Stories from Thursday, July 17, 2008

NEW YORK -- Oil prices settled sharply lower for the second time in a row Wednesday, leaving crude more than $10 cheaper in just two days of frenzied trading and prompting speculation that the hard-charging market may be running out of steam. Light, sweet crude for August delivery fell $4.14 to settle at $134.60 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after earlier sinking as low as $132. The drop follows a $6.44 sell-off Tuesday, crude's biggest since the Gulf War...

WASHINGTON -- In an appearance before House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke sought to soothe nerves frazzled by rising prices for food and oil, slumping home values and faltering banks. "We will work our way through these financial storms," he said...

ST. LOUIS -- In paying $52 billion for Anheuser-Busch because of the strength of the Budweiser and Bud Light brands, InBev SA will also be inheriting the King of Beers' weaknesses -- which might only worsen when ownership of the largest U.S. brewer shifts into foreign hands...

WASHINGTON -- The price of a quart of milk, a plane ticket and a host of other products rose in June at nearly the fastest pace in a generation, taking an even bigger-than-expected bite out of the buying power of Americans. In the latest shock wave to hit the economy, consumer prices rose 1.1 percent in June from the month before, far faster than the expected rate of 0.7 percent and almost double the reading from May, the Labor Department said Wednesday...

William "Bill" Campbell, 63, of Platte City, Mo., passed away Tuesday, July 15, 2008, at his home, surrounded by his loving family. He was born May 5, 1945, in Hannibal, Mo., son of Phil and Hazel Campbell. He was the youngest of three boys. Survivors include his wife of 43 years, Dottie; three sons, Glenn Campbell of Cape Girardeau, Mike Campbell of Weston, Mo., Todd Campbell of Kansas City, Mo.; a daughter, Carrie Schmalz of Kansas City; two brothers, Gerry Campbell of Monroe City, Mo., Jim Campbell of Greencastle, Ind.; nine grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.. ...

With his second book on Southeast Missouri high school football history completed, Nic Antoine says the possibilities are endless for more books in the same vein. Just don't ask him to get started on another right away. Antione's latest, "The Jackson Indians: 100 Years of Gridiron Glory," will be released officially Wednesday evening in an event coinciding with the start of the Jackson Homecomers Festival. ...

Ozzie Smith, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Tom Seaver, Tony Gwynn and Satchel Paige are just some of the famous names that grace the National Baseball Congress Hall of Fame. Cape Girardeau's Jess Bolen soon will join that list. Bolen, the Plaza Tire Capahas' longtime manager, was notified Wednesday that he will be inducted into the NBC Hall of Fame during next month's NBC World Series in Wichita, Kan...

The United Way of Southeast Missouri recently announced its upcoming campaign cabinet for 2008 to 2009. The campaign goal will be announced at the campaign kickoff event Aug. 29 at Cape West 14 Cine. The kickoff will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jay Wolz of Southeast Missouri Hospital will serve as the campaign cabinet chairman, and Dale Rauh, city of Jackson alderman will co-chair. Karen Kraus of Saint Francis Medical Center will serve as marketing committee chairwoman...

Mary Jane Eftink has made a habit of holes in one. She recorded her fourth ace in four years Wednesday afternoon at Cape Girardeau Country Club. This one happened to come during the first round of the Lassies Classic, but it was not enough to propel Eftink and teammate Ann Fowler into the championship flight of the 30th annual event...

@SL_body_copy_ragged:Induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame apparently incited John Mellencamp to obsess on mortality. He responds with "Life, Death, Love and Freedom," the most somber album of his 32-year career, offering bass-heavy, rumbling blues and dark-hued acoustic stomps that explore death, relationships and the dark clouds hovering over such ongoing concerns as liberty, equality and peaceful coexistence...

LOS ANGELES -- Roger Daltrey is smacking his head. He's heard enough about how Pete Townshend was writing songs for a fresh album from the two surviving members of The Who. Or maybe Townshend is writing for another band. Or he isn't writing at all...

