Stories from Saturday, July 1, 2006

ORAN, Mo. -- On Memorial Day something was wrong at 507 Missouri St. in Oran. At 10:30 a.m., Oran police chief Marc Tragesser got a call from a resident living next to that address about 57-year-old John Wayne Melton. The events that followed would make Tragesser fear for his life, put Melton in a mental facility and later in the Scott County Jail, where he is now awaiting a preliminary hearing on charges of assaulting a police officer, unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest. ...

The Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team will have three fewer scholarships to work with in 2006-07 for its defense of the Ohio Valley Conference championship. The scholarship reduction -- from 15 to 12 -- was among seven self-imposed sanctions the university adopted from a status report into the conference and NCAA investigations into the program...

Southeast Missouri State University will self-impose sanctions on its women's and men's basketball programs after an Ohio Valley Conference investigation found numerous violations of NCAA rules over the past two years, school officials announced at a news conference on Friday...

After a months-long gestation period, the new Cape Girardeau Transit Authority was born late Friday night as Kelley Transportation Co. Inc. shut down. Early in the day, members of the authority board heard an update on transition efforts, getting details on everything from office furniture deliveries to vehicle striping and placement of bus-stop signs...

To All the Kids Who Survived the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s: First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing and tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes...

ST. LOUIS -- This weekend will be full of fireworks in St. Louis, and a few A-list celebrities will be watching them. Rap star Nelly is holding a party and black-tie event in his home town with a guest list that includes Janet Jackson, Usher, Evander Holyfield, Jermaine Dupri and Chingy...

BALTIMORE -- The main camera on the Hubble Space Telescope came back to life Friday for the first time in nearly two weeks after NASA engineers switched to a backup power system, the space agency announced. The Advanced Camera for Surveys shut down June 19 after voltage readings exceeded the acceptable range. The switchover to the backup system began Thursday afternoon and was completed Friday morning, NASA said...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- President Bush's going-away present to Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was some kind of "Good Luck Charm." Amid the ceramic monkeys, floor-and-ceiling green shag carpet and animal-head armrests of Graceland's Jungle Room, the delighted prime minister just couldn't hold back the Elvis lines...

Draft illegal aliens; Anti-environment? ; Living in cyberspace; Like Leni; SEMO recruiting; Presidential authority; Words matter; Oozing hatred; Cruel and inhumane; Sensitivity; Inbred cats; Roads are OK; More taxes; Clinton and Bush; Preservationists; Cruising Main Street

LAKES Council Bluff: 80 degrees, normal, clear; all species slow...

Cape Girardeau...

BENTON, Mo. -- A Southeast Missouri truck driver caught with nearly a pound of methamphetamine in his company's vehicle was charged with drug trafficking, police said. James J. Buchanan, 45, of Benton, Mo., was pulled over early Thursday on U.S. 62 in Miner, Mo., according to a news release from the Scott County Sheriff's Department...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A fatal accident in Perry County that took the life of a recent high school graduate may have been caused by drunken driving, officials said Friday. The accident occurred on Route B about a half-mile outside of Perryville, around 1:40 a.m. Sunday, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol...

Cape Girardeau...

The Fourth of July holiday is a time for celebrating the birth of this nation. Traditionally we do so with picnics and fireworks. Celebrate, but this word of caution: According to estimates from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, fireworks and other explosive devices killed eight people and sent an estimated 9,600 people to the hospital with injuries in 2004. More than half of those injured were under the age of 15...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Charles R. Edwards, 72, was summoned by our Lord to his kingdom Wednesday, June 28, 2006, at his home in Rockport, Texas. He was born Dec. 1, 1933, in Sheffield, Pa., son of Charles and Pearl Edwards. He is survived by his wife, Betty Edwards of Rockport; seven daughters, Kasey (Virgil) Geary of Rockport, Kelly (Joe) Cupper of Chambersburg, Pa., Tina (Victor) Barse of Greencastle, Pa., Leota Edwards of Warren, Pa., Sharon (Gary) Crowden of Chaffee, Joyce Dunker of Phoenix, Ariz., Cindy (Doyle) Canady of Morley, Mo.; two sons, Charles Edwards Jr. ...

