Stories from Tuesday, March 8, 2011

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Two federal marshals and a police officer were wounded Tuesday in a gunfight with a suspect who died following a standoff at a St. Louis home, authorities said. One marshal is in critical condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

ATLANTA -- Ear infections, a scourge that has left countless tots screaming through the night, have fallen dramatically, and some researchers suggest a decline in smoking by parents might be part of the reason. Health officials report nearly a 30 percent drop over 15 years in young children's doctor visits for ear infections...

When Jay Ricker, owner of the BP gas station off Interstate 70 in Plainfield, Ind., set the price of unleaded gasoline at $3.44 per gallon on Feb. 28, it was 4 cents higher than Feb. 25. That alone might have been irritating to drivers paying the highest gas prices in more than two years. It was even more so because it happened on a day when the price of crude oil, which is used to make gasoline, fell almost $1 a barrel...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A 4.2 percent increase in food prices and record farm income are likely to occur during 2011, according to new data released to Congress by the University of Missouri. For more than a quarter century, economists with Missouri's Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute have delivered a baseline report for the agricultural economy to Congress...

With warm weather approaching, many people are getting ready for yard sales and youth sports leagues. Alderman Dale Rauh inquired about the city's policy regarding signs placed on city rights of way promoting those warm-weather activities. During Monday night's board of aldermen meeting, Rauh said every year more signs begin showing up along city roads, causing traffic concerns and cluttering intersections...

Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach Dickey Nutt saw his second season end with a 10-22 record, but he believes the Redhawks made significant progress under tough circumstances. He also believes the future is bright for the program. "No way are we satisfied with 10 wins," said Nutt, whose team was shorthanded all season and down to only eight players for the final half of the year. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- With two weeks to go until Missouri lawmakers go on spring break, Republican leaders are trying to bridge ideological differences within their own party to pass two major pieces of legislation. Attempts to extend unemployment benefits and reform the state's workers compensation system, both sponsored by Republican members of the Senate, were both held up last week by objections from fellow GOP senators...

Saxony Lutheran High School and Fruitland residents are appealing the Missouri Land Reclamation Commission's recent decisions regarding applications for quarries by two local developers. The school and Save Our Children's Health, Inc., filed a petition Monday in Cole County Circuit Court asking for judicial review of three decisions made by the Commission on Feb. 7. Those decisions are:...

Want to inconvenience yourself for a great cause? Sign up for the Howard Aslinger Foundation Endurance Weekend at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau. This 24 hour event starts at 7 pm Friday, March 18 and features a 24 - 12 - 1 hour walk - run, as well as a midnight 5-K...

Zach Boerboom, Cape Central High School senior, recently signed with the University of New Mexico to play football. Pictured above, standing left to right, are Coach Rich Payne, Brian and Stacy Boerboom, Zach's parents, and Athletic Director Lance Tollison. ...

The Cape Central Junior High School cheerleaders recently traveled to Nashville, TN, to compete in the Jamfest National Cheerleading competition where they placed 4th with a final score less than .75 out of first place. Pictured above, in the back row, are Hannah Elledge-Glueck, Morgan Murphy and Courterra Stevenson. ...

Weeks before it was even a certainty that a casino would be built in Cape Girardeau, city officials planned out how to spend $2 million in up-front money from Isle of Capri. They focused on major amenities to Broadway as well as 11 other projects, ranging from dog parks to trail-connecting sidewalks...

It has become a rite of passage at Alma Schrader Elementary School. Third- and fourth-grade students race down the hallways, bursting through banners to the cheers of their younger schoolmates. "It's like the running of the bulls in Pamplona, [Spain], but it's the running of the halls of Alma Schrader," principal Ruth Ann Orr said. "It gets them ready for the test, and it's something they really look forward to."...

ISEF Finalists who will attend the International Fair in Los Angeles, CA in May and their alternates.

This week, Ameren Missouri is sending out more than 1 million energy reports to its residential and small business customers, with the goal of helping them reduce energy usage by showing them just how much they use. This is the third year Personal Energy Reports have been sent out, but the first year small businesses will receive them, said Cara Dolly, Ameren Missouri energy efficiency expert. She said she hopes the reports will empower customers to take action to reduce their energy usage...

BENTON, Mo. -- Three Chaffee, Mo., men were in custody Monday following an investigation into a string of Scott County burglaries in recent weeks. Jay Anderson, 40, has been charged with five counts of second-degree burglary and five counts of stealing, Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said in a news release. Bond was set at $50,000...

Dick Knaup, Cape Girardeau County emergency management director, told county commissioners the state is asking the county to relinquish control of some of the county's radio frequencies in order to implement a radio system that would allow officials to communicate with each other, no matter their location in Missouri...

DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines Co. has joined a sweeping increase of $10 in the price of many domestic round-trip airfares, citing the need to offset high fuel prices. Southwest's action over the weekend may have ensured success for a price increase by major airlines that seemed to be faltering. Southwest carries more U.S. passengers than any airline and wields great influence over prices...

LOS ANGELES -- Charlie Sheen was fired Monday from "Two and a Half Men" by Warner Bros. Television following repeated misbehavior and weeks of the actor's angry, often-manic media campaign against his studio bosses. The action was taken after "careful consideration" and is effective immediately, the studio said in a statement. No decision has been made on the show's future without its star, said Paul McGuire, a Warner spokesman...

Authorization has been received by the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department to begin right-of-way acquisition for improvements at the Highway 25-U.S. 61 intersection at Jackson; the project will replace bridges over Goose Creek and construct additional lanes for all approaches to the intersection...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Its decades-long mission accomplished, space shuttle Discovery headed home to retirement after undocking from the International Space Station on Monday for the last time. The world's most-flown spaceship got a dramatic send-off by "Star Trek's" original Capt. Kirk...

Considering all the news about waste and inefficiency in government, it's good to hear stories of private/public partnerships that are making an impact on communities. Last February, the Missouri Department of Corrections implemented a program called Puppies for Parole. ...

If you did not attend any of the performances of Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" at the Bedell Performance Hall at the River Campus, you missed the best yet! I thought I was in New York seeing a professional musical. Kudos to all the theater staff involved in this outstanding production. Judith Farris brought the best projection of voices I've heard...

The Foster Parent Association of Cape Girardeau, Perry and Bollinger Counties would like to thank everyone who made our annual Christmas party possible. Approximately 75 foster children and 50 foster parents were in attendance. Southeast Hospital donated two hams. The pizza parlors of Jackson each donated 10 pizzas. Mazzio's parlor donated pasta...

Missouri lawmakers are targeting three measures passed by voters in recent years for modification or repeal. The most talked about issue is the so-called puppy mill bill passed last year. But puppies, green energy and wages are only part of the issue. ...

Jack N. "Ja-Ja" Wilson, 89, of Pine Island, Fla., passed away Friday, March 4, 2011, at Brasstown Manor in Hiawassee, Ga., where he had lived the last few months, after a brave battle with COPD and pneumonia. He was born Jan. 17, 1922. He grew up in Cape Girardeau and married the love of his life, Camille, before joining the U.S. Coast Guardduring World War II...

SCHERTZ, Texas -- Harvey Eugene Wingfield, 68, of Schertz was gathered into the everlasting arms of the Lord Thursday, March 3, 2011. He passed very peacefully with his wife, sons, and grandchildren at his side. He was born Jan. 2, 1943, in Cape Girardeau...

WHILE the government's cutting the budget, why don't they cut their salaries in half and go on Social Security like everybody else? That would definitely put a big chunk of change back into the system. They don't need to be paid what they're getting...

Mary Laverne Whitson, 64, of Jackson died Monday, March 7, 2011, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Feb. 19, 1947, at Chaffee, Mo., to Arnold and Barbara Riley Haddock. Mary and Norman Lee "Pete" Whitson were married Oct. 25, 1971...

Ramon Arthur "Ray" Tipsword, 80, of Jackson passed away Saturday, March 5, 2011, at Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 17, 1930, in St. Louis, son of Walter and Ester Beestrum Tipsword. He and Ginette Siry were married April 1, 1955, in Laon, France...

Louise "Lou" Bollinger, 98, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, March 6, 2011, at the Lutheran Home Assisted Living. She was born Dec. 14, 1912, in Cape Girardeau, to Henry and Catherine Steimle Unnerstall. She was united in marriage to Floyd Bollinger Oct. 15, 1940. He preceded her in death Dec. 7, 1989...

John W. "Buss" Eldridge, 87, of Cape Girardeau, passed away Monday, March 7, 2011, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 10, 1923, at Chaffee, Mo., son of John and Ethel Cornell Eldridge. He and Nola Faye Sample were married June 23, 1946, in Chicago, Ill. She passed away Oct. 25, 2006...

Rachel Palis, 80, of Columbia, Mo., formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, March 5, 2011, at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia. She was born Sept. 8, 1930, in East St. Louis, Ill., to John E. and Helen Keller Wolfe. She and Charles A. Palis were married June 30, 1951, in East St. Louis. He preceded her Feb. 22, 1990...

WASHINGTON -- Spine surgeon Anders Cohen puts a lot of stock in patients' expectations of pain relief. He prefers to operate only on those who "grab you by the collar and say, 'I can't take it anymore.'" New brain research proves doctors like Cohen are onto something: Pessimism can override the effectiveness of even powerful treatments...

