Stories from Sunday, September 7, 2008

Leroy and Laura Friedhof of Oak Ridge celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with a dinner for family and friends Sept. 6, 2008, at their home. They were married Aug. 28, 1968, by the Rev. Jack Cathcart. The Friedhofs have a son, Mark Friedhof of Cape Girardeau...

Christie Adams and David DeRousse Jr. exchanged vows June 7, 2008, at the Rock Garden in Jackson City Park. The Rev. Luther Rhodes performed the ceremony. Music was by Don "Butch" Gast of Jackson, uncle of the bride. The bride is the daughter of J.C. and Mary Lawrence of Jackson and Joe and Gabbie Mason of Thebes, Ill. The groom is the son of David and Linda DeRousse of Oak Ridge...

Lindsay Suzanne Bohnert and Lucas Clark Bingaman were married April 21, 2007, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. The Rev. J. Friedel performed the ceremony. Lenny Kuper was organist, Steve Schultz was violinist, and Alan Bruns and Taylor Bingaman were vocalists...

Ashley Ford and B.J. Tanksley were united in marriage June 7, 2008, at Cape First. The Rev. Gary Brothers performed the ceremony. String music was provided by Trio Girardeaux. Parents of the couple are Jeff and Debbie Ford and Dwight and Kim Tanksley, all of Cape Girardeau...

Karen D. Lukefahr and George A. Yoffie were married June 7, 2008, by the Mississippi River in downtown Cape Girardeau. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Rupert Leslie Jr. The bride is the daughter of Leroy and Bonnie Lukefahr of Leopold, Mo. The groom is the son of Evelyn Yoffie of St. Charles, Mo., and the late Bob Yoffie...

Sarah Elizabeth Pfanstiel and Stephen Russell Turner exchanged vows May 3, 2008, at the Gerecke home in Cape Girardeau. Russell Turner performed the ceremony. Ryan Corn of Scott City sang and played acoustic guitar; Josh Reeves and David Pfanstiel, brother of the bride, both of Cape Girardeau, were drummers; Rebekah Pfanstiel of Cape Girardeau, sister of the bride, was pianist; and Andrew Turner of Tauranga, New Zealand, was saxophonist...

Sarah Jean Schaefer and Joshua Ross Maxwell were united in marriage June 7, 2008, at The Phoenix 3 in Orange Beach, Ala. The bride is the daughter of Ken and Kate Schaefer of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Marvin and Sue Maxwell of Cerulean, Ky...

Richard and Rebecca Essner Sr. of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer Rebecca Essner, to Jason Matthew Dennis, both of St. Charles, Mo. He is the son of William and Barbara Dennis of St. Charles. Essner received a bachelor of health science in respiratory therapy from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2004, and a master of business administration from Lindenwood University in 2007. She is a medical sales representative with Radiometer America...

Joice Ann Whitby and Ronald F. Hale of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Theresa Elaine Hale, to Thomas Hoffmeister. He is the son of Carol Carter of Cape Girardeau, and the late Clarence "Joe" Hoffmeister and the late Myron "Boomer" Carter...

Michael and Mary Hull of Sedgwick, Kan., announce the engagement of their daughter, Nancy Elizabeth Hull, to William Francis Rigdon, both of Kansas City, Mo. He is the son of Dr. John and Betsy Rigdon of Cape Girardeau. Hull received a bachelor of science degree in print journalism from Kansas State University in 2002. She is editor of the Smithville Herald Newspaper in Smithville, Mo...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Gerald and Leeann Jansen of Leopold announce the engagement of their daughter, Hanna Jansen, to Ryan Burger, both of Benton, Mo. He is the son of Paul and Patsy Burger of Benton. Jansen is a 1999 graduate of Leopold High School. She is a 2005 graduate of Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center School of Nursing. She is director of nurses at the Arbors at Auburn Creek Assisted Living Facility in Cape Girardeau...

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Kasten of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a dinner May 10, 2008, at Francine's Gardens. Hosts were their children, Mark (Beverly) Kasten of Pocahontas and Heidi Kasten of Shawnee, Kan.; and grandchildren, Amy (Gibbie) Yates of Jackson and Jennifer Kasten of Washington, D.C...