ORAN, Mo. -- James Don Graviett, 47, of Oran died Friday, June 30, 2006, in Cape Girardeau, from injuries received in a motorcycle accident May 26, 2006. He was born May 4, 1959, in Cape Girardeau, son of Roy Edward and Stella "Suggie" Stubenrauch Graviett...

Gusta A. Boren, 91, formerly of Jackson, passed away Friday, June 30, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 24, 1914, in Pocahontas, daughter of Alvin and Alvina Koenig Pfeiffer. She was baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church in Pocahontas. Her membership was transferred to St. Paul Lutheran Church in 1975, where she was a faithful member...

Barbara Ann Campbell Kellett, 63, passed away Friday, June 23, 2006, at the home of her daughter in Scott City, after her hard-fought battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her husband, children, grandchildren and family. She was born March 4, 1943, in Sikeston, Mo., daughter of the late Clifford and Delsie Lambert Campbell. She and William S. Wickham Jr. were married in May 1962. He passed away in July 2003. She then married Gerald S. Kellett in September 1970, and again in May 2006...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Tollie LeRoy Howard, 82, of Sikeston died Friday, June 30, 2006, at Clearview Nursing Center. He was born Oct. 24, 1923, in Lexington, Ala., son of Clarence M. and Bertha F. Putman Howard. He first married Roy Jane Alleman. He and Evelyn L. Jordan were married March 9, 1974, in Ann Arbor, Mich. She died Dec. 16, 2003...

ANNA, Ill. -- Helen Miner, 78, of Anna died Friday, June 30, 2006, at Mulberry Manor in Anna. She was born July 10, 1927, in Cobden, Ill., daughter of Herman and Katherine Irvin Miner. Survivors include two sisters, Carolyn Holderfield of Cobden and Imogene Shrikey of Littleton, Colo...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Rev. Hubert "Lester" Dale, 79, of Jonesboro, Ark., formerly of Poplar Bluff, died Friday, June 30, 2006, at St. Bernard's Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro, following a lengthy illness. He was born April 11, 1927, in Bessville, Mo., son of Will and Parlie Dale. He and Norma Ward were married 61 years...

25 years ago: July 1, 1981 Planned construction of a new bridge on Independence Street over Cape LaCroix Creek is welcomed by most people, because it means the elimination of a long-standing traffic bottleneck; but officials of the Cape LaCroix-Walker Creek Levee and Drainage District fear the new span will eliminate a beneficial bottleneck -- the retention of water north of the bridge which prevents flooding downstream from Independence Street...

Correction n In the June 29 edition of the Southeast Missourian, Tim Stone's hole in one at the Cape Jaycee Municipal Golf Course was listed with incorrect hole information. Stone aced the 157-yard, par-3 third hole with a 7-iron. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error...

ST. LOUIS -- Pinch-hitter Matt Stairs' sacrifice fly in the 10th inning drove in the go-ahead run and the Kansas City Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-5 Friday night to hand their cross-state rivals their ninth loss in 10 games. Ambiorix Burgos (2-3) struck out pinch-hitters Scott Spiezio and Aaron Miles with the bases loaded in the ninth and got the last three outs. The Royals have won only two of the last 10 against the Cardinals and got swept in Kansas City on May 19-21...

ST. LOUIS -- The sale of the St. Louis Blues to a group led by Dave Checketts was completed Friday, and the new owners immediately named top NHL broadcaster John Davidson as team president. Checketts, the former head of the New York Knicks and Madison Square Garden, reached a deal to buy the team on March 24 and had the sale approved by the NHL board of governors last week...

