Stories from Wednesday, June 27, 2007

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Forecasters say up to 5 inches of rain are possible in parts of Missouri and Kansas by late Thursday. A southbound cold front is on a collision course with a low pressure system drifting out of Oklahoma, prompting the National Weather Service to post a flood watch through Thursday night...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Employees at the Mallinckrodt plant in St. Louis returned to work Wednesday, after a chemical leak forced the evacuation of roughly 150 people from the plant and neighboring businesses on Tuesday night. Hydrochloric acid was released from a line attached to a 5,200-gallon storage tank around 11:30 p.m. ...

LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) -- Liberty City Hall is evacuated after public works employees recovered what appears to be a pipe bomb and took it to police headquarters inside city hall. Police ordered sand bags and cleared parking lots within 100 yards of the building. Police Lt. Mark Misenhalter said the workers found the device at about 9 a.m. in a rural area of the city and brought it to police at city hall...

Construction crews started diverting traffic on Interstate 55 in the vicinity of the East Main Street/LaSalle Avenue interchange project at around 11:30 a.m., according to a statement released by MoDOT. Northbound traffic diversion started just before lunch, said MoDOT Senior Construction Inspector Rick Lamb, and diversion of southbound traffic should begin later this afternoon or Thursday...

TROY, Mo. (AP) -- A minivan carrying a woman and four children crossed into the path of a tanker truck Wednesday morning in eastern Missouri, killing three children and critically injuring the woman and fourth child. The truck driver was not injured...

KIRKWOOD, Mo. (AP) -- The Roman Catholic order that operates Vianney High School in suburban St. Louis settled a lawsuit with a teenager who accused the school's former president of molesting him two years ago when he was a student. The religious order said the settlement was not an admission of guilt on the part of the man accused...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Authorities are investigating a package containing white powder that was opened in a mail handling room at the Internal Revenue Service Wednesday morning. The Kansas City Star reports that two IRS employees were exposed to the package, which was labeled "anthrax." The return address on the package was a prison...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The highest court in the Roman Catholic church has ruled against St. Louis Catholic elementary school teachers in their quest to unionize and bargain with the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Church judges in Rome upheld Archbishop Raymond Burke's decision in 2004 to deny elementary school teachers the right to unionize and negotiate with the archdiocese, the teachers' group said Tuesday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The state Agriculture Department takes over a grain dealer in Lamar. The department says auditors found Lamar Grain and Feed could not pay the bills for grain it already bought. The agency says about a dozen farmers might be affected and wants those who are owed money to contact it. It estimates the company owes more than $100,000...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Governor Matt Blunt makes only minor changes as he signs off on the $21.5 billion state budget. The state's new fiscal year begins Sunday, so Blunt had to sign the budget bills this week. In doing so, he issues just two line-item vetoes. The governor nixed nearly $156,000 to cover parking for public defenders and fixed a drafting error in the corrections budget...

A proposed half-cent sales-tax increase for park and storm-water improvements will not be on the November ballot. Cape Girardeau City Council members asked for a more specific, prioritized plan from members of the city's park advisory board after meeting with them Tuesday at the Osage Community Centre. Most council members also asked for an increased focus on storm-water issues, which they said was not made a priority in the park board's proposal...

The Cape Girardeau County Commission will hold a public hearing Thursday morning on whether the county should contribute a portion of its sales-tax revenue to support renovations of the old Sears building in Town Plaza. The 40-year-old former retail store on William Street in Cape Girardeau is now home to National Assets Recovery Service, or NARS, a call center that eventually will employ up to 400 people. ...

The Cardinals and Royals wrapped up their interleague series last Wednesday night and released Missouri baseball fans for their one-week sentence in baseball purgatory. I think it's safe to say there won't be a replay of the '07 1-70 Series on ESPN Classic after all the fielding gaffes, managing bungles and lineup cards that read like a roster of employees at your local FedEX Kinko's. ...

