Stories from Thursday, August 12, 2010

A Cape Girardeau man convicted of felony arson last year and sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Butler County judge is appealing a different judge's decision to not grant him early release after completing a drug treatment program. Jeffrey V. Mirgeaux, who was charged in Cape Girardeau County in August 2008, was denied early release from prison last month. Mirgeaux's attorney, Jennifer Booth, filed the appeal with the Missouri Court of Appeals Southern District on July 30...

Tonight, the Advance School Board will meet to consider whether the district can afford $12,000 in raises for educators. The board will make that decision without knowing when or how much the district will receive from a new infusion of federal cash into education programs nationwide.

The new executive director at Discovery Playhouse Children's Museum, Jennifer Mullix, said she always wanted to work with children outside a traditional classroom setting.

Cecilia, adopted by Randy and Pam Kluesner

Joshua Kezer received $4 million to settle his federal lawsuit against Scott County, a former sheriff and a former deputy, a source close to the lawsuit said Wednesday.

This weeks featured pet is 6 month old Natasha. She's a loving kitty who's looking for a new family. Do you have time for Natasha, who's ready to warm your lap, play with a string, and give you her undivided attention? If interested, please call the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri at 334-5837...

I was busy fixing dinner when I turned around, only to find this on the counter! We have had many good chuckles about this episode while they were visiting.

The Jackson Board of Aldermen will decide Monday whether to place a quarter-cent sales tax on the November ballot to pay for personnel and operations at the current fire station and a proposed station. The new station would be on the east side of town on Old Orchard Road near the water tower and Interstate 55...

Tiffiney Smith of Jackson become a State Champion July 31. She won the 2010 Missouri State Time Trial Championship held in Jefferson City, MO. Tiffiney rode 25 miles in one hour and eleven minuites She averaged 20.967 miles per hour.

The time is coming for students to retire the swimsuits and pick up the backpacks. Students may feel dress codes limit their personal expression, but school officials say the guidelines promote dignity in the students' appearance and maintain an educational and safe environment for all students. The punishment for dress code violations in some schools ranges from being sent home to change to days of out-of-school suspension...

IF you want to see a Broadway-caliber production with local talent, don't miss "Sing, America, Sing," Mike Dumey's rising stars. They do one fantastic job. It's going to be shown several more times. Don't miss it. It's worth every penny. OFFICIALS keep talking about inflation being close to zero. ...

Help us, O God, make good choices about our own needs and those of others. Amen.

Aug. 12, 2010 Dear Leslie, Jackson Browne was one of the singer/songwriter heroes of the '70s who never stopped making albums, even when he burned out. At the end of the '70s, his album "Running on Empty" described that willingness to keep on going though the rock 'n' roll- and LSD-powered revolution of the '60s had descended into a parody of disco and cocaine...

MADRID -- A vast flotilla of small, virtually undetectable jellyfish have stung hundreds of people on Spanish beaches this week -- a swimmer's nightmare that biologists say will become increasingly common due to climate change and overfishing...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests The Southeast Missouri State University Department of Public Safety released the following items. Summonses...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday:...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Erma Ladd, 86, of Advance passed away Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010, at Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 27, 1924, at Zalma, Mo., daughter of Henry and Bertha "Luvada" Borders Whitehead. She and Lowell Ladd were married May 9, 1944, at Zalma. He passed away March 1, 1991...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Thurman A. Almond, 89, of Bloomfield passed away Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 20, 1921, at Aid, Mo., son of the late Autie A. and Ora Bailey Almond. He and Mayme Juldene Long were married Dec. 6, 1941, in Piggott, Ark. She preceded him in death Jan. 15, 2002...

ORAN, Mo. -- Johnnie Merl Carter, 94, of Oran died Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 12, 1915, at Union Grove, Ala., daughter of John H. and Claude Goodson Ponder. She and Buford "Windy" Carter were married Oct. 22, 1932. He died Sept. 11, 1978...

