Stories from Tuesday, July 28, 2009

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- An AMBER Alert that was issued late Monday for two Southeast Missouri children has been canceled. The New Madrid County Sheriff's Department reported that the children were found safe and are in custody at Stoddard County Juvenile Office. The sheriff's department reported that the father is also in custody. The police had been looking for 31-year-old Edgar Langley Jr., who had reportedly threatened both children and law enforcement.

As the debate over health-care reform continues in Washington, D.C., a conservative organization is bringing the discussion to Cape Girardeau.

The Southeast Missourian will host three public informational sessions about its new online and print calendar product semoEvents this week. The meetings will last about an hour and are free and open to the public. Southeast Missourian online products manager Matt Sanders will show participants how to submit events online and explain other features of semoEvents, and take questions from those in attendance...

The founder of two Cape Girardeau companies has died. Lon Maxey, who founded Atlas Plastics and General Sign Co., was 90. During his 53-year involvement with General Sign Co., Maxey saw it grow from making small painted signs to illuminated signage, according to a Southeast Missourian file story. ...

Cape Girardeau police are searching for three men suspected of robbing an 18-year-old man Sunday morning. Cpl. Adam Glueck of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said that shortly before 3 a.m. near the corner of Frederick Street and Washington Avenue the victim was walking to his Cape Girardeau residence when he was approached by three men. The victim told police that one man with dreadlocks and no shirt grabbed him from behind, forcing him to the ground...

Sunrise this morning in Patton, Mo

Congress approved the Car Allowance Rebate System, known as Cash for Clunkers, last month to boost automobile sales and help retire inefficient vehicles. Incentives are worth between $3,500 and $4,500 for cars and trucks that meet certain criteria.

The Heartland Pops Chorus and musicians announces the line-up for their fall concert to be held Sunday Sept. 20,at 2:15P.M. at Crossroads Fellowship Church. Special guests will be the Punches Family of Fredericktown who will entertain the audience with their bluegrass music. Also appearing will be the Dance Extensions Studio Dancers. In addition to patriotic, gospel, and broadway selections, there will also be some doo-wop music as well as an appearance by the Pops Barbershop Quartet...

City officials said they see the more than $2 million switch to an automated trash pickup system as a more sustainable investment in Cape Girardeau's future.

In August the Cape Girardeau Red House Interpretive Center welcomes individuals, families, summer camp groups, and area organizations to visit Tuesday -- Sunday from 1-5p.m. Special programs held at the Red House are also available for area organizations and schools. Groups are invited to contact the Cape Girardeau CVB (573) 335-1631 to reserve a special day or time...

The Twins captured the 13-year-old boys Cape Youth Baseball League by going undefeated in the regular season and in the season-ending tournament. The team was 11-0 on the season and went 3-0 to win the tournament title as well.

If you eat smart, you might actually stay smart, according to local medical professionals. "Researchers and scientists are looking at particular phytochemicals and antioxidants as an aid in protection against memory loss," said Janet Anders, registered licensed dietitian at Fitness Plus in Cape Girardeau. ...

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tony Samuel said he never has paid much attention to preseason polls. That's why Samuel had little reaction Monday after the Ohio Valley Conference released its predicted order of finish for 2009. Southeast tied for the basement with Austin Peay. The poll, along with the preseason all-conference team, was voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors...

A Marble Hill, Mo., man pleaded guilty to one felony count of being a felon in possession of a firearm Monday in federal court in Cape Girardeau. John P. Browning, 58, now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing has been set for Oct. 16...

A Cape Girardeau man has been sentenced to 102 months in prison on federal methamphetamine charges, according to a news release from acting Federal Prosecutor Michael W. Reap. Phillip Edwin Thomas, 39, was sentenced on one felony count of conspiracy to manufacture five grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine...

WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan group of senators is closing in on a health care compromise that omits key Democratic priorities but seeks to hold down costs, as lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol struggled Tuesday to deliver sweeping health legislation to President Barack Obama...