While Fruitland farmer Roger Schwab believes this may be one of his best production years on record, he is concerned about the economic climate in which he grows corn and wheat on his 1,600-acre farm. In 2003, Schwab paid $120 a ton for potash fertilizer. This year it's about $950 a ton...

September n Sunday, Sept. 7: PWP will attend the SEMO District Fair, meeting at 1 p.m. on the steps of the Arena Building. Qualifying members' children or grandchildren will receive money toward the cost of attending the fair. Children under 12 are exempt from the gate admission fee...

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jess LaFentres, of south St. Louis, was recently honored for helping two soldiers injured in a vehicle accident during the June floods. LaFentres, a Scott City High School graduate, has served in the Missouri National Guard for 28 years. He is married to Jane LaFentres. They have two children, Emily and Matthew. LaFentres is the son of Frank and Carolyn LaFentres of Cape Girardeau and Jane Griffin of Murfreesboro, Tenn...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- History buffs and Lincoln fans can get their fill of both in Southern Illinois on Saturday and Sunday. Activities commemorating the 150 anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas debates have been planned in Jonesboro and Cobden, Ill. The Union County Historical and Genealogy Society will have an exhibit at the Jonesboro Masonic Hall just north of the public square. ...

Benjamin Trout, a student in Advance, Mo., has been accepted into the People to People World Leadership Forum. Trout will join a select group of students in Washington, D.C., Monday to 14, to earn high school credit while studying leadership and exploring some of the United States' most prominent monuments and institutions. ...

The Missouri and Cape Girardeau County Association for Family and Community Education are sponsoring a statewide essay and artwork contest for fourth-grade students. The theme is "responsibility." Students write an essay and create a hand-drawn picture. ...

Tuschhoff family holds reunion The Tuschhoff family reunion will begin at noon with a basket dinner at Trinity Lutheran Parish Hall, Friedheim, Mo. Drinks and table service will be provided. Supper benefits church groups A kettle-cooked beef, fried chicken supper will be held to benefit Saxony Lutheran High School and the Altenburg Zone Lutheran Laymen's League Scholarship Fund. ...

Ducks will be rolling on the river Sept. 14 as part of a fundraiser to help fund area youth projects on the south side of Cape Girardeau. The Southside and Espirit Optimist clubs originally planned to hold the event in conjunction with the Libertyfest and air show downtown July 4, but had to reschedule the event due to the Libertyfest location change...

Since 1998, families in the U.S. have adopted an average of 2,576 children per year from Guatemala. In Cape Girardeau, eight families have adopted nine children -- seven girls and two boys -- from the Latin American country. Most of the families said they adopted from outside the U.S. for spiritual, humanitarian and cultural reasons. Danette Neikirk and her husband, Joel, adopted a girl from the country. Chantelle Becking and her husband, Eric, also adopted a Guatemalan girl...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Retiring hasn't yet occurred to Bob Simpson, chief of the Cairo Auxiliary Fire Department. He's too busy to leave the department, which he's been involved with since it formed 67 years ago. "The guys won't let me go," said the 93-year-old fire chief, who clearly isn't interested in retiring...

EVERETT, Wash. -- Boeing Co. machinists walked out on strike Saturday after contract talks arbitrated by a federal mediator failed to produce an agreement. About 100 union members hoisted their strike signs at 12:01 a.m. outside the Boeing plant in this city north of Seattle, cheering and blasting air horns at passing cars, many of which honked back...

Sherman Caldwell THEBES, Ill. -- Sherman Lawrence Caldwell, 92, of Thebes died Friday, Sept. 5, 2008, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 22, 1916, in Alexander County, Ill., to William and Ida Dyer Caldwell. He and Marcella Davis were married July 20, 1940. She died March 22, 1995. He later married Sylvia Clubb, who survives...

The game of washers changes with the people who play it. The weight of the washers, the width of the boxes and just what counts as a point all change with the tournament. But the concept is easy. "You just basically throw them down there and whoever gets the most points wins," Ryan Boren said. He was a last-minute substitute to play in Saturday's American Legion washer tournament...