NEW ORLEANS -- The first archaeological dig at one of the nation's oldest cathedrals has turned up a mix of new finds in the heart of the French Quarter. Discoveries behind St. Louis Cathedral include a small silver crucifix from the 1770s or 1780s and traces of previously unknown buildings dating back to around the city's founding in 1718...

Missouri Right to Life endorsed Clint Tracy over rivals Wayne Wallingford and Jeff Glenn in the Republican primary for the 158th District Missouri House seat. Tracy received the backing of the organization, one of the state's oldest pro-life groups, based on the way he answered a 15-question survey on topics including whether abortion should be illegal, whether physicians and pharmacists can refuse "morning after" pills to patients and the use of genetic material for research. ...

Less than an hour away Marble Hill Magnolia Park, Marble Hill, Mo. The Christmas in the Foothills group of Marble Hill will host a benefit concert and picnic in the park in the new Marble Hill Magnolia Park on Saturday. There will be live music and other activities like a Kidzone with a giant, prize-filled sand pit. ...

The Cape Girardeau Plaza Tire Junior American Legion baseball team will try to duplicate its district tournament magic this week. If Post 63 is successful, a trip to state will be the reward. Cape, last week's surprise District 14 tournament champion, will host the four-team Zone 4 tournament today through Saturday at Central High School...

ABBA songs are, of course, evil in musical form. Just try getting "Dancing Queen" out of your head once it's burrowed its way in there. "Waterloo," too, is especially pesky. But "Mamma Mia" might be the most tenacious tune in the 1970s Swedish pop group's canon...

The Federal Emergency Agency has selected Cape Girardeau as one of four cities to participate in an earthquake preparedness initiative aimed at business leaders and owners in at-risk areas. Led by Safe America Foundation, an Atlanta-based not-for-profit organization and FEMA partner, QuakeSmart will encourage businesses to take actions that will mitigate or reduce damage to their buildings, provide greater safety for employees and customers and speed recovery in the event of an earthquake. ...

LOS ANGELES -- Bill Engvall had more than the regular competition when his sitcom "The Bill Engvall Show" was being measured for overnight ratings. The morning after the premiere of the sitcom's second season, he was fairly concerned. "It was hard to get excited when you're going up against the NBA finals," Engvall said. "Not that the entire country watches [the finals], but it does take a huge audience away from you."...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- It looked like something out of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." And sure enough, it was. State police said Wednesday that they solved a mysterious eastern New Mexico shooting death that was similar to a shooting depicted in a 2003 "CSI" episode. In both cases a revolver was found tied to balloons in an apparent effort to make the weapon float away...

Sport: Sand volleyball Hometown: Piedmont Favorite part of sand volleyball: All the friends Least favorite part: The bugs Sport you'd like to try: Snowboarding, because it just looks so fun going down mountains Why haven't you tried it: I'm kind of scared...

Leroy Schenimann wants to know how he can stop the prerecorded political campaign calls from ringing his home phone. The short answer: He can't. Schenimann, 52, said he received two such calls Tuesday and a third Wednesday morning at his home near Fruitland...

Jackson to host state tournament Jackson's Brookside Park will host the state 10- and 11-year old Cal Ripken baseball tournament beginning today. The first game is scheduled for 1 p.m., and the championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. The eight-team tournament includes teams from Sikeston, Mineral Area, Brookfield, Lebanon, SEMO North, Jackson, Boonville and Aurora...

@SL_body_copy_ragged:David Morrell has done something totally new: The best-selling author of action thrillers has written a comic-book series. It all happened because a Marvel Comics editor suggested that Morrell, who created "Rambo" in his novel, "First Blood," would make a good pairing with another military icon, Captain America...

LEASBURG, Mo. — Taking a good photo takes time. Now, photographers visiting Onondaga Cave State Park in Leasburg, can get what they need on extended photo tours. "There's no time to set up a tripod to take a nice picture," said Tara Flynn, the park naturalist at Onodaga Cave State Park...

Two windows, a crackling speaker and a giant hamburger on William Street paint the cover art for Hamburger Express, a Cape Girardeau drive-through staple for almost 20 years. Open the book, though and the story shows it's a neighborhood favorite for any of the traditional American fast food staples. Hamburger Express started with hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries and shakes, but its menu now includes catfish, ribs and turkey legs...