A two-car early morning accident near Dalhousie Golf Club sent an Oran woman to the hospital Monday. The accident occurred at 7:46 a.m. on Highway 74 when a 2000 Ford driven by Raymond E. Tucker, 30, of McClure, Ill., swerved to avoid another vehicle and traveled into an oncoming lane, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. ...

SAN ANTONIO -- The scene was so gruesome investigators could barely speak: A 3 1/2-week-old boy lay dismembered in the bedroom of a single-story house, his body and face mutilated and his head severed. "At this particular scene you could have heard a pin drop," San Antonio police chief William McManus said Monday. "No one was speaking. It was about as somber as it could have been."...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A University of Missouri graduate student who was identified as mainland China's first case of swine flu in May said he was just trying to get married when he traveled home. Xueyang Bao (SHWAY-yong bou), 30, said he felt fatigued when he boarded a plane May 7 in St. Louis for China. But he thought nothing of being tired because he had just finished rearranging his apartment...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state insurance department wants to clear up any consumer confusion about getting earthquake insurance in Missouri. Insurance director John Huff said he was asked during a recent conference of the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents about the availability and cost of earthquake insurance, especially in the New Madrid seismic zone...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay has signed legislation aimed at expanding construction job opportunities for minorities, women and city residents. The new measure sets goals for public works projects of $1 million or more. It says 25 percent of the labor should be done by minorities and 5 percent by women...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri man is facing up to seven years in prison for receiving stolen fishing gear worth tens of thousand of dollars. The Missouri State Water Patrol said Monday that Keith A. Clark of Peculiar, Mo., was arrested July 11 and charged with a felony for receiving property stolen during fishing tournaments at the Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake and Truman Reservoir...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A Missouri professor who was an avid cyclist has died from injuries he suffered in an accident during an annual bicycle ride across Iowa. Donald Myers was a professor of engineering management at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Mo...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Deputies are investigating why an 18-year-old southeast Missouri boy was lying in the road, after the teen was struck and killed. It happened Friday in Van Buren. Derek Watts of Ellington died of a skull fracture. Authorities say 58-year-old Bearle Deal of Van Buren was driving a pickup pulling a trailer. He swerved to avoid what he thought was a pile of clothes in the roadway...

ST. LOUIS -- Firefighters saved four people stranded on the Mississippi River in south St. Louis County after their boat lost power, according to KSDK-TV. Firefighters said the boat hit a buoy and lost power and lights Sunday night at a spot where the Meramec River flows into the Mississippi...

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday for a new trial on the $20 million awarded from a tobacco company to an Independence man whose wife died of heart disease. A Jackson County jury in 2005 awarded Lincoln Smith $20 million in punitive damages from Brown & Williamson for the 2000 death of his wife, Barbara. The company is now part of North Carolina-based Reynolds American Inc...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- A Sunday evening motorcycle accident left an Advance teen with moderate injuries. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a 14-year-old boy from Advance was driving his 1980 Honda 185 motorcycle westbound on County Road 310 a half-mile north of Route O around 5:40 p.m. ...

MILWAUKEE -- An Illinois man is accused of stealing more than $45,000 worth of eyeglasses from suburban Milwaukee stores because he enjoys being around eyewear. Jerry Lowery, 38, is charged with three counts of armed robbery and one count of fleeing an officer. The charges carry a maximum penalty of more than 120 years in prison and a $310,000 fine...

CHICAGO -- The governors of eight Midwest states have agreed to set up a steering committee to help with their bid for federal cash to pay for a regional high-speed rail network. The eight states have worked together for months to promote such a system with Chicago as its hub...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Summons Burglary Theft Property damage Miscellaneous Jackson The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt....

25 years ago: July 28, 1984 The Cape Girardeau City Council last night voted to scrap a proposed site evaluation study for the multipurpose building project and will attempt to hold a closed-door meeting with the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents next week in an effort to revive the idea of a joint university/city facility...