BERLIN -- Germany relentlessly wore down Argentina, scored a tying goal in the 80th minute Friday, then won it 4-2 in a penalty-kick shootout as goalkeeper Jens Lehmann stopped two shots and the hosts made all four of theirs. Rather than getting desperate when they fell Friday behind for the first time in the tournament, the Germans pressed the attack and beat Argentina's backup goalkeeper Leonardo Franco -- playing only his third game with Argentina and his first minutes of the World Cup -- on Miroslav Klose's header to pull even 1-1.. ...

With puddles in the fairway and swamps in the rough, the trick was to find high ground at Newport Country Club. Annika Sorenstam set her sights even higher Friday in the U.S. Women's Open, and wound up in surprisingly strange territory. With her trademark consistency that had been missing the last four months, and the lone birdie of the first round on the ninth hole, Sorenstam shot a 2-under 69 to join a four-way tie for the lead with Se Ri Pak, Pat Hurst and 19-year-old amateur Jane Park...

STRASBOURG, France -- A major doping scandal threw the first Tour de France of the post-Lance Armstrong era into chaos Friday, with favorites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso forced out of the world's premier cycling race under a cloud of suspicion. Some in cycling hailed the decision to bar them and other riders implicated in a doping probe in Spain as a breakthrough for efforts to clean up the oft-tainted sport. ...

FARRAR, Mo. -- Earl H. Lorenz, 70, of Farrar died Friday, June 30, 2006, at Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 13, 1936, at Farrar, son of Herbert and Eugenia Burroughs Lorenz. Lorenz was a retired postmaster and former owner/ operator of Farrar Store. ...

LAURIE, Mo. -- Thousands of people stop in Alice Massey's front lawn every year. Although she doesn't keep a running count of the number of tourists to this central Missouri town who show an interest in her front lawn each summer, she says it's easy to estimate at least 1,000 people stop, stare, ask questions and even pose for a picture...

Doctors, lawyers take rivalry to softball After a fifth straight loss in the Doctor-Lawyer Basketball Showdown this year, the lawyers are hoping a change of venue will help their case. The inaugural Doctor-Lawyer Softball Game will be played 6 p.m. Aug. 19 at Arena Park's Field No. 10. A pregame tailgate party will begin at 4:30 p.m. with food and beverages...

NEW YORK -- A judge on Friday threw out a racketeering murder conviction against two detectives accused of moonlighting as hitmen for the mob, saying the statute of limitations had expired on the slayings. U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein also granted a new trial to the defendants, Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, on money laundering and drug charges. ...

Due to a source error, Kearsten Collins was incorrectly listed on honor roll for West Lane Elementary School in Jackson. She made the fifth grade A honor roll.

When Hobby Lobby manager Dave Vaughn heard some slight rumblings from the roof, the first thing he thought was that a storm had moved in. Then came some accompanying pops and crackles and he figured it must have been some early Fourth of July fireworks...

Sex offender: Didn't know he had to register Ignorance may be bliss, but it's not a defense. Henry D. Wilson, 62, of 2617 Maria Louise Lane, was convicted Wednesday of misdemeanor failure to register as a sex offender following a bench trial before Associate Circuit Judge Michael Bullerdieck. ...

SELMER, Tenn. -- A minister's wife charged with murdering her husband told police she shot him after they argued over family finances and then told him "I'm sorry" as he lay dying in their bedroom, according to testimony at a bond hearing Friday...

PORCUPINE, S.D. -- A Sioux tribe ousted its president for proposing an abortion clinic on the reservation, beyond the reach of South Dakota's strict new abortion ban. By a 9-5 vote late Thursday, the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council determined Cecelia Fire Thunder had pursued the clinic for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation without council approval, and she was immediately replaced...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Boris Said can master a superspeedway as well. The road-racing specialist was the surprising Pepsi 400 pole-winner Friday night at Daytona International Speedway, posting a lap at 186.143 mph. It was the second pole of his career; the other was at Infineon Raceway's road course in 2003...

Some of the violations committed by the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball program and included in a report released by the university on Friday echoed allegations about the program in 2003. The university conducted an internal investigation into the program in October 2003, just prior to B.J. Smith's second year as head coach of the program...

