Stories from Wednesday, May 31, 2006

As some of you may know the Internet search company Google is attempting to create an online library of approximately 10 million full-text, searchable books. These books will someday be made free and available to anyone with Internet access. The project was first announced in 2004 and promises to revolutionize the way the world reads. Google's dream is to build a modern day version of the ancient library in Alexandria which in 300 B.C. housed all the learning of the Western world...

Construction of a high school football stadium and establishment of a pre-school program are among a wide range of proposals included in a newly drafted five-year comprehensive plan for the Cape Girardeau School District. A steering committee agreed to the plan Tuesday night, clearing the way for the document to be reviewed by the school board at a work session on June 13. The board could adopt the five-year plan by June 19, superintendent Dr. David Scala said...

The $70 billion, election-year tax-cut package signed by President Bush earlier this month will help build a stronger Missouri by preventing tax hikes, spurring economic growth and creating jobs, U.S. Sen. Kit Bond said Tuesday. Bond praised the tax relief plan, which extends existing tax cuts on dividends and capital gains, on Tuesday during an economic roundtable at Southeast Missouri State University's Innovation Center in Cape Girardeau. ...

A man arrested for assaulting a Cape Girardeau police officer while drunk on Memorial Day was charged in the attack and for possessing forged immigration documents. Police responded to 2813 Whitener St. around 11:30 p.m. Monday on a call of a disturbance in which a man was breaking windows and acting "unruly," police spokesman Jason Selzer said...

ST. LOUIS -- Craig Biggio caught up with Hank Aaron and helped the Houston Astros stay above .500 in the process. Biggio's two-run homer capped a five-run seventh and he tied Aaron for ninth place on the career doubles list in a 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night...

ST. LOUIS -- Chris Carpenter was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday with bursitis under his right shoulder blade, but hopes to miss only one more start. The team is cautious about rushing back last year's NL Cy Young winner. Manager Tony La Russa said 24-year-old rookie Anthony Reyes, who started against the Astros in Carpenter's spot on Tuesday night, likely would stay with the Cardinals until the team is sure Carpenter is ready to return...

By Jay Nixon In 1994, Missouri voters gave overwhelming approval to a law that put a limit on campaign contributions. This vote sent a clear message that Missourians felt limits were appropriate to control the corrupting influence of money on government...

My wife and I have been blessed with the presence of our niece, Leah, for the summer. She decided she wanted to work for Uncle Paul and see what it was like in a garden center. Leah will be a senior at Concordia University in Seward, Neb., majoring in elementary education. She is a straight A student (oops, I heard she made one B); so she is smart, and she is pretty...

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. -- Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro is progressing so well he might not have the cast on his severely injured right hind leg changed for several weeks. Dr. Dean Richardson, the surgeon who repaired Barbaro's shattered bones after the colt broke down at the Preakness Stakes on May 20, said Tuesday the prized patient has had an "incredibly good week -- far better than I would have ever hoped so far, so far, so far."...

WASHINGTON -- In the annual competition for counterterror funding, the Homeland Security Department wants the 46 cities receiving money this year to consider the other side of the coin: The aid means the government thinks they are terror targets. Major urban areas will find out today how much they will share of a $740 million anti-terror grant. ...

Make repairs first; Shocking stand; Givers and takers; Student speakers; Blood for research; We've done enough

To the editor: There has been considerable media coverage concerning the feud between the Bell City and Scott County Central school districts. While I -- as well as the media -- am not privy to all the facts, I believe that (1) Bell City was upset that Coach Heeb left the district and took allegations to Missouri State High School Activities Association, (2) Scott County Central was angry about MSHSAA's ruling and retaliated against Bell City, and (3) both schools lost credibility. ...

To the editor: Once again the Marriage Protection Amendment is scheduled for U.S. Senate debate. This is an important opportunity for Christians to make their voices heard by the Republican leadership. The uninhibited and often unscrupulous liberal media has consistently forced a dogmatic, liberal, pro-gay agenda on America which has become a barrage of pro-gay propaganda. ...

