Stories from Saturday, February 18, 2006

BENTON, Mo. -- Rumors fly fast in a high school, but sometimes they have to be taken seriously. When the Scott County Sheriff's Department and officials at Kelly High School near Benton learned of a rumor Friday morning that guns were to be brought onto school grounds, they quickly began investigating...

The former Marquette Hotel will be honored with a Preserve Missouri award at a ceremony March 2 in Jefferson City. The annual award will honor the Marquette and 12 other projects that exemplify "the preservation of Missouri's rich and diverse collection of historic resources."...

Graduates of Cape Girardeau Central Junior High School musicals will perform Tuesday in "Showstoppers Tonight," a concert featuring pop, country, Broadway and big band tunes. The concert starts at 7 p.m. at the junior high auditorium. An admission fee will be taken...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- A new concept to market eastern Missouri foods and dining establishments is ready to move into a new organizational phase. A meeting was held Friday in Ste. Genevieve to discuss progress on the Mississippi River Hills pilot site for the Missouri Regional Cuisines project. ...

An order temporarily banning burning of yard waste in Cape Girardeau will be lifted today at 10 a.m. The order was issued Thursday when a wind advisory for the Cape Girardeau area forecast gusts between 30 and 40 mph. Under normal conditions, limited burning is permitted within city limits. This includes limbs, leaves and yard waste in a pile no larger the five feet wide, deep and high...

A warrant issued Friday charges an 18-year-old man in the shooting of another man near a Cape Girardeau intersection. George A. Henry was charged in the warrant with first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and armed criminal action, according to a news release from the Cape Girardeau Police Department...

LAKE CHARLES, La. -- There were glitches being worked out at Cowboy Diamond on Friday. And not just on the storm-damaged field. Derek Herbig, Josh Parham and Mike Taylor combined for a four-hitter, and Southeast Missouri State had 10 hits for an 8-1 win over McNeese State in the Cowboys' home opener...

Southeast Missouri State track and field star Heather Jenkins would like to feel more comfortable during her senior season, but she's not one to complain. Jenkins, a Central High School product, has been hobbled by two knee surgeries and a bleeding ulcer, yet she continues to march on during the final campaign of a collegiate career that has stamped her among the best in school history...

GUINSAUGON, Philippines -- Rescue workers held little hope of finding more survivors from a devastating landslide that killed an estimated 1,800 people, saying this farming village in the eastern Philippines was swallowed whole by a wall of mud and boulders...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush says critics are drawing "the wrong conclusion about a tragic accident" when they say the delayed disclosure of Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting mishap is an indicator of an overly secretive White House. Commenting about last Saturday's accident for the first time, Bush said Thursday that Cheney handled the situation "just fine."...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It's a treasure trove of historical documents, one few people even know about, tucked away in an industrial building far from downtown Kansas City. The collection includes everything from Harry Truman's draft registration card to letters from Buffalo Bill Cody to papers from lawsuits that led to the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions in the Dred Scott and Brown vs. Board of Education cases...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Tests confirmed the deadly strain of bird flu in Egypt, as France reported a probable first case Friday and the United Nations expressed growing concern about the virus' spread through West Africa. Egypt reported Friday that 18 to 20 dead birds had tested positive for bird flu. A U.N. official said tests confirmed an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain that has swept out of Southeast Asia into Europe, the Middle East and Africa...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Landowners in 12 southwest Missouri counties were urged Friday to conserve water because of drought conditions that a state panel says are still affecting much of the state. The Drought Advisory Commission said southwest Missouri is still dry from last year's drought, and the warmer, drier winter has led to lower stream flows, reservoir levels and groundwater levels...

DECATUR, Ill. -- Burglars hit a food bank here, making off with about 200 pounds of frozen turkeys and chickens meant for people in need. Police had no leads Friday in their investigation of the burglary at the Northeast Community Fund sometime between late Tuesday and early Wednesday, Sgt. Steve Chabak said...

Tiger Woods got caught in the rain without an umbrella. And with sloppy bogeys on the final two holes Friday, he left Riviera wondering if he would get a tee time on the weekend. Soaked to the bone, his cap on backward to keep rain from dripping off the brim, Woods missed an 8-foot par putt on his final hole for a 3-over 74 that put him below the cut line and left him desperate for help from the four dozen players trying to finish in shivering conditions...

The U.S. women's hockey players gathered in a circle at center ice, raised their sticks and waved them to their fans in one sweeping arc over their heads. It was a routine repeated game after game in these Olympics and before, but this time was different. You could see it in their eyes, red with tears and looking at anything but the giant group hug being staged by the exuberant, wiggling heap of yellow jerseys behind them...

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Iran's foreign minister demanded the immediate withdrawal of British forces in Basra, saying Friday they had destabilized the southern Iraqi city near the Iranian border. Wrapping up a three-day visit to Lebanon, Iranian Foreign Minister Manushehr Mottaki said Iran supported the "current political process in Iraq," but he urged the incoming government to control the "escalating terrorism" targeting Iraqi civilians and to push for an immediate pullout of U.S.-led multinational forces.. ...