@SL_body_copy_ragged:When I walk down the tiered steps of the Common Pleas Courthouse on my way for coffee or lunch or coffee (it's usually for coffee), I can't stop the small smile that crosses my face at the sight of that massive river. I've managed to contain it to a quick grin and inner sigh so as not to draw questions from the co-worker accompanying me...

"Step Up 2 the Streets" Are you ready to rumba? This follow-up to the 2006 teen mini-hit "Step Up" again mingles the raw world of street hoofing with the refined circles of formally trained dancers. This one lands a rough but talented street dancer (Briana Evigan) at the Maryland School of the Arts, where she tries to blend in with snooty classmates and teams up with a hotshot student (Robert Hoffman) to compete in an underground dance competition...

Smoking example WITH ALL the time, money and effort put into stopping substance abuse, how does the city, with its extensive and positive youth programs, tolerate folks with their lawn chair pulled up to the screens watching youth ball leagues and puffing on cigarettes in front of our young players? This is a disgrace and counter to all we're trying to do with health programs for children...

BENTON, Mo. — A changing economy may mean more Scott County families will seek assistance to make ends meet. Jean Barham of the Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corp. met with Scott County commissioners during their regular meeting Tuesday to present an overview of the corporation's services...

ST. LOUIS -- A federal judge in Missouri has ruled that the state's method of executing condemned prisoners by injection is constitutional. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Fernando Gaitan in Kansas City late Tuesday presumably opens the door for executions to resume after nearly three years...

To the editor: We were very pleased to see the article "Culture exchange" in Sunday's paper. Aaron Dohogne did a wonderful job informing readers about the host family program for Japanese students taking part in the Intensive English Program at Southeast Missouri State University. ...

Live Music Doug Rees Jackson singer/songwriter plays with special guest Chris Moore Where: Stooges, Jackson When: 7 to 11 p.m. today Ivas John Band House band plays the blues. Where: Water Street Lounge, Port Cape...

With dozens of reality contest shows pouring over the air waves, people can easily get confused — so many themes, judges, contestants, rules and voting methods. Those last two parts of the equation apparently caused a bit of confusion among some contestants of "America's Hot Musician," one of them being Cape Girardeau native Liesl Schoenberger. ...

VAN BUREN, Mo. — A Fair­dealing, Mo., man facing a possible jail sentence fled from court and led a high-speed chase in a stolen car before being caught by the car owner's family and arrested. Randall D. Hancock, 46, was in court on a probation violation when, according to officials, he told his mother he was going to the restroom and instead exited the Carter County Courthouse about 9:50 a.m. Monday...

NEW YORK -- Katie Holmes is coming back to TV. The actress and wife of Tom Cruise will guest star as a not-for-profit lawyer in one episode of the legal dramedy "Eli Stone," ABC publicist Aime Wolfe said Wednesday. Entertainment Weekly reported Wednesday on its Web site that Holmes was to appear in the show's second season this fall. ...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Martavis L. Scales, 23, 812 Good Hope St., was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault and armed criminal action. n Benjamin F. Rawlins, 22, 6 S. Henderson Ave., was arrested on suspicion of assault...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following call Tuesday: n At 9:12 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1100 block of Harmony Street. Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: n At 8:22 a.m., wires down in the 200 block of South Middle Street...

1. "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer 2. "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer 3. "Someday Soon" by Debbie Macomber 4. "The Shack" by William P. Young 5. "Fast Track" by Fern Michaels

25 years ago: July 17, 1983 Degrees were conferred upon 231 undergraduates and 79 graduate students at Southeast Missouri State University in summer commencement exercises Friday; keynote speaker was Dr. Mark Hopkins, a native of Bloomfield, Mo., and president of Anderson College in Anderson, S.C...

July 17, 2008 Dear Julie, The same doctor who a delivered me came to our house when I was sick and saw me through the mumps and bumps of growing up. Those days seem like ancient reveries now. Medicine is Big Medicine, hospitals offer valet parking, and sometimes seeing a doctor can feel like being a widget on an assembly line...