The revelation that personal information about 26.5 million U.S. veterans was stolen from the home of a Veterans Affairs data analyst raises many questions. None of the answers is likely to make the veterans or anyone else feel better about the security of their records...

PHOENIX -- Raja Bell supplied the grit, and his Phoenix teammates took care of the offense. As a result, the Suns are even again with the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals. Leandro Barbosa scored 24 points on 10-for-13 shooting and the Suns, regrouping after a lifeless home loss in Game 3 two nights earlier, ran away from the Mavericks 106-86 on Tuesday night...

To the editor: I live in the Bell City School District. We have a small school and a small town with good people in both. We seldom make the news, but lately several articles have been written about our school. Most are negative. I've known our superintendent since she was a child, and most of the school board members and staff. ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Daniel Briere and the Buffalo Sabres are headed South -- for a Game 7. Briere scored a power-play goal 4:22 into overtime and the Sabres forced a deciding game in the Eastern Conference final with a 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night...

ATLANTA -- A former Marine cook fatally stabbed one teenager and wounded a second while fending off a robbery by a group of youths armed with two guns and a pair of brass knuckles, police said. Thomas Autry, 36, acted in self-defense when the suspects jumped him around 11 p.m. Monday, and he will not face charges, police spokeswoman Sylvia Abernathy said...

Roberta Cotner, 98, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, May 27, 2006, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. She was born Sept. 29, 1907, in Seventy- Six, Mo., daughter of Albert R. and Mary Elizabeth Farrar Swan. She and Sloan E. Cotner were married Feb. 6,1926, in Jackson. He preceded her in death Jan. 4, 1985...

Mary Irene Gibson, 97, died Tuesday, May 30, 2006, at Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 6, 1908, in Nottawa, Mich., daughter of Denton and Mary Louise Harding Krontz. She and Marion Grover Gibson were married July 18, 1927, in Rockford, Mich. He died May 31, 1985...

25 years ago: May 31, 1981 The Rev. John Swain is the new pastor of the First General Baptist Church of Cape Girardeau; he and his family will move to Cape Girardeau tomorrow, and he will begin his pastoral duties June 7. Trinity Lutheran Church's Ladies' Senior Aid, or the Sewing Society, as it is sometimes known, was organized May 25, 1866; this week, the women celebrated their 115th anniversary with a luncheon and another quilting day to add to their already long record...

Anschultz; Brummel

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Jimmy R. Jennings, 63, of Perryville died Saturday, May 27, 2006, at his home. He was born Sept. 9, 1942, in Savannah, Tenn., son of Otis and Blanche Hulin Jennings. Jennings earned a master's degree in history. He had taught at Ste. Genevieve, Mo., and Perryville schools, Perryville Higher Education Center, and also tutored many students. He was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church...

Richard G. Joplin, 52, of Jackson died Tuesday, May 30, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation is 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. The funeral is Thursday at 7 p.m. at the funeral home.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Phyllis Louise Piva, 82, of Perryville died Friday, May 26, 2006, at her home. She was born Jan. 17, 1924, in Conrad, Mont., daughter of Paul and Hilda Lathrop. She married August Piva, who preceded her in death. Survivors include four stepsons, Gerald, Robert, Thomas and Dennis Piva; a stepdaughter, Mary Yeager; and 13 stepgrandchildren...

Pauline Gibson, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, May 29, 2006, at the Lutheran Home. She was born April 30, 1917, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Wilson and Nola Davie Barr. She and Russell Gibson were married Dec. 24, 1938, in Cape Girardeau. He died Dec. 11, 1994...

ORAN, Mo. -- Sylvia Marie Hooker McConnell, 84, of Oran died Monday, May 29, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 17, 1922, in Oran, daughter of the late Werner Washington and Rosa Ann Schlosser Hooker. She and Floyd R. McConnell were married Jan. 30, 1940...