WASHINGTON -- New home sales rose last month at the fastest clip in more than eight years as buyers took advantage of bargain prices, and economists said it was a sign the real estate market may finally be bouncing back. Historically low interest rates and a federal tax credit for first-time homeowners also helped push home sales to their highest level since November, the Commerce Department reported Monday...

WASHINGTON -- After weeks of talks, a bipartisan group in the Senate edged closer Monday to a health-care compromise that omits a requirement for businesses to offer coverage to their workers and lacks a government insurance option that President Obama favors, according to officials...

KABUL -- President Hamid Karzai on Monday offered peace talks to Taliban militants if they renounce violence and called for a new relationship with the West if he wins a second term in next month's presidential election. Karzai is considered the favorite in the Aug. 20 vote. But his chances could hinge on his fellow Pashtuns in the turbulent south and east, where U.S. and British forces this month have suffered some of their highest casualties of the eight-year war...

PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Pakistani authorities are detaining for one month an Islamist cleric who brokered a failed peace deal with the Taliban in the Swat Valley to investigate whether he inappropriately aided the militants, officials said Monday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Changes to how Missouri casinos do business may make it easier for problem gamblers who have banned themselves from casinos to gamble. State voters did away with a $500 loss limit last year, meaning casinos no longer require identification from patrons to track how much money they're spending. Gambling counselors say if ID isn't being checked, it's easier for those who have banned themselves from casinos to get through if they change their minds and decide to gamble...

The power of responsible citizens to influence elected officials was clear during the recent debate in Jackson over fireworks. The Ward 2 alderman, Dave Reiminger, made an excellent point during last week's board of aldermen meeting when he said, "I wold love to see some of this effort used in a constructive matter for Jackson." He was referring the the 35 Jackson residents who showed up to voice their views on fireworks...

The recent expansion of the 3G broadband wireless network into this area is phenomenal. Now I can share videos and photos with friends, watch a movie or check the latest sports scores faster than ever. Investment in technology will help drive economic growth and ensure that Missouri has the necessary infrastructure for commerce, quality of life and education...

"A man who cannot be trusted in small matters shall not be trusted in great ones." Such did Kung Fu-tse tell us ages ago, and such is still the truth. Another deadline set by President Obama is about to go by the wayside. The Senate has announced it will not vote on health coverage reform before the August recess. ...

In industry, and before, a common adage was "He who can does; he who can't teaches." Circumstances developed such that I decided to try teaching. In teaching the adage got changes to "He who can does; he who can't teaches; he who can't teach goes into administration." I enjoyed teaching because I loved the students, but inept administrators prompted me to skip that step and go directly to consulting. ...

As most of you know by now, AmerenUE is going to be applying for yet another rate increase effective June 2010. The company cites the reason for the increase as the economy. Another reason is money for renewable energy research. Please join me in standing up for our rights as customers and attend every town hall meeting regarding this increase that you possibly can. ...

There were approximately 200,000 car-deer collisions in 2007. Missouri drivers know someone who's been in a car-deer accident. In July, Missouri landowners who reside outside the state were told by the Missouri Conservation Department that they could no longer purchase discounted hunting permits. This will reduce the number who hunt their own land and hit the wallets of businesses catering to hunters...

Raise Social Security; Transit drivers; There's a limit; Unhealthy products; Can't afford it; Team Spirit; Eyes on Jesus; Two lies?; Better building; Morning smile

ATLANTA -- Nearly 36 percent of black Americans are obese -- a larger portion than among other major racial or ethnic groups -- and that gap exists in most states, a new federal study finds. About 29 percent of Hispanics and 24 percent of whites are obese, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported recently. Overall, about 26 percent of U.S. adults are obese...

Deliver us, O God, from the things that give us fear and make us tremble. Amen.