JACKSON -- Central assistant coach Bryan Kelpe ran a 100-mile ultra marathon in August through all types of unfavorable conditions -- rain, sleet, snow, hail, thunder and elevations that ranged from 9,200 feet to 12,600 feet. How did he describe his experience?...

The Notre Dame volleyball team split with Ste. Genevieve the first time the two squads played Saturday. The Bulldogs couldn't repeat the feat the second time the teams played, as the Dragons beat Notre Dame 25-18, 27-26 in the championship match of the Notre Dame VolleyballFest...

JACKSON -- Senior Greg Gibson's attempt at four consecutive individual victories at the Jackson Invitational was denied Saturday by a junior of all people. The invitational consists of four different boys races -- the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior class races. Because runners compete against others in their same academic grade, it might seem strange that Gibson went against Travis Blalock, a Poplar Bluff junior...

The unstoppable force and the immovable object. This was more like the Bullet train meeting something that has resembled Swiss cheese so far. Southeast Missouri State proved it could slow down Missouri ... but only when Chase Daniel and the rest of Missouri's explosive offensive starters were on the sidelines...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Looking for positives in Southeast Missouri State's 52-3 loss, Redhawks fans? The offensive line made some strides from the previous week, and it could have been disastrous with as many changes the unit made from opening week, when it gave up seven sacks to Division II Southwest Baptist...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- True freshman quarterback Matt Scheible showed Southeast Missouri State coaches enough during fall camp to move into the backup role behind Houston Lillard. Scheible saw the first action of his college career Saturday night during Southeast's 52-3 loss at sixth-ranked Missouri...

First quarter MU: Derrick Washington 5-yard run (Jeff Wolfert kick), 10:51. Chase Daniel threw his only incompletion of the game on this drive, but four plays on the drive go for 10 or more yards. 7 plays, 70 yards, 2:01. Missouri, 7-0. ------...

COLUMBIA -- Sarah Roussin's shirt told the story of what she was doing outside Faurot Field at the University of Missouri on Saturday. "I'm just here to tailgate," was spelled out in red and white letters on a black shirt, making her school colors stand out among the gold T-shirts and Chase Daniel jerseys...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- University of Missouri All-American senior quarterback Chase Daniel said during the week he hoped to be out of Saturday's game for good by halftime. That would mean things were progressing smoothly for the sixth-ranked Tigers against 50-point underdog Southeast Missouri State...

ALGIERS, Algeria -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged closer coordination with North African allies on fighting terrorism and said Saturday the U.S. would work to return Guantanamo detainees to their home countries "as soon we possibly can."...

WASHINGTON -- When Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. reveals how the Bush administration intends to steady tottering mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, he will likely be walking a knife edge between two views on what the government should do...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Mark Twain Kindergarten Center will be crowded when it reopens Monday, as the district makes room for more than 120 additional students in the campus's main building. Early Thursday morning, fire destroyed four modular buildings previously used to house those students...

CLAIRTON, Pa. -- Five days a week, Linda Graham trolls tattered neighborhoods of this once thriving steel city outside Pittsburgh for unregistered voters she can sign up as Democrats -- one of thousands of unknown volunteers whose work outside the limelight has already altered the basic arithmetic of the November election...

WASHINGTON -- Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama said Saturday they will put aside partisan politics for a joint appearance at Ground Zero to mark the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, in a statement, said they will appear together at the World Trade Center site Thursday "to honor the memory of each and every American who died" in the 2001 attacks...

Dear Dr. Dobson: The greatest power struggle in our home is over school assignments. Our son, who is in fifth grade, simply will not do them! When we try to force him to study, he sits and stares, doodles, gets up for water and just kills time. Furthermore, we never know for sure what he's supposed to be doing. Why is he like that?...

BEAUFORT, Mo. -- The cars started arriving one after another at the Ownby house in Beaufort one hot evening last month, but not one of the drivers pulled in the driveway, let alone the oversized garage. That, after all, was what everyone was there to celebrate...