NEW YORK -- Scientists in Europe report they were able to diagnose Down syndrome prenatally by giving a simple blood test to pregnant women, an approach that might one day help them avoid the more extensive procedure used now to detect the condition...

NEW YORK -- Stocks fell Monday as higher oil prices weighed on the market. Oil hit a two-year high early in the day, nearing $107 a barrel, after forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi launched airstrikes against opposition fighters at an oil port...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The University of Missouri is creating a $1.3 million endowed lecture series named for retired U.S. Sen. Kit Bond. The Christopher S. "Kit" Bond Distinguished Lecture Series will bring nationally-known speakers to the four system campuses as well as other cities across the state. Bond joined a group of university leaders on Monday afternoon to announce the endowment in his name...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama approved Monday the resumption of military trials for detainees at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, ending a two-year ban. It was the latest acknowledgment that the detention facility Obama had vowed to shut down within a year of taking office will remain open for some time to come. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A three-game losing streak to end the regular season knocked Missouri out of the top 25. Coach Mike Anderson blames the swoon on porous defense. Dragged down by a 1-7 conference road record, the Tigers (22-9) have the sixth seed in the Big 12 tournament and play Texas Tech on Wednesday. A loss to Kansas on Saturday spoiled a perfect home record...

ST. LOUIS -- Andy McDonald scored two goals and added another in a shootout in the St. Louis Blues' 5-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. Ben Bishop allowed one goal on 20 shots after relieving Ty Conklin midway through the first period with St. Louis trailing 3-1...

The St. Louis third baseman had two hits and three RBIs in an exhibition win against Minnesota

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Would you like to find out more about upcoming events in Poplar Bluff? Locate the closest restaurant to the place you're standing right now? Or maybe you need to connect to the website of a local hotel. Now there's an app for that...

Due to the weather forecast calling for precipitation Tuesday, the National Weather Service has postponed the scheduled annual statewide tornado drill. According to a news release issued Monday, the drill will now take place at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, when forecast calls for sunshine...

Jerry James Henley, 73, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, March 5, 2011, at his home. He was born Dec. 25, 1937, at Avert, Mo., the son of James and Inez Duffey Henley. Jerry was united in marriage to Deloris Davis Feb. 12, 1955, in Tunica, Miss. She preceded him in death March 26, 1983. He then married Juanita Boone on Feb. 25, 1984. She preceded him in death April 19, 2008. He later married JoAnn Monroe on May 1, 2009...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Oneta B. Shell, 89, of Marble Hill died Sunday, March 6, 2011, at Woodland Hills Nursing Home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Liley Funeral Home in Marble Hill. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Baker Cemetery near Marble Hill...

Mollie Marie Wheeler, 76, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, March 7, 2011, at Comfort Care Homes in Leawood, Kan. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

James Lohmeier, 69, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011, at the Lutheran Home. A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Thursday at Scriptural Evangelical Lutheran Church. Crain Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Public hearing...

The Southeast Missouri State baseball team's third visit of the season to a Sun Belt Conference squad has been revised. Southeast (7-5) and Arkansas-Little Rock (6-6) were scheduled to play a two-game series featuring contests tonight and Wednesday...

RAS LANOUF, Libya -- Repeated airstrikes by Libyan warplanes on Monday illustrated the edge Moammar Gadhafi holds in his fight against rebel forces marching toward the capital: He controls the air. After pleading from the uprising's leaders, Britain and France began drafting a U.N. resolution for a no-fly zone in Libya that could balance the scales...

MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin Democrats who fled the state nearly three weeks ago asked Monday for a meeting with Gov. Scott Walker to talk about changes to his plan to eliminate most public workers' union rights, a request the governor dismissed as "ridiculous."...

WASHINGTON -- NASA and its top scientists are distancing themselves from a space agency researcher who concludes that he found alien bacterial life in meteorites that were collected many decades ago. Richard Hoover of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., claims he found fossils that look like the remnants of bacteria in at least two meteorites. His research paper, published online Friday in the Journal of Cosmology, concludes these must have come from outer space...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Southbound Highway 25 in Stoddard County will be reduced to one lane this week, while Missouri Department of Transportation crews make pavement repairs. This section of road is between U.S 60 and Business U.S 60. Weather permitting, work will begin at 8 a.m. today and will be completed by 3 p.m. Thursday. The work zone will be marked with signs. For more information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Highway 51 in Stoddard County will be closed today, while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a drainage pipe beneath the roadway. This section of road is from Route J to Route AE. Weather permitting, the work will be done from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The work zone will be marked with signs. For more information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government quietly green-lighted a $77 million deal to provide at least 50 refurbished armored troop carriers to Moammar Gadhafi's army, approving a license that signaled growing American business contacts with his regime in the months before Libya imploded in civil war...

O Lord, may the seeds we sow bring a great harvest for Your glory. Amen.