Tax cut; Playing politics; Video addiction; Painting time; Dry spell coming; Funeral humor; Living memorial; Science of partying; Without air; Gender equity; Obey the law; Selective enforcement?; A veteran's comments; The moviegoer; Half a cent; Banner fan; Right-wing radicals

BAGHDAD -- Iraqi commandos raided the home of a Sunni Cabinet member Tuesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest, outraging Sunni politicians and jeopardizing U.S.-backed reconciliation efforts within the Shiite-led government. The move against Culture Minister Asad Kamal al-Hashimi came after he was identified by two suspected militants as the mastermind of a Feb. ...

LYNWOOD, Calif. -- It's back to the not-so-solitary and far-from-simple life for Paris Hilton, who flashed a beaming smile as she walked out of jail early Tuesday into a frenzied gathering of photographers and reporters. Hilton ignored the media but waved and slapped hands with excited well-wishers. ...

The Jackson School District will operate on a budget of more than $40 million in the new fiscal year that begins Sunday. The school board unanimously approved the spending plan at its meeting Tuesday night, an increase of more than $1.4 million over last year's budget...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A developer of luxury lake condominiums pleaded guilty Tuesday to not paying taxes on his construction workers, including some who were illegal immigrants. But under a plea agreement, developer Michael Schlup could avoid prison if he pays all of his back taxes and penalties before his Oct. 17 sentencing date. Attorney General Jay Nixon contends Schlup used as many as 30 undocumented workers on a project...

An anti-litter group wants area teachers to instruct elementary school children on litter prevention and reducing waste. Representatives of the Keep Southeast Missouri Beautiful organization met Tuesday afternoon at the Missouri Conservation Department Nature Center with about a dozen area principals and educators...

Terry L. Grebing, the son of Edward and Dorothy Grebing of Cape Girardeau, is ordained into the ministry of the Lutheran church at St. Andrew Lutheran Church; he has accepted a call to become pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Odell, Neb. Mike Callaghan has been has begun duties as pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau; he comes here from Mobile, Ala., where he served as assistant pastor of two churches...

Religious leaders will hold planning meeting Cape Girardeau and Jackson area religious leaders plan to meet Thursday to plan an interfaith forum on immigration reform. The planning meeting is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A state appeals court on Tuesday overturned the conviction of a man serving an 18-year prison sentence for helping his father kill a driver who had yelled at them when their truck veered into his lane. In overturning the conviction of Thomas M. Brown Jr., a three-judge panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals' Western District found the prosecutor had offered what amounted to unsworn testimony during closing arguments when she commented on a defense witness...

ST. LOUIS -- After nearly eight years in the United States, Bosnian war refugee Adila Palalija can finally call herself an American. She is one of 34 Bosnians enjoying their first days as U.S. citizens after they sued over the matter. The group had filed a federal lawsuit in St. ...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Freda Mae Crites, 89, of Marble Hill died Tuesday, June 26, 2007, at Eldercare of Marble Hill. She was born Feb. 15, 1918, near Lutesville, Mo., daughter of Adam and Delphia Spears James. She and Avery Crites were married June 1, 1935...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Robert G. "Bob" Millar, 65, died Sunday, June 24, 2007, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 30, 1941, in East Prairie, Mo., son of Lucian D. and Sarah Priest Millar. He was married to Rosemary Hopper, who preceded him in death in August 2002...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Myrtle M. McCormick, 96, of Cabot, Ark., formerly of Marble Hill, died Sunday, June 24, 2007, at Cabot Manor Nursing Home. She was born Oct. 24, 1910, at Hahn, Mo., daughter of Carria M. and Bertha A. Shell Null. She and Willard Wiseman were married May 29, 1926. He died March 1, 1974. She and the Rev. Hersel McCormick were married Feb. 3, 1979. He died July 9, 1993...