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Haiti's president-elect met privately on Friday with political leaders to try and smooth the tensions that followed his turbulent election victory. But Haiti, and much of the world, waited to hear Rene Preval's plans to form a new government and address violence and poverty in Haiti -- as well as his stance on his former mentor, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a former slum priest living in exile after being ousted as president by a violent rebellion two years ago...

One of the lessons of Black History Month is that history cannot be separated from the story of a city, a region, a state, a country or the world. Black history and American history are interwoven. During segregation, many black businesses operated in downtown Cape Girardeau, but most of the buildings that housed those businesses are gone...

Cape Girardeau...

Two U.S. helicopters crash off coast of Djibouti...

State Reps. Lanie Black, R-Charleston, and Peter Myers Sr., R-Sikeston, have kept their heads low amid all the fireworks over the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus funding issue. Both serve on the House Budget Committee. As such, they presumably would play a key role in efforts to restore state funding for the project...

To the editor: In response to the "Time for change" Speak Out comment: I agree that many things need changing. The leadership of Southeast Missouri State University, on the other hand, has done an exemplary job in recent years at keeping costs relatively low for students. ...

To the editor: In 1967, several large buildings in Cairo, Ill., burned, and the publicity was devastating. The town's population plummeted to about 3,500 from 14,400. Some left Cairo to open stores in other localities. People with money went elsewhere to retire. Many former movers and shakers died. Most of those remaining are fine people. It is a pleasure to visit with them...

Colleges; Hockey; Horse racing

The Southeast Missouri State women's tennis team picked up its first wins of the season Friday at Fort Wayne, Ind. The Redhawks (2-3) defeated Cleveland State 4-3, then disposed of Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne 5-2. Southeast split the singles matches with Cleveland State but won two of three doubles matches for the victory...

Over the past few seasons Bell City's boys basketball team has run opposing teams into the ground en route to four straight district titles and three state final four appearances. On Friday, during the first quarter at Kelly, the Cubs appeared they would run the Hawks down as well, leading by as many as 15 points in the opening quarter...

To the editor: How can a newspaper satisfy its obligations for Black History Month by claiming six buildings "shaped" Cape Girardeau's history? Black History Month is about people, not buildings. Where are the life stories? Not one black person was interviewed. ...

To the editor: Regarding Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus project: As a taxpayer I was proud to see someone in the legislature stand up to the Southeast board of regents and administration. I applaud House Speaker Rod Jetton for having the fortitude to stand up for the taxpayers of this state. It is clear the university acted on this matter with an "ask for forgiveness and a bailout later" attitude instead of preapproved permission from the current legislators...

Donald L. Hitt, 72, of Houma, La., died Friday, Feb. 10, 2006. He was born Dec. 20, 1933, in Cape Girardeau, son of Claude E. and Addie J. Crawford Hitt. He married Janet A. Porche, who died in December 2005. Mr. Hitt was a member of St. Gregory Catholic Church...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Edwin L. "Eddie" Kirn, 84, died Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006, at Perry County Nursing Home in Perryville. He was born July 16, 1921, at Friedheim, Mo., son of Andrew and Elizabeth Renner Kirn. He and Marcella C. Halter were married Oct. 21, 1947, at Apple Creek, Mo...

James Dale O'Connell, 52, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Feb.15, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center. Graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Lorimier Cemetery. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Dickson; McCartney; Kiplinger; Boitnott; Manche; Uelsmann; Wybert; Lashley; Neumeyer; Bieser

25 years ago: Feb. 18, 1981 Cape Girardeau County and Jackson city officials say they are opposed to moving the county seat from Jackson to Cape Girardeau; city officials say moving the county seat would have a severe economic impact on Jackson; County Court Judge Leonard F. Sanders of Jackson notes the move would require acquisition of land and construction of a new courthouse at a cost of millions of dollars...

Great performers; Global ignorance; Rude behavior; More branding; More of the same; Mizzou is calling

Stored in a Cape Girardeau chicken house for about half a century, the 6-foot-long wooden model of a side-wheeler steamboat was in ruin when Jo Renfrow started looking for a new home for the creation. She first approached the Cape River Heritage Museum. But the museum couldn't afford the cost of restoring the model boat...

BENTON, Mo. -- A tornado hit the area northeast of Benton at 7:18 p.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service said Friday. The tornado destroyed two garage structures, damaged eight or nine houses, and felled more than 50 trees in the area near the junction of Highway 77 and Route E...

TRIPOLI, Libya -- Libyans angry over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad rioted at the Italian consulate on Friday, storming the building and setting it on fire. A diplomat said at least 10 people were killed in clashes with police. It was the deadliest demonstration yet against the cartoons, which have set off violent protests throughout the Muslim world. At least 29 people have been killed altogether...

