorists. The decision by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to pull out peacekeepers from Iraq outraged U.S. allies in the war on terror, who fear that bargaining for the life of Angelo dela Cruz will set a dangerous precedent...

SEOUL, South Korea -- Around-the-clock train and truck convoys are moving U.S. military hardware from the tense border with North Korea as the American Army prepares to redeploy 3,600 troops to Iraq. The massive logistical feat began July 7 and is moving hundreds of Abrams tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, Humvees and artillery pieces to the southern port city of Busan to be shipped out under tight security...

Brevin Giebler was 12 strokes off the lead entering Friday's rain-delayed round at Sikeston. By Toby Carrig ~ Southeast Missourian Brevin Giebler spent much of Friday playing the waiting game. With rain delaying the National Golf Association Hooters Tour event at Bootheel Golf Course in Sikeston, Mo., Giebler's tee time was pushed from 1:21 p.m. to 6:21 p.m...

Holidays usually mean spending money on decorations, celebrations, presents and greeting cards. But this year, Missourians will get an extra three-day summer holiday that is intended to help their pocketbooks. From Aug. 13 to 15, as most people are preparing to send their children back to school, Missouri will celebrate its first sales tax holiday, during which the state's 4.225 percent sales tax will be waived on clothes, school supplies, personal computers and computer software. ...

Even with a fresh $1.2 million shave, Cape Girardeau School District's 2004-2005 budget is left with financial stubble. In January, the Cape Girardeau School Board approved about half of the $2.2 million in cuts needed to balance next year's budget, creating a deficit. ...

Former East German nunnery flourishes in newfound role as meeting center, tourist destination By Hannah Lobel ~ The Associated Press OSTRITZ, Germany -- The nuns at St. Marienthal Convent have weathered the toughest times imaginable in their 770-year history: the Reformation, the Black Plague, fires, a massive flood, the Nazi dictatorship and East German communism...