Dalhousie Golf Club brought the region a first-class golf tournament last week, one that showcased some of the region's finest teen-aged golfers. Nearly 150 people from 29 states and three foreign countries participated in the American Junior Golf Association tournament...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Robert W. Moran, 60, of Perryville died Monday, June 25, 2007, at his home. He was born Nov. 17, 1946, in St. Louis, son of Henry and Evelyn Cook Moran. He and Linda Erwin were married May 25, 1968, in Perryville. Moran was retired from Missouri Department of Transportation...

UNIONTOWN, Mo. -- Gilmer Paul Hemmann, 83, of Uniontown died Tuesday, June 26, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 30, 1923, at Old Appleton, Mo., son of Benjamin Carl and Hulda Elizabeth Frede Hemmann. He and Wilburta A. Schrader were married Oct. 16, 1954,...

PADUCAH, Ky. -- John H. Walbridge, 92, formerly of Mounds and Cairo, Ill., died Monday, June 25, 2007, at his home. There is no public visitation. The graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Spencer Heights Cemetery in Mounds, Ill. Barkett Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements...

MURPHYSBORO, Ill. -- Pamela Ruth Smith, 58, of Murphysboro died Monday, June 25, 2007, at her home. She was born May 4, 1949, in Anna, Ill., daughter of Howard W. and Elva M. Crowell Smith. Smith was lead cashier several years at Rural King in Carbondale, Ill. She was formerly of Cobden, Ill., and was a member of First Baptist Church...

Helen Irene Vaughn Schwepker, 84, of Crescent City, Fla., died Saturday, June 23, 2007, at her home. She was born May 5, 1923, at Illmo. She married G.V. "Shorty" Schwepker. Schwepker was formerly of Cahokia, Ill., and a member of Jerome Lane Baptist Church...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Geraldine Clutts, 82, of Cobden, died Tuesday, June 26, 2007, at her home. She was born June 5, 1925 in Anna, Ill., daughter of Ray and Grace Simmons Verble. She and H.R. Clutts were married on Oct, 13, 1943, in Cape Girardeau. Clutts was a 1943 graduate of Anna-Jonesboro High School...

Pleaded guilty Age: 36 Residence: Cape Girardeau Charge: Possession with intent to distribute cocaine base Summary: Officers searched Pikes' home on Cape Rock Drive on Feb. 12 and found 39.5 grams of cocaine base and 9.9 grams of cocaine powder, along with digital scales, a semiautomatic pistol and money. ...

n At 6:04 p.m., medical assist in the 500 block of South Middle Street. n At 6:53 p.m., alarm sounding at 1025 N. Sprigg St. n At 8:05 p.m., alarm sounding at 1425 N. Mount Auburn Road. n At 12:56 a.m., citizen assist in the 600 block of South West End Boulevard...

Arrests; Thefts

WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted Tuesday to jump-start a stalled immigration measure to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants. President Bush said the bill offered a "historic opportunity for Congress to act," and appeared optimistic about its passage by week's end...

WASHINGTON -- The CIA released hundreds of pages of internal reports Tuesday on agency misconduct that triggered a scandal in the mid-1970s over domestic spying. The documents detail assassination plots against foreign leaders like Fidel Castro, the testing of mind- and behavior-altering drugs like LSD on unwitting citizens, wiretapping of U.S. ...

BOSTON -- A trial that opened more than a year ago has become bogged down in Boston federal court. There have been hundreds of hours of testimony from witnesses, including 10 medical specialists paid tens of thousands of dollars. The judge himself even hired an expert to help him make sense of it all...

WASHINGTON -- A new public school teacher in North Dakota works for a year on probation before getting job security. For a teacher in Missouri, it's five years. It's just one example of how policies affecting the teaching profession vary from state to state, according to a report by the National Council on Teacher Quality, a private group in Washington...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The families of two children who suffered E. coli infections after eating McDonald's hamburgers must sue in the rural counties where the restaurants were located, not in a bigger city where McDonald's also has franchises, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday...

By BILL KONIGSBERG The Associated Press NEW YORK -- Brendan Ryan's first career home run was huge for the St. Louis Cardinals. Ryan connected in the 11th inning and the Cardinals snapped the New York Mets' four-game winning streak with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night...