Women Pole vault -- 1. Andrea Pickens (unattached) 13-6; 2. Michele Jett (Southeast) 11-6; 3. Whitney Bolton (Memphis) 10-6 Weight throw -- 1. Gale Lee (unattached) 61-9 (Student Rec Center record); 2. Heather Jenkins (Southeast) 61-3/4; 3. Annette Uzoh (Memphis) 56-11 1/2...

WASHINGTON -- The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee wants the panel to look into whether the National Security Agency was eavesdropping without proper authority in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks. It was one of the questions outlined by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., in writing this week in a proposal to investigate...

Alex Steil scored 19 points to lead four Advance players into double figures in a 76-61 victory at Scott County Central on Friday night. Darryl Wade added 15 points, Jeremy Limbaugh scored 11 and James Masters had 10. D.D. Gillespie scored 22 for the Braves, who fell to 12-13. Caleb Johnson added 16...

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- In a lecture hall on Yale's storied Old Campus, not long after an afternoon astronomy class has cleared out, a middle-aged sex toy saleswoman demonstrates her technique and hands out free products to an eager crowd. "I want you to close your eyes," Patty Brisben playfully instructs a young man as she rubs scented lotion into his forearm and, to raucous laughter, reaches for an electric toy and a glove. "Fantasize about having an all-over body massage."...

DETROIT -- Delphi Corp. dodged a bullet Friday, avoiding a devastating strike by delaying a bid to reject its labor agreements. But the nation's largest auto supplier warned it will renew efforts to cancel its contracts in six weeks if it fails to reach a settlement with its unions and its largest customer, General Motors Corp. ...

As disappointed as Southeast Missouri State coach B.J. Smith was by Thursday's performance, it was almost hard to believe that the Redhawks are in the midst of an 11-game winning streak. But Smith simply wants to make sure his players realize that victories don't come automatically, and if they fail to play the way he believes they should, then losses are inevitable...

DEXTER, Mo. -- If the Dexter Bearcats had any doubts that Darnell Wilks was one of Southeast Missouri's best players, they don't after Friday. Wilks, a 6-foot-8 junior who has drawn interest from schools such as Wake Forest and Kansas State, finished with a triple-double -- 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists -- to lead Central to a 78-61 win over the Bearcats on senior night...

Kamden Rampley will take a 53-0 record into tonight's championship match for the Class 4 215-pound weight division of the state high school meet at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. Rampley -- the senior ranked No. 2 in the state in his division by missouriwrestling.com, a Web site devoted to high school wrestling -- cruised with two decisions on Friday...

Southeast Missouri State coach Gary Garner desperately wants to see the joy on his players' faces after a victory at least one more time this year. "Before the season is over, I really want to walk into the locker room and see the faces light up after a win," Garner said...

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- A fierce storm swept across the Midwest and into the Northeast on Friday, causing temperatures to plummet and generating winds up to 77 mph. Three people were killed by falling trees. The storm sent temperatures in some parts of western New York plunging from 60 degrees to below freezing within a few hours. High winds knocked out power to more than 300,000 homes and offices and closed schools...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Supporters of a tobacco tax increase intend to hit the streets within the next week to seek petition signatures needed to get their proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot. Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's office said Friday that it had approved the ballot language for a proposal that would more than quintuple the state's cigarette tax while tripling the tax on products such as cigars and chewing tobacco...

"I am blessed, I'm not depressed" is a statement often spoken by a parishioner at my church. Jean wheels around the assisted-living quarters of the nursing home where she resides. Her motorized wheelchair allows her the mobility she needs to spread good cheer even though she can barely see. Yet she's clueless of the positive influence she has on others. People want to imitate her...

You know the one gift which makes you blush. You're not sure you want to claim it or return it. The gift flushes you out. It reveals your hidden strength ("How did you know I wanted this?") and betrays your weaknesses ("You think I need this?). I received such a gift recently, in the form of an invitation by my church to go to Africa. ...

Sunday; Cumberland Quartet to play in Scott City; World prayer day events planned for Friday

From his vantage point in Second Missionary Baptist Church's newly paved parking lot, the Rev. Cecil Thomas Jr. sees the surrounding sparse fields giving way to public housing for low-income families. In his mind's eye, he sees a community center filled with youth playing basketball and learning about God. He sees space for a soccer field, maybe a food pantry...

BOULDER, Colo. -- Inside the flagship lab of the National Center of Atmospheric Research, a dozen home-schooled children and their parents walk past the offices of scientists grappling with topics from global warming and microphysics to solar storms and the electrical fields of lightning...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Pat Gagnepain, 98, of Perryville died Friday, Feb. 17, 2006, at Perry County Nursing Home. She was born April 15, 1907, in Perry County, daughter of August and Elbertine May Reiss. She and Monroe Gagnepain were married April 6, 1931. He died Dec. 19, 2005...