ST. LOUIS -- Matt Holliday is in no hurry to talk about the future. Neither are the St. Louis Cardinals, who want to sign him to a long-term contract. General manager John Mozeliak said Monday he expected talks with Holliday's agent, Scott Boras, at some point. Holliday is making $13.5 million in the final year of a three-year contract...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Velda Gagnepain, 91, of Perryville died Sunday, July 26, 2009, at Independence Care Center of Perry County. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today and 6:30 to 9:40 a.m. Wednesday at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The parish wake will be at 7:30 p.m. today...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- James Leroy Burnett, 90, of Miles City, Mont., formerly of Chaffee, died Tuesday, July 21, 2009, at the VA Community Living Center in Miles City. He was born March 5, 1919, at Neely's Landing, Mo., to Harvey Leroy and Jessie Marie Litzenfelner Burnett...

Lon Juden Maxey, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, July 27, 2009, at Landmark Hospital. He was born Sept. 8, 1918, in New Madrid County, Mo., son of Lon Lee and Bess Vivian Juden Maxey. He and Ruby Rogers were married Sept. 7, 1940, in Jackson. She passed away in 1977. He later married Joyce Lape on Sept. 12, 1986, in Cape Girardeau...

ST. LOUIS -- The Los Angeles Dodgers bunched nine hits off Chris Carpenter. Not much to show for it against the stingy Cardinals ace, though. Carpenter got the key outs and relied on a defense that turned four double plays to wrap up an undefeated month, and Brendan Ryan matched a career high with four hits in a 6-1 victory Monday night. Carpenter has allowed one run or fewer in nine of 16 starts...

Vieira awarded outstanding swimmer Gators swimmer Gabby Vieira was named the outstanding swimmer at the Ozark Long Course Championship, the final meet of the long-course season in the USA Swimming's Ozark region. Vieira, 11, won the 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 50 butterfly, 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- An insurance industry group says American cars remain the top picks among Missouri thieves. The Missouri Insurance Information Service says more than 20,000 vehicle thefts were reported in the state last year, nearly half of them in St. Louis and Kansas City. Total losses are estimated at more than $140 million...

WASHINGTON -- Two influential Senate committee chairmen were told they were getting special VIP deals when they applied for mortgages, an official who handled their loans told Congress in closed-door testimony. Democratic Sens. Christopher Dodd and Kent Conrad had denied knowing they were getting discounts when they negotiated their loan terms...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay has signed legislation aimed at expanding construction job opportunities for minorities, women and city residents. The new measure sets goals for public works projects of $1 million or more. It says 25 percent of the labor should be done by minorities, and 5 percent by women...

CHICAGO -- Midwest governors met in Chicago on Monday in a show of unity as they push for an eight-state, high-speed rail network -- agreeing to set up a group that will coordinate the states' bid for a share of $8 billion in federal stimulus cash for such projects...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Bank of America Corp.'s CEO Ken Lewis said he is planning to shrink the bank's 6,100-branch network by about 10 percent, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The newspaper said Lewis told investors of the plans at a meeting last week in Charlotte, N.C., where the bank's headquarters are located. The Journal cited unidentified people familiar with the discussion...

TOKYO -- Toyota's global sales fell 26 percent in the first half of this year as the recession hit auto demand, but troubles at U.S. rival General Motors saw the Japanese automaker retain its world No. 1 spot. Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it sold 3.56 million vehicles in January through June, beating General Motors Co. ...

LONDON -- BP PLC, Europe's second largest oil company, said Tuesday that lower world oil prices drove second-quarter profit down by 53 percent compared with a year earlier and saw little sign of growing demand in the months ahead. Net profit for the period was $4.39 billion, down from $9.36 billion in the second quarter of last year but better than market forecasts. It was better than the $2.56 billion profit reported in the first quarter, when oil prices were in a deep slump...

ARMONK, N.Y. -- IBM is acquiring analytics-software maker SPSS in an all-cash transaction at $50 per share for a deal valued at about $1.2 billion. Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM says the acquisition of the Chicago-based company is expected to strengthen IBM's information-agenda initiative, which helps companies turn information into a strategic asset...

NEW YORK -- Americans' confidence in the economy soured further in July as worries about job security offset any enthusiasm about the resumed stock market rally that has helped bolster retirement accounts. The New York-based Conference Board said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index, which retreated last month, fell to 46.6, down from 49.3 in June. ...