Whether its bagged or bunched, baby spinach is a simple and speedy way to add greens to a meal. Beyond the obvious use in salad, baby spinach works in a number of preparations, from baked pasta to stir-fry. Especially in the latter, the prep is easy (bagged spinach usually is washed and ready to eat) and the cooking is fast (just long enough to wilt)...

Our family reunion is this weekend, and many people can relate to the planning, shopping and meal preparation that is involved with a multi-day family event. It is fun, and we always enjoy seeing family that we just do not get to see often. A young friend from church, Anthony Strack, submitted a recipe to a large farming magazine and was published. ...

When I first got started in the horticulture business more than 30 years ago, gardeners who had insect or disease problems in their garden would go to a garden center and ask for something to kill the problem organism. They wanted something out of a bottle that they could spray so that the bug or fungus would be dead in 20 minutes or less. The emphasis was on "dead."...

Garden To maintain themselves, hummingbirds must feed every 10 minutes or so during the day. Hummingbirds need nectar or sugar water, and insects provide a great source of protein. Your visitors seeking nectar from your flowers also capture many insects such as spiders, tiny flying insects and those insects that feed on your flowers. ...

JERUSALEM -- Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be named today as special envoy for the international diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East with a portfolio focused on Palestinian economic and political reform, a senior U.S. official said...

LONDON -- Britain is getting a new prime minister: Gordon Brown, a taciturn economist who has vowed to re-evaluate the country's policy in Iraq and tackle extremism with a lighter touch. And polls show -- however unexpectedly -- that the Labour Party is already benefiting from a "Brown bounce."...

TOKYO -- The competitive eating world is already chewing on this bit of breaking news: The champ may not be able to chomp. Takeru Kobayashi of Japan, the six-time champion of the annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, may be sidelined for next week's event by an arthritic jaw...

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Some 300 Islamic militants have been killed or wounded in the monthlong battle with Lebanese troops in a Palestinian refugee camp, leaving only a few dozen fighters still hiding in the besieged camp, Defense Minister Elias Murr said Tuesday...

BAGHDAD -- American military commanders now seriously doubt that Iraqi security forces will be able to hold the ground that U.S. troops are fighting to clear -- gloomy predictions that strike at the heart of Washington's key strategy to turn the tide in Iraq...

BEIJING -- They love Yao. Now comes Yi. That's Yi Jianlian, the 7-foot power forward who will be among the top choices in Thursday's NBA draft. He'll be the fourth Chinese to make the NBA, but will he have the impact of the Houston Rockets' Yao Ming? Or will his stay match the short, modest NBA careers of Wang Zhizhi and Mengke Bateer?...

NEW YORK -- It really will be old-timers day in the major leagues today, when a record seven pitchers in their 40s are scheduled to start. The New York Yankees' Roger Clemens (44), Philadelphia's Jamie Moyer (44), Detroit's Kenny Rogers (42), San Diego's Greg Maddux (41), the New York Mets' Tom Glavine (41), Houston's Woody Williams (40) and Atlanta's John Smoltz (40) are set to pitch on the same day...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson were docked 100 points each Tuesday, and their crew chiefs were both fined $100,000 and suspended for six races for violations at Infineon Raceway. The two Hendrick Motorsports cars failed inspection Friday in Sonoma, Calif., and NASCAR refused to let either driver on the track the rest of the day. ...

WASHINGTON -- Aging NFL retirees told Congress Tuesday that playing professional football left them with broken bodies, brain damage and empty bank accounts. Lawmakers said they may get involved if a better pension and disability system isn't created...

Cape Senior Babe Ruthsweeps aside Chaffee The Cape Senior Babe Ruth baseball team received a pair of one-hit performances Monday in a doubleheader road sweep of Chaffee. Cape won the opener 10-2, then marched to a 16-1 victory in five innings. Nick Ostendorf allowed one hit in the first game, striking out five and walking four in six innings...