WIMBLEDON, England -- After four days without a significant upset, four top players were eliminated at Wimbledon on Friday -- including former champion Martina Hingis. Hingis, the 1997 winner who is in the midst of a comeback after three years off the tour, squandered a 3-0 lead in the third set and fell 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 to Japan's Ai Sugiyama...

For five innings Riverdogs starter Mike Taylor, a reliever at Southeast Missouri State, baffled Plaza Tire Capahas hitters Friday at Capaha Field. The Capahas figured Taylor out in the sixth, and, thanks to seven hits and seven runs in the inning, Plaza Tire escaped with an 8-4 win...

Jackson's American Legion team could not hold on to a 6-2 lead and fell 7-6 Friday at House Springs. Jackson scored five runs in the third and one in the fourth, and led 6-2 after four innings. House Springs tied the score with a four-run fifth, and a run in the bottom of the seventh clinched the win in the nine-inning contest...

The Southeast Missouri State men's basketball program repeatedly violated NCAA travel rules over the past two seasons by allowing ineligible players to travel with the team to away games, school officials disclosed Friday. The violations occurred while Gary Garner was the head coach...

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The 12-year-old boy who died after riding a Walt Disney World roller coaster had a congenital heart defect, a medical examiner ruled Friday. Michael Russell passed out Thursday while riding Disney-MGM's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. His father performed CPR on the boy, but Michael was pronounced dead at a hospital...

NEW YORK -- Terror leader Osama bin Laden will release a new Internet message dealing with Somalia and Iraq, according to a Web posting Friday. The site that frequently carries messages from the terror network has begun sending out teasers for an upcoming release, saying bin Laden will talk about Somalia and Iraq, according to the IntelCenter. ...

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- The Dutch government resigned Friday over a failed attempt to strip a prominent Somali-born critic of Islam of her Dutch citizenship -- setting the stage for elections likely to be dominated by immigration issues. The smallest party in the ruling coalition, D-66, brought down the government when it refused Thursday to work with hard-line Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk and accused her of damaging the country's reputation with her bungled attempt to revoke the passport of former lawmaker Ayaan Hirsi Ali.. ...

In math classes in the Jackson public schools, students often play card games or roll the dice. It's all part of the Everyday Mathematics curriculum that is used in kindergarten through fifth grade. The games provide a fun way for students to practice math skills like addition and subtraction, said Molly Musson, sales representative for the nationally marketed math curriculum...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Several thousand protesters at one of Cairo's main mosques called Friday for holy war against Israel to help the Palestinians in their conflict with the Jewish state. The Middle East on the Muslim day of prayer saw other few protests against Israel's offensive in Gaza, except for small rallies by hundreds in Palestinian refugee camps...

LONDON -- Britain and the United States discussed the possible use of nuclear weapons against China if it moved to seize Hong Kong during the Cold War, according to documents released Friday. Some leaders in London thought the only way to keep Hong Kong a British colony was to convince China that any attempt to take the territory back by force would trigger American nuclear attack, according to the internal British government memos declassified and released by the National Archives...

Most people talk to God through prayer. But when some churches want to reach him through a group effort, they use e-mail. Many churches have prayer groups who meet regularly to pray together. Some have prayer chains, a list of people who are called one by one and are asked to offer prayer in time of need...

Churches hold patriotic services; Women United will hold sale and luncheon July 14; Sunday

I see revival in America! I see everyone become a Christian. I see Sunday morning church services so overflowing with people that tents are set up on the lawn with loudspeakers carrying the message of God's love and forgiveness to hungry listeners. I see people stand with uplifted arms in silent adoration and surrender. I see people on their knees. I hear exuberant loud praise and heart-cleansing weeping of repentance...

Bart Pittman, 15, did a victory dance Friday after he finished and won the relay race during the Community Outreach Camp Care held at the Greater Dimension Church in Cape Girardeau. This year, the annual program for children ages 5 to 15 had about 80 participants in the weeklong event...