Bill Lamont passed away Saturday, May 6, 2006, at the Kansas City, Mo., Hospice House after a lengthy battle with cancer. He will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. His friends and family remember him as a loyal and caring son, brother, and friend...

CONCORD, N.C. -- There is no disabled list in NASCAR, where playing hurt is mandatory -- even for defending series champion Tony Stewart. Stewart is expected to start this weekend in Dover, Del., despite a broken shoulder blade that knocked him out of Sunday's event at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Ricky Rudd, who has yet to race this season, will practice and qualify the car and be on standby to relieve Stewart if he needs to get out of the car...

School is out and with that comes children at home, eating constantly and wanting a wide variety of foods. I try to have things on hand that we can prepare quick and easy but still not lose nutritional value along the way. Our Ross could do just fine living on cereal and milk, but that just won't fly at our house. So, I am on the lookout for child-friendly summer foods. If your family has favorites, be sure to send those in so other readers can enjoy them, too...

The advisory council for the area's newly created anti-litter organization, Keep Southeast Missouri Beautiful, met Tuesday to evaluate its progress. Two months have past since the group received marching orders from a Keep America Beautiful national coordinator...

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- Prosecutors investigating a Missouri couple accused of videotaping the rape of a woman and killing her say the pair may be linked to another body found in a neighboring county. "We are dealing with a body in Clay County, and we believe it may be connected to the case," said Ken Evans, a spokesman for Jackson County prosecutor Mike Sanders...

Two men plead guilty in unrelated incidents Two Scott City men pleaded guilty last week in court to sodomy and sexual assault in unrelated incidents. Dr. Sean de Jager, 57, an optometrist, entered a guilty plea Friday to two counts of second-degree felony statutory sodomy, after being accused of sodomizing a 16-year-old boy. ...

A 27-year-old man was slightly wounded last weekend when stabbed on a Cape Girardeau street. The victim was walking east on Themis Street near Frederick Street around 1 a.m. Saturday when a man approached and asked for change for a $20 bill, according to police spokesman Jason Selzer. ...

WASHINGTON -- Missouri Republican Sen. Jim Talent, facing a strong Democratic challenger, officially kicks off his re-election campaign this weekend with an eight-city tour that highlights his accomplishments in Congress. Talent, who won a special election in 2002, has so far been reluctant to engage his likely Democratic opponent -- state auditor Claire McCaskill -- though she has been actively campaigning for months...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A telephone company whose former president has been connected to New York mobsters will pay a $1 million fine and $3.6 million in rate credits and other payments to resolve a complaint filed by the Missouri Public Service Commission. ...

ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis County man was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison Tuesday for his role in a methamphetamine operation linked to the death of his infant child. Federal prosecutor Catherine Hanaway said the case of James Hayes, 28, marked the first time in the Eastern District of Missouri that a sentence was enhanced in a meth case because of dangers posed to children...

Cape Girardeau...

MILFORD TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- The FBI said Tuesday it found no trace of Jimmy Hoffa after digging up a suburban Detroit horse farm in one of the most intensive searches in decades for the former Teamsters boss. The two-week search involved dozens of FBI agents, along with anthropologists, archaeologists, cadaver-sniffing dogs and a demolition crew that took apart a barn...

Cape Girardeau...

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- India now has the largest number of AIDS infections as the spread of the disease shows no sign of letting up a quarter-century into an epidemic that has claimed 25 million lives, the U.N. reported Tuesday. "I think we will see a further globalization of the epidemic spreading to every single corner of the planet," UNAIDS head Dr. Peter Piot said...

VIENNA, Austria -- It's a coalition of the dwindling. The U.S.-led multinational force in Iraq is losing troops from two of its most important allies -- Italy and South Korea -- and up to a half dozen other members could draw down their forces or pull out entirely by year's end...

From wire and staff reports NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel hired former Mississippi coach Rod Barnes and former South Carolina State coach Ben Betts on Tuesday to complete his staff. Barnes, 40, was 141-109 in eight seasons at Mississippi and took the Rebels to the NCAA tournament three of his first four seasons at his alma mater. He was fired in March, near the end of the Rebels' fourth consecutive losing season...