NEW YORK -- Almost two years after he retired, Troy Percival returned to the big leagues. The St. Louis Cardinals called up the former All-Star closer on Tuesday, hoping he can help a bullpen that has struggled this season. The 37-year-old Percival, 12th on the career saves list with 324, left the majors because of persistent soreness in his right shoulder. His final outing was with Detroit on July 9, 2005, when he gave up a game-ending home run to Tampa Bay's Jonny Gomes...

WIMBLEDON, England -- Three-time champion Venus Williams came back from a break down in the last two sets to avoid a major first-round surprise Tuesday against a Russian teenager playing her first match at Wimbledon. Williams appeared on the brink of defeat, but came up with big first serves and baseline winners on crucial points to overcome Alla Kudryavtseva 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in nearly two hours on Court 2 -- known as the "Graveyard of Champions" for its history of upsets...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues have placed 14-year NHL veteran Dallas Drake on waivers, the first step in buying out the final year on his contract if he goes unclaimed. Drake has played six seasons with the Blues, including two as captain. Drake, 38, had signed a two-year contract for $2.2 million before last season and would have made $1 million next season. The Blues said they needed the roster spot heading into training camp...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. -- Pro wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife, suffocated his 7-year-old son and placed a Bible next to their bodies before hanging himself with the pulley of a weightlifting machine, authorities said Tuesday. Investigators found prescription anabolic steroids in the house and want to know whether the muscle man was unhinged by the drugs, which can cause paranoia, depression and explosive outbursts known as "roid rage."...

ST. LOUIS -- Saint Louis University athletic director Cheryl Levick, who was stripped of two key decisions in its basketball program, has accepted the No. 2 post at the University of Maryland. Levick has been hired to be chief of staff for Maryland's athletic director Debbie Yow, who was the athletic director at Saint Louis before taking the job in College Park, Yow said...

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. -- The gradual slide from the top of women's golf began at the major championship that brought Annika Sorenstam so much satisfaction. She salvaged her worst season of this decade last year at the U.S. Women's Open, a week where everything went right. The thick fog that wiped out the first round at Newport Country Club gave her an extra day to refine her swing. Her stamina carried her through 36 holes on Sunday and a four-shot victory in the 18-hole playoff...

Pleaded Guilty: Name: Travis L. Ware Age: 35 Residence: Steele, Mo. Charge: Three counts of distribution of cocaine base Summary: On March 2, April 11 and April 25, 2006, Ware sold over five grams of cocaine base to an undercover officer in Steele, Mo. Ware faces a maximum punishment of 40 years in prison and a $2,000,000 fine on each count. Sentencing has been set for Aug. 13, 2007...

Country music legend Merle Haggard played at the Show Me Center Tuesday night, and so did his fans. People in boots and cowboy hats gathered in the Show Me Center parking lot more than two hours before the concert for a tailgate party. "I first saw Merle 20 years ago in Paducah at the Executive Inn," said Mike Foto of Kelso, Mo. "I've seen him three times in all, I guess. I love Merle, and I have since the first time I heard him in 1970."...

Those who knew 1st Lt. Dan Riordan said it was always clear that what he wanted out of life was to be a soldier. Riordan achieved his goal in November 2005, when he became an officer in the U.S. Army after graduating that same year from Southeast Missouri State University. He was deployed to Iraq a year later with the 1st Cavalry Division's 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry in Fort Hood, Texas...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- When a news release was issued last month highlighting the Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory's project to study swamp rabbits, Southern Illinois University zoologist Eric Schauber had some explaining to do. The $200,000 federal grant supporting the study wasn't solely used to finance construction of 400 fake log latrines designed to detect the extent of the rabbit's range, he said...

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI has changed the rules for electing a new pope, returning to the traditional requirement that two-thirds of the cardinals in the conclave agree on a candidate, the Vatican said Tuesday. Pope John Paul II had altered the voting process in 1996, allowing the pope to be chosen by an absolute majority if the cardinals were unable to agree after several days of balloting in which a two-thirds majority was needed...