CHICAGO -- Why did officer Grace Delgado try to cross the road? To remind motorists that they must stop whenever someone steps off the curb into a crosswalk. In an unusual undercover operation, Delgado posed as a pedestrian on a busy street while fellow officers waited for drivers to barrel past her in violation of a law that requires them to yield at crosswalks, even if there is no stop sign...

To the editor: In response to the story "Southeast working to attract minority faculty, students": Why has Lincoln Scott put the blame on Cairo for failure to get African Americans to enroll at Southeast Missouri State University? Does he think they are so dumb they don't know the difference between Illinois and Missouri? He should wine and dine more of them. They would come. Don't blame his failure on someone else...

Kennedy Daughter to Glenndon Andrew and April Linn Kennedy of Jackson, Saint Francis Medical Center, 1:32 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, 2008. Name, Abigail Grace. Weight, 7 pounds, 10 ounces. Third daughter. Mrs. Kennedy is the former April Penrod, daughter of Becky Penrod and Bruce Penrod of Jackson. She is a clerical worker with Elfrink Transportation. Kennedy is the son of Glenn Kennedy of Morley, Mo., and the late Pearl Kennedy. He is an over-the-road truck driver with C&G Feed and Supply...

Mike Renick is luckier than a certain charmed and frosted cereal. These days when the Mike Renick Band is playing — on almost any night in almost any venue — a huge dance party breaks out. But, as he sets out to prove on his new album "Lucky One," Renick might be making his own luck with one of the best bands in Southeast Missouri...

BAGHDAD -- Spc. Grover Gebhart has spent nine months at a small post on a Sunni-Shiite fault line in western Baghdad. But the 21-year-old soldier on his first tour in Iraq feels he's missing the real war -- in Afghanistan, where his brother is fighting the Taliban...

ATLANTA -- The Atkins diet may have proved itself after all: A low-carb diet and a Mediterranean-style regimen helped people lose more weight than a traditional low-fat diet in one of the longest and largest studies to compare the dueling weight-loss techniques...

Athletics n Physicals offered: Physicals will be offered today from 1 to 3 p.m. at Central Junior High for both high school and junior high athletes. Students who intend to participate in athletics may get physicals. Cost: $20. Basketball...

CAMERON, Mo. -- A former manufacturing plant is the new focus of an investigation into a high number of brain tumor cases in Cameron. Missouri and federal environmental officials took ground and water samples from the former Rockwool Industries plant Monday and Tuesday. They found no unusual levels of contaminants with hand-held devices but the material will be tested further in laboratories, said David Bryan, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency in the Kansas City region...

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Five Lebanese militants got a hero's welcome from tens of thousands of cheering Hezbollah supporters and kisses from the U.S.-backed prime minister Wednesday after being set free by Israel in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers...

The Notre Dame classes of the 1970s will host a reunion Friday and Saturday in Cape Girardeau. Beth Meyer-McFerron, committee chairwoman for the reunion, said disco balls and tissue paper flowers will help set the stage for the era when many of those in attendance danced the night away more than 30 years ago at the the dance club Ban'ls, now the Plaza Conference Center...

UNITED NATIONS -- Gunmen in Darfur shot and killed another United Nations-African Union peacekeeper Wednesday, just as the U.N. Security Council voted to condemn the killing of seven Darfur peacekeepers a week ago as a possible war crime. The latest attack left a Nigerian company commander dead in Forobaranga in West Darfur while he was on patrol not far from a U.N.-A.U. peacekeeping camp, U.N. officials said...

The Jackson City Park is hosting another Rock in the Rock Garden musical performance Friday. This second concert features Shades of Blue. The band is scheduled to play from 7 to 9 p.m. and is free to the public. Bring your own chair and refreshments...

The Centennial Jackson Homecomers will not only feature all the usual carnival rides, events and food stands in the evening, but it will also highlight the history of Jackson with a number of exhibits and attractions. Homecomers visitors will find nightly entertainment along the streets of Jackson. ...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Two Butler County teenagers were arraigned Monday morning on charges they burglarized CiCi's Pizza, where both were employees, and allegedly stole a large amount of quarters. Kegan Lee Crum, 18, of Wappapello, Mo., and Jeremy Jacob Mesey, 18, of Qulin, Mo., were formally arraigned on second-degree burglary before Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth, who reduced their bonds to $4,500 at the request of their public defenders...