Husband-and-wife journalists Bob Miller and Callie Clark Miller use this space to offer their views on everyday issues. HE SAID I enjoy living in 2008. Many people bemoan the nowadays, lamenting the rat race the world has become, complaining about the decline of morals in society, cursing everything from the economy to politics to newspaper columnists...

Evelyn Wilcox, Deborah Selden Evelyn Muriel Wilcox, 97, of Marble Hill, Mo., died Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008, at Elder Care of Marble Hill. Her daughter, Deborah Ann Selden, 52, of Huntington, Ind., died Jan. 11, 2007, in Huntington. Wilcox was born Dec. ...

Debbie Riehn of Jackson took first place in the stock antique plow class category Saturday at the SEMO District Fair. She pulled the weighted sled 161.51 feet in a 1947 Farmall M tractor that belongs to her son, Butch Riehn. "She beat me on my own tractor," he said...

Thank you all very much. Tonight, I have a privilege given few Americans -- the privilege of accepting our party's nomination for president of the United States. And I accept it with gratitude, humility and confidence. In my life, no success has come without a good fight, and this nomination wasn't any different. ...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department reported the following incidents Sept. 5. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Kenean Lamont Blackmon, 18, 306 Heath St., Sikeston, Mo., was arrested on a probation and parole violation warrant. n Conkeesta Quinntrice Johnson, 24, 411 S. Frederick St., was arrested on a Scott County warrant for failure to appear and contempt of court...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his running mate Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska are returning to Missouri. McCain and Palin were expected to fly into Kansas City today. They will be in Lee's Summit for a rally at John Knox Village on Monday...

To the editor: As a five-year stage IIIa ovarian cancer survivor, I would like to remind everyone that September is ovarian cancer awareness month. Thanks to modern medicine and daily advancements in the medical field, ovarian cancer is no longer an automatic death sentence. ...

GONAIVES, Haiti -- Hundreds of people fled this waterlogged city Saturday for higher ground as powerful Hurricane Ike threatened to unleash heavy rain and compound a disaster caused by a previous storm. Food was distributed to famished residents, including to emaciated inmates at the local jail...

KIRKWOOD, Mo. -- The former mayor of the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood who was shot and badly injured during a rampage at city hall in February has died. Mike Swoboda died Saturday morning of complications connected to the shooting. He would have turned 70 this month...

To the editor: After McCain announced Sarah Palin as his running mate the liberals and Democrats came crawling out of the woodwork parroting the talking points from the Democratic National Committee. One complaint was she's not experienced (like Obama is) and dismisses her as just small-town mayor. ...

James Hickam James Hickam, 71, of Jackson died Friday, Sept. 5, 2008, at Jackson Manor Nursing Home. Arrangements are incomplete at Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home in Jackson.

PANGUITCH, Utah -- One Utah community is cheering a special bear -- but don't call him Smokey. Investigators say a large black bear raided a clandestine marijuana growing operation so often that it chased the grower away. "This bear is definitely law-enforcement minded," said Garfield County Sheriff Danny Perkins. "If I can find this bear I'm going to deputize him."...

George Lence LICK CREEK, Ill. -- George Wayne Lence, 60, of Lick Creek died Friday, Sept. 5, 2008, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Ill. He was born Dec. 20, 1947, in Anna, Ill., son of Walter Truman and Mary Virginia Manus Lence. Survivors include his mother of Lick Creek; two brothers, Richard Lence of Anna, Mervin Lence of Lick Creek; and a sister, Rosalee Edwards of Marion, Ill...

Cycling n Tour de Cape: The Tour de Cape will take place Oct. 4, starting at the John Boardman Pavilion by the riverfront in Cape Girardeau. Riders can choose from routes of 100 miles, 62 miles, 30 miles or 15 miles, and there will be mass starts at 8 a.m. ...

KEY WEST, Fla. -- "Extremely dangerous" Hurricane Ike grew to fierce Category 4 strength Saturday as it roared on an uncertain path that forced millions, from the Caribbean to Florida and Louisiana to Mexico, to nervously wonder where it would eventually strike...