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Roland Pettit Jr., 85, of Villa Ridge, formerly of Tamms, Ill., passed away Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 13, 1925, in Sandusky, Ill., son of the late Roland and Anna Eickelman Pettit...

Carrol G. "Smokey" King, 62, formerly of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Aug. 2, 2010, at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tenn. He was born March 16, 1948, in Geff, Ill., to Darrol and Betty King. He and Sandy Pettit were married July 2, 2002...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Mildred M. Seymour, 90, of Columbia, Mo., formerly of Marble Hill, died Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010, at Boone County Hospital in Columbia. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Liley Funeral Home in Patton, Mo. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Donald Sander officiating. Burial will be in New Bethel Church Cemetery near Marble Hill...

Patricia A. O'Neill, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Aug. 9, 2010, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born Jan. 24, 1929, in New York City, to Joseph and Bertha Munro O'Neill. O'Neill had lived in Cape Girardeau since 1995. She was a volunteer at Southeast Missouri Hospital several years...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- William Lee Johns, 75, of Advance passed away Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010, at Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter, Mo. He was born Dec. 2, 1934, at Dover, Ark., son of Fred Samuel and Elsie Ford Johns. He and Bonnie Croy were married Nov. 23, 1957, in Tunica, Miss...

Mary R. Loos, 97, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Aug. 9, 2010, at the Lutheran Home. She was born July 28, 1913, at Naylor, Mo., to Charles P. and Katherine Kirkendoll. She and Henry Loos were married June 2, 1942, at St. Charles, Mo. Henry Loos was a longtime executive with Kraft Foods. He preceded her in death May 31, 2001...

Irvin Cletus "Clete" Walker, 88, of St. Peters, Mo., formerly of Jackson, died Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010, at his home. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Visitation will be Saturday from noon to service time at the chapel of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Wilma Anna Hopfer, 92, of Perryville died Friday, Aug. 6, 2010, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to service time Friday at Grace Lutheran Church in Uniontown, Mo. The funeral will be at noon Friday at the church, with the Rev. Paul Winningham officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- William A. Lane Sr., 84, of Perryville died Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010, at his home. Visitation will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday and 6:30 a.m. to service time Saturday at Young and Sons Funeral Home. The funeral will be at noon Saturday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Anne Saegessar officiating. Burial will be in Cedar Fork Cemetery, with military graveside service provided by American Legion Post 133 and the Missouri Delta Team...

Cape Girardeau Park Department personnel are sprucing up the riverfront in anticipation of quite a bit of activity this week; the Delta Queen, Mississippi Queen and a new river cruiser, the New Orleans, are all scheduled to dock here at different times...

If you're conducting a job search, please consider self-employment. Laid off as an Air Force pilot during the 1990s military drawdown, I returned to Jackson and started rehabbing houses. While learning new skills like carpentry and plumbing, I encountered other entrepreneurs. Put out of work by technology and streamlined management practices, they also stepped out and began making their own way...

We know from experience that some things float in water and others do not float. What about an orange? It all depends on if your orange has a life jacket. STEP 2: Place the orange into the water. Did the orange float or sink? STEP 3: Remove the peel from the orange and then place the peeled orange into the water. Did the orange float or sink?...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Summonses Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday:...

Scholarships The following Scott City graduates received scholarships: Honors, achievements -- From staff reports ...

NEW YORK -- U.S. airlines have cut jobs for two straight years, the government said Wednesday, as accelerating layoffs and outsourcing sped up a downward slide that started in 2001. The industry has now lost one of every four U.S. employees it had a decade ago, before the last two recessions and the Sept. 11 attacks...

WASHINGTON -- A decline in exports and a sharp rise in imports pushed the U.S. trade deficit in June to its widest point since October 2008, raising new concerns about the weakening economic recovery. The $49.9 billion gap is worrying economists, who fear it means the U.S. economy grew at half the rate in the April-to-June quarter than first estimated by the government last month...

CHICAGO -- Jurors deliberating for an 11th day in the corruption trial of former governor Rod Blagojevich suggested Wednesday that they may be deadlocked on at least some counts. The jury sent a note to Judge James B. Zagel saying they have made "a reasonable attempt" to reach a unanimous decision and did so without rancor, but asked for guidance if they can't reach a unanimous decision on any given count...