NEW YORK -- Baseball's All-Stars came to say goodbye to Yankee Stadium -- and what a long, long goodbye it was. In a game that started Tuesday night and faded well into Wednesday, Justin Morneau slid home just in time on Michael Young's sacrifice fly in the 15th inning, giving the American League a 4-3 victory that extended its unbeaten streak to 12...

ALICE, Texas -- A former small-town South Texas mayor accused of secretly keeping her neighbors' dog after telling them the pet died has reached a plea deal. Grace Saenz-Lopez pleaded no contest Tuesday to filing a false police report, a misdemeanor. Under terms of the deal, she'll pay a $300 fine and serve 48 hours of community service and two years of probation...

@calendar:St. Joseph Parish Picnic at Apple Creek From 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30 an all-you-can-eat buffet will be held at St. Joseph Parish, Apple Creek, 12 miles south of Perryville. At 2 p.m. the games, country store, fancy stand, raffles for prizes, bingo for quilts and cash will begin in the air-conditioned hall. ...

LOS ANGELES -- In some earlier parallel universe of Batman's Gotham City, it might have been Gary Oldman instead of Heath Ledger cackling and conniving as the maniacal Joker. Nowadays, Oldman is dogged, upright cop Jim Gordon in the Batman world or the solicitous Sirius Black, the surrogate father to boy wizard Harry Potter...

A young Jackson Senior Babe Ruth baseball team is ready to take aim at state success. Jackson is one of eight squads to qualify for the Missouri Senior Babe Ruth state tournament that begins today in Leadwood. Jackson will play its first-round game at 6 p.m. Friday against Boonville. The championship of the double-elimination event is set for Monday, with the winner earning a berth in the Midwest Regional...

NEW YORK -- Marquee starters were long gone. So were nearly all the other pitchers. His bullpen empty, National League manager Clint Hurdle approached David Wright and asked whether he had the right stuff to take the mound and close out the All-Star game. Did the New York Mets third baseman think chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon or general manager Omar Minaya would mind?...

Little in life is as satisfying as a new Elvis Cole novel. Each installment of Robert Crais' 20-year-old series is like meeting a good friend for lunch who you haven't seen in a long time. In "Chasing Darkness," a tight, twisting tale that's the 11th in the series about the Los Angeles private investigator, Cole is trying to prove he wasn't wrong after police accuse him of helping free a serial killer...

Community leaders expressed appreciation for James Wente, who announced Wednesday his retirement as president and chief executive officer of Southeast Missouri Hospital, effective July 31, 2009. Though his contributions to the hospital and medical community included expansion of staff and services, Wente also has played a role in civil service to Southeast Missouri. ...

During the 1960s, Ann Abbott was a student at Southeast Missouri State University with a passion for theater. She had her heart set on organizing a community theater group, so with the help of friend Chuck Ross and a few others, Abbott founded "Acts I, II and III," and they started doing plays at the Old Firehouse Theatre in Cape Girardeau...

WASHINGTON -- The House on Wednesday passed legislation governing next year's intelligence budget that demands lawmakers be given greater access to the nation's most closely held secrets. The bill is the latest attempt by Democrats, struggling to challenge President Bush on major national security issues, to step up their role in overseeing an intelligence program they say has gone astray. ...

"Journey to the Center of The Earth 3-D" is the full title of the film that I saw this weekend. Being a resident of Cape Girardeau, a city apparently so far from the cultural center of the world that it is impossible to see a movie in 3-D, I had to see the 2-D version. The theater display actually had the number 3 and the letter D covered by a cut out piece of black plastic, hiding the fact that the movie was supposed to be shown in 3-D, but I knew better...

Learn to dance today at Cape American Legion Beginner dance lessons will be offered from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. today at American Legion Post 63, 2731 Thomas Drive in Cape Girardeau. The regular dance follows and continues until 10 p.m. For more information, visit www.hicotndanceclub.com...