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- When Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google Inc. on Sept. 7, 1998, they had little more than their ingenuity, four computers and an investor's $100,000 bet on their belief that an Internet search engine could change the world...

As he was introducing Independent county commission candidate Rock Finch at a downtown fundraiser Saturday evening, Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson said he had two reasons why he is supporting the effort begun with a petition drive to put Finch on the ballot...

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County commissioners haven't forgotten the Sept. 11 attack on the United States, seven years ago, and they want to make sure county employees and residents have not, either. At Thursday's regular commission meeting, they made plans for a tribute Sept. 11 to mark the day. "At 9:11, we are going to have a remembrance of 9/11 on the interior steps," said Jamie Burger, presiding commissioner...

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A new imaging satellite has been launched into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. A Delta 2 rocket carrying the GeoEye-1 satellite lifted off Saturday. The satellite's makers say it has the highest resolution of any commercial imaging system. It can collect images with enough detail to show home plate on a baseball diamond...

VIENNA, Austria -- The U.S. gained key international backing Saturday for a contested plan to sell peaceful nuclear technology to India, a South Asia powerhouse that has tested atomic weapons but has refused to sign global nonproliferation accords. Washington said the landmark deal, which still needs U.S. ...

To the editor: On behalf of my son, Matthew Piazzi, I would like to thank the many area friends, students, our extended family, and all others who recognized his many talents and voted for him on "America's Got Talent." And we are grateful to the Southeast Missourian newspaper for giving him the published interview and all other publicity...

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico is in the midst of a legal revolution, and Cristal Gonzalez is on the front lines. The U.S.-trained lawyer is one of a growing number of Mexican lawyers putting judges, other lawyers, investigators and clerks through crash courses in justice, now that Mexico has amended its constitution to throw out its inept and corrupt legal system...

Progressive Club The Progressive Club met Tuesday in the fellowship hall of Christ Lutheran Church in Gordonville. Barbara Lorberg, president, opened the meeting. Doloris Meyr read the minutes and gave the treasurer's report. Vicky Crites Lane was guest speaker. She showed her many handmade quilts, explaining the various patterns and stitches...

Mistrust over secret recordings made by Cape Girardeau County 2nd District Commissioner Jay Purcell has prompted Cape Girardeau's mayor to say he will never talk to the incumbent again. Purcell and Knudtson both acknowledge the lack of communication has little consequence as Knudtson meets often with Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones on overlapping issues. ...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Benazir Bhutto's widower swept Pakistan's presidential election Saturday, offering hope for stability to a nuclear-armed country feeling intense U.S. pressure to crack down on Islamic militants. Already head of the main ruling party, Asif Ali Zardari becomes one of the most powerful civilian leaders in Pakistan's turbulent 61-year history. Last month, he marshaled a coalition that forced stalwart U.S. ally Pervez Musharraf to quit as head of state...

Diebold scores hole in one Morrell Diebold used a 7-iron to score a hole in one on hole No. 18 at the Cape Jaycee Municipal Golf Course. Chip Janet and Richard Dirnberger witnessed the shot. The hole was playing 117 yards. Mashek tops A flight Bea Mashek took first place in the A flight at the Cape Chip A Ways weekly golf outing...

Enough cowboy antics Resident Russophile Jon Rust's recent rhetoric aside, I would rather not have a hot-headed, impulsive, trigger-happy McCain dealing with a resurgent Russia than a talk-first, shoot-later president, more prone to pursuing diplomacy first than exercising the military option in a knee-jerk style. We've had enough of cowboy diplomacy...

25 years ago: Sept. 7, 1983 Prompted by complaints about poor reception, Cape Girardeau Mayor Howard C. Tooke is proposing that the city hire a consulting engineer to inspect the local cable company's equipment to see if it is being properly maintained in accordance with the franchise agreement...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: n At 4:54 a.m., medical assist in the 1800 block of Woodlawn Avenue. n At 8:21 a.m., citizen assist in the 1800 block of Woodlawn Avenue. n At 10:10 a.m., emergency medical service in the 2800 block of Bloomfield Road...