CLAYTON, Mo. -- A plan under consideration to turn Grant's Farm into a national park has the support of the St. Louis County Council. KMOX Radio reported the council voted unanimously Tuesday to support a takeover of the site by the U.S. National Park Service. Several members of the audience at the hearing also spoke in favor of the plan...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Two Missouri swimming beaches will be closed because of high levels of E. coli bacteria. The Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday it was closing Public Beach No. 1 at the Lake of the Ozarks. The other, Grand Glaize Beach, will remain open...

FLORISSANT, Mo. -- A state audit has raised the issue of whether the mayor of Florissant has too much power. Missouri Auditor Susan Montee was in the north St. Louis County town Tuesday night to deliver details of the audit. She cited transparency issues with Florissant's strong mayor form of government, saying Mayor Robert Lowery is allowed to make decisions usually made by a city council or city manager...

An environmental study performed on the proposed location of wastewater treatment facility in the Whitewater-Allenville area shows no significant impact to the area. The study was performed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Now that the study is complete, Erie Foster, president of the Whitewater-Allenville Public Water Sewer Cooperative, said the project can move forward...

ST. LOUIS -- Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe has been out of action since suffering a season-ending shoulder injury Dec. 6 against the Chicago Bears, and he's itching to get going again. "I haven't fought in a long time," Atogwe said. "Out on the practice field, this is all sparring. When you're playing against another team, that's when the fight happens...

CINCINNATI -- With an emphatic sweep, the St. Louis Cardinals gave second baseman Brandon Phillips a different description to use. Whiners? Complainers? Try division leaders. Colby Rasmus hit his first career grand slam, Adam Wainwright dominated again and the brawl-scarred Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-1 on Wednesday, completing a three-game sweep that changed the standings and made a point...

CINCINNATI -- The St. Louis Cardinals called up a catcher Wednesday because they weren't sure how long Jason LaRue would be sidelined with injuries from a brawl with the Cincinnati Reds. Manager Tony La Russa said LaRue suffered a mild concussion and had sore ribs from the first-inning altercation the previous night. LaRue is one of the players kicked by Reds starter Johnny Cueto after he got pinned against the backstop screen...

Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series of profiles of local athletes who will participate along with about 700 others in the Special Olympics State Outdoor Championships to be held Friday through Sunday in Cape Girardeau. Name: Brianne Chavez...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Two Missouri men are facing the Class D felony of attempt to escape confinement after trying to escape from the Dunklin County Justice Center over the weekend, the Daily Dunklin Democrat newspaper reported. According to the Dunklin County Prosecutors Office, Matthew Banks, 28, and Keith Eaves, 22, escaped from the Dunklin County Jail at approximately 3:30 p.m. Friday by going under the recreational area fence and climbing over the outer-perimeter fence...

BARATARIA BAY, La. -- Shoots of marsh grass and bushes of mangrove trees already are starting to grow back in the bay where just months ago photographers shot images of dying pelicans coated in oil from the massive Gulf oil spill. More than a dozen scientists say the marsh here and across the Louisiana coast is healing itself, giving them hope wetlands might weather the worst offshore spill in U.S. ...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Briney Welborn has filed two new charges against the 64-year-old homeless man who admitted in July to sexually molesting a 7-year-old child in the home of a Dexter couple who took him into their residence...

In the Jackson School District, high school is a little different. We start out high school as freshman, but we still attend school at the junior high and don't start at the actual high school until we are sophomores. This year I am a sophomore. I took summer school classes to get the extra credits and a jump on the curriculum. ...

At 7 p.m. Friday, outside the Arena Building in Cape Girardeau, opening ceremonies will be held for the 700 athletes from across Missouri participating in the Special Olympics State Outdoor Championships. In addition to the athletes, 2,000 family members, friends, coaches, game officials and Special Olympics staff members will be in town for the games Saturday and Sunday. The public is invited...