Audrey Holbrook of Hunter Acres, a nursing home in Sikeston, Mo., won the title of Ms. Missouri from among 10 contestants vying for the crown this year. The 2008 Ms. Nursing Home pageant contestants were from area nursing homes including Heartland Care and Rehab in Cape Girardeau, Sikeston Convalescent Care and those in the surrounding area...

BERLIN -- Nikolay Sazhin almost knocked out his opponent with a blow to the chin in the second round. But he had to take the queen to win the match. In front of 1,000 cheering fans one recent Saturday night, Sazhin moved his bishop to go in for the kill and won the world championship of chess boxing, a hybrid sport that combines as many as five rounds of pugilism with a game of chess...

FLORISSANT, Mo. -- A man shot and killed his ex-wife inside a suburban St. Louis mall Wednesday before killing himself, police said. The shooting happened early Wednesday afternoon inside Jamestown Mall, said St. Louis County police spokeswoman Tracy Panus. No one else was hurt, but the mall was evacuated...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Following months of negotiations, Orgill Inc., the world's largest independent distributor of home improvement products, announced Wednesday it will build its new distribution center in Sikeston. "This is one of the best things that has happened to this community in a long time," said Ed Dust, Sikeston's economic developer...

Over the past couple of years, news articles in the Southeast Missourian and other media outlets have documented the dubious political consulting business operated by state Rep. Rod Jetton of Marble Hill. Jetton's rise from county commissioner in Bollinger County to the important leadership post as speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives has been as dramatic as any in Missouri politics in recent years. ...

Sometime in 1966 or so, I noticed a newspaper article about John Glenn making a visit to a city in Northern Illinois. He was still a highly sought after celebrity following the Mercury Seven Space Flights that had him become the first American Astronaut to orbit the Earth. I didn't remember the city, or the occasion for the visit, but I did remember the airplane. John Glenn flew in a Learjet...

James Wente will retire as president and chief executive officer of Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau, effective July 31, 2009, the hospital announced Wednesday morning. A search firm with expertise in health-care executive recruitment is expected to begin the nationwide search this fall, hospital board chairman James Rust said. He said that will allow ample time for selecting the best candidate to carry forward the hospital's mission...

The Missouri Department of Transportation's informal public meeting to unveil the Ramsey Creek bridge and road extension may get crowded. Norman Brant, Scott County's highway department superintendent and a Scott City councilman, is one of several who plans on being there...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — A Stoddard County man pleaded guilty to three felony counts of dogfighting Wednesday, and the state dropped 21 of the original felony charges he faced. Jamie D. Sifford, 30, of Dudley, Mo., received a sentence of three years in prison for each charge. The sentences will run concurrently...

Estimates of area flood damage varied Wednesday as farmers experienced significant losses, but many others in the Cape Girardeau area reported minimal or no damage. David Reinbott of the University of Missouri Extension office in Scott County said many farmers have lost corn and soybean crops because they had been underwater for weeks. ...

PDAs started buzzing at 11:30 a.m. Thursday with news that Gov. Matt Blunt approved a $370,800 grant to build a parking lot and public restrooms in downtown Cape Girardeau. Tim Arbeiter, vice president for community development at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, said he was delighted by the news. Arbeiter wrote the grant application, which he said was reviewed by city and Old Town Cape officials who have formed a DREAM Initiative development team...

National Asset Recovery Services is bringing 100 additional jobs to its Cape Girardeau location, company officials said. One of Cape Girardeau County's largest employers, the company is hoping to hire at-home call center agents — who work from home — in August. Every two weeks NARS will gradually hire its employment force until it reaches the 100th person. At that point, the company will evaluate how many more employees it will hire...