Davis places first at Ascension run Logan Davis, who just finished his freshman season at Notre Dame Regional High School, led the pack in the Ascension Day 5-kilometer run on Saturday at La Croix Church. Davis finished in 18 minutes, 25.41 seconds...

Alonzo Nelson will join Miles Smith in individual competition at the NCAA national outdoor track and field championships, and Southeast teammates Walter Washington and Chris Poindexter will run with Nelson and Smith in the 1,600-meter relay competition at the meet...

n In the May 24 edition of the Southeast Missourian, the story about potential Southeast Missouri State basketball recruit Marcus Rhodes incorrectly identified his prep school. Rhodes played his senior year at Harmony Community School, a prep school in Cincinnati, after transferring from Christian Center Academy, where he played as a junior...

The Oran baseball team has tradition and plenty of momentum on its side as it sets its sites on yet another state semifinal game. Now all that's left for the Eagles to do is claim an elusive state title. Oran will play Sedalia, Mo., Sacred Heart at 11 a.m. today in a Class 1 semifinal at Taylor Stadium in Columbia, Mo...

The Cape Girardeau Ford and Sons American Legion team opened district play with a 6-1 win over Dunklin County on the road Tuesday. Post 63, which swept a doubleheader at De Soto on Sunday, improved to 3-0. Cape pitcher Kirk Boeller was too much for Dunklin County to handle, as the recent Notre Dame graduate cruised through all nine innings without allowing an earned run. Boeller allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out five...

NEW YORK -- The Houston Astros still want to re-sign Roger Clemens, though his agent and the team said Tuesday that there is no deal. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner plans on deciding soon whether to pitch this season or retire for good. "Obviously, we're still hopeful. But nothing has been determined," Astros general manager Tim Purpura said. "We'd love to get a phone call that Roger is going to pitch for us. They know what our interest is, what our parameters are...

PARIS -- As it is, the French Open is the cruelest Grand Slam tournament for Andy Roddick, the toughest for all U.S. men over the years, really. Toss in a bum ankle, and Roddick never really stood a chance this time. He quit Tuesday because of his injury while trailing Alberto Martin of Spain 6-4, 7-5, 1-0 in the first round at Roland Garros, and the fifth-seeded American hobbled off the court to a chorus of full-throated boos and whistles...

ROLAND, Ark. -- Tiger Woods is preparing to play in the U.S. Open. Woods was at the Alotian Club outside of Little Rock on Tuesday, making his first public golf-related appearance since the Masters. His father, Earl, died May 3, and Woods hasn't played since he tied for third at Augusta National on April 9...

From staff and wire reports Gordonville farmer John Lorberg and his son Jeff originally planned to plant a 28-acre plot near Hubble Creek in soybeans before demand from ethanol producers boosted corn prices and changed their minds. Tuesday the Lorbergs were installing an underground drainage and irrigation system they say will increase their corn yield to up to 200 bushels per acre -- about 75 bushels per acre more than an unirrigated field...

Cape Girardeau County Commissioners voted Tuesday to place a countywide half-cent sales tax increase on the August ballot. The half-cent increase would raise the county sales tax to 1 cent. If voters approve the sales tax, the county and Cape Girardeau special road district's road and bridge property tax would be eliminated...

The plant, financed by Jerry Bagby and Harold Williams, could produce 15 million gallons of 'B20' diesel fuel in a year. By Gary Exelby Dexter Daily Statesman Two Dexter entrepreneurs announced recently that they plan to have a biodiesel production plant operating early next year...

The chairman and CEO of pipeline operator Kinder Morgan Inc. has teamed up with senior managers and outside investors to purchase the company for about $13.4 billion and take it private, officials announced this week. Richard D. Kinder, a native of Cape Girardeau, sent a letter to the Houston-based company's board of directors Sunday offering to pay $100 a share, an 18.5 percent premium above Friday's $84.41 closing price. ...

American Legion Auxiliary 63...