FLORISSANT, Mo. (AP) -- Police identify the man and woman who died in what is believed to be a murder-suicide inside a suburban St. Louis mall. Killed in the incident on Wednesday were 47-year-old Barbara Carson and 49-year-old S.A. Carson Sr. St. Louis County police spokeswoman Tracy Panus says the couple was divorced but both listed the same address in Hazelwood. Police don't know if both actually lived at the address...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Jackson County jury has acquitted a Grandview driver in the deaths of a man and his granddaughter who were struck and killed while riding their bicycles. The jury found William K. Johnson, 49, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the Aug. 6 deaths of Larry Gaunt, 59, and Sierra Gaunt, 14...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Is the King of Beers ready to punt away its crown? For years, the folks at Anheuser-Busch have spent lavishly to remind fans that nothing goes better while watching the big game than a 6-pack brought to you by (insert Harry Caray impersonation here) "your good friends at Budweiser."...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Hardware distributor Orgill plans to close its distribution center in Memphis, Tennessee, and eliminate 160 jobs. The 161-year-old Memphis-based company says it will keep its headquarters, lock services and concept center in Memphis. That will preserve about 330 jobs in the city...

Gov. Matt Blunt today announced that the city of Cape Girardeau has been approved for a $370,800 Community Development Block Grant. "I am pleased we are able to help the Cape Girardeau community with this important effort to enhance its quality of life," Gov. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Democratic attorney general candidate Jeff Harris says he wants to expand the telemarketing No Call list and crack down on e-mail spammers. Harris says business and cell phones should be added to the No Call list, managed and enforced by the attorney general. He says politicians should be barred from using "robo-calls" from automatic dialing machines...

PLATTE CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Kansas City man notorious for burglarizing homes while owners were at funerals has been given a 43-year prison sentence. Circuit Judge Owens Lee Hull Jr. sentenced Dane S. Johnson Thursday to 43 years in prison. In May, Hull convicted Johnson of one count of first degree burglary, four counts of second degree burglary and five counts of stealing...

The Southeast Missouri Pachyderm Club will hold a candidate forum at 7 p.m. tonight at Dexter Bar-B-Que, 236 S. Broadview St., for the three Republican primary candidates for the 158th District Missouri House seat. The Pachyderm Club is a club for conservatives with ties to the Republican Party, but the forum will be open to the public, according to a statement from Jim Roche, club secretary...

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis says Governor Rod Blagojevich is wrong to call crime in the city "out of control." Weis called a press conference Thursday, a day after Blagojevich raised the possibility of bringing in state troopers or even the Illinois National Guard to help Chicago police fight violent crime...

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- A Boone County jury on Wednesday acquitted a truck driver in a 2006 crash that killed four family members. The jury found George Albright Jr., 63, of Clarksville, Tenn., not guilty of four counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- No charges will be filed against a St. Louis homeowner who shot and killed a man who attacked him with a steel pipe. Police have determined that the unidentified homeowner was justified in killing 43-year-old Dwayne Neal on July 3rd...

The brassy, bawdy musical "Mamma Mia!" presents itself as a piece of clever counter-programming to this summer's surfeit of pounding, effects-driven comic-book movies. But filmgoers eager to sample its sunny, synth-pop pleasures are likely to feel just as bludgeoned: in this case by an Abba-bomb wrapped in a huge turquoise-colored feather boa...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Democratic attorney general candidate Jeff Harris said Thursday that he wants to expand the state's no-call list and crack down on e-mail spammers. Harris, on a campaign trip through southwest Missouri, announced several proposals designed to protect consumers and spare them from bothersome phone calls and e-mails...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missourians twice cast their presidential vote for Republican President Bush. Yet Republican gubernatorial candidate John McCain is declaring himself the underdog in Missouri to Democrat Barack Obama. McCain embraced the underdog role during a campaign visit Thursday to Kansas City for a town-hall forum...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- A southwest Missouri woman has sued Wal-Mart, local health officials and Cox Health Systems, claiming they discriminated against her and her monkey named Richard. Debby Rose of Springfield said in the lawsuit that the 10-year-old bonnet macaque helps curb a social anxiety disorder that can cause her to have panic attacks in public...

TOWN AND COUNTRY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri State Highway Patrol says inattentive driving is to blame for an accident on Interstate 64 that left two people dead and 16 injured. Jeffrey Knight of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, was driving the tractor-trailer that plowed into stopped traffic in suburban St. Louis on Tuesday. Three people remain in critical condition...