Stories from Friday, March 11, 2011

TOKYO (AP) -- For more than two terrifying, seemingly endless minutes Friday, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan shook apart homes and buildings, cracked open highways and unnerved even those who have learned to live with swaying skyscrapers. Then came a devastating tsunami that slammed into northeastern Japan and killed hundreds of people.

A Cape Girardeau County judge will take some time before making a decision on whether a Jackson man should stand trial for allegedly profiting from a kickback scheme in which authorities say an area business was the victim. Following witness testimony there was a dispute on whether the defendant, Jason Mitchell, should have been criminally charged at all...

Darieth Nunley worked on a problem for his consumer education course, trying to determine the annualized rate of income for a small business. Nunley was all business as he studied in the quiet of the Cape Girardeau Alternative Education Center computer lab Thursday afternoon. He has to be -- if he wants to graduate on time with his classmates...

The Red Cross chapter in Cape Girardeau reported via news release today that it's unable to accept inquiries to contact or locate family and friends in Japan. The Red Cross suggests the following methods for inquiries:

Title of pic is Sit Boy! Picture is of a toddler and a puppy, both having a sit in chairs.

Expect to see yard signs, bright red fliers and eight-page publications popping up around Cape Girardeau as opponents of a citywide smoking ban are prepping for a final push before the April 5 election. The group, Stand Up Cape, What's Next?, filed its campaign committee organization form with the Missouri Ethics Commission on March 3, three days before the deadline. The filing is a state requirement for campaign committees planning on spending more than $1,000 to sway voters...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The rebirth of the Rodgers Theatre has been so successful that artists now request a spot in the venue's lineup. Internationally known bluegrass group Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver will be performing at the Rodgers Theatre 7 p.m. Saturday, with opening band 8 Trax...

William Hargrove, son of Rubbermaid employee Doug Hargrove presented Chaffee Junior High School two Gartorade Jugs for their athletic department. Doug's son found that the school was in need of some water jugs and knew that his father would be able to obtain some from Rubbermaid. The donation was made on behalf of Rubbermaid. Rubbermaid employees continue to donate water jugs to local schools and community organizations...

The Kiwanis Club of Cape Girardeau is hosting its annual '50s and '60s rock and roll dance party from 8 p.m. to midnight April 9, 2011 at the Arena Building. "The music from the '50s and '60s was just the most fun," said Fred Horrell, event organizer and Kiwanis member. "The melodies caught you and it had the beat to it. Folks usually stay all night and have a heck of a good time."...

Wednesday, April 6 · 6:30pm - 8:30pm New Mckendree United Methodist Church South Campus 1770 S. Hope St. (Hwy 25) Jackson, Missouri 63755 Mark Schultz with special guests Jason Gray and David Klinkenberg. Tickets ON SALE NOW $20 General Admission...

Nashville, TN. Artists, GARY RAY & The Heartwells is gonna ROCK the House at ROXY'S Big Country Saloon on Saturday, March 26th ... Show starts at 9:30pm! A Show you will not want to miss! Gary Ray and his band performed at the Daytona 500 Last month. Awesome Performance!...

It was shaping up to be a quiet Friday night. A crowd was gathered at a local sporting event at Houck Stadium, where Cape Girardeau Police Department Patrolman Don Crittendon was on duty and committed to carrying out his last two hours with the force...

Leaving two years before his term was set to expire, the vice president of the Gordonville Fire Protection District Board resigned from his position recently, according to a news release from the board Thursday. John Peters joined the board in 2007, and his term was due to end in 2013. Board treasurer Bill Craig said Peters resigned in order to spend more time with his family...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri House Democrats Thursday continued to charge majority Republicans with political grandstanding as the House passed legislation that mandates drivers' license tests be given in English only and another bill that reaffirms citizens' right to pray in public...

They say it takes a village to raise a child. That's certainly the case with Jefferson Fox's new baby, "Chronicles of Harvey." Fox originally planned to record the album in a studio in California, but changed his mind as he started gathering sounds from his neighbors...

NEW YORK -- Charlie Sheen is gone, but his sitcom "Two and a Half Men" is likely to stick around. Although the eight-year-old show is aging and revolved around Sheen's playboy character Charlie Harper, Warner Bros. Television and CBS have every incentive to try to keep it going after producers fired him Monday...

Arts and entertainment briefs

Cape Girardeau's heritage may be French, but the Irish will shine Thursday as several local pubs celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The Plaza Conference Center has a green-themed buffet and cocktail event. Pitter's Cafe and Lounge will have a DJ spinning tunes inspired by the Emerald Isle. ...

Since 2003, the Visual Arts Co-op has provided a common thread for artists of many media. It has grown to become Cape Girardeau's largest organized art group. The co-op is celebrating the beginning of its ninth year with the eighth annual art show, which opened Friday at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri...

If a right-to-work law is implemented in Missouri, wages will decrease, or at least remain stagnant, as they have in every state that has adopted this bad law. If fuel prices go up, the price for everything that has to be transported will also increase. In the meantime, if wages go down, what happens to our quality of life?...

The students of West Lane Elementary School in Jackson recently finished a two-year campaign to raise funds for new school playground equipment. In addition to selling cookie dough, funds were raised through candle and sucker sales as well as school fun days -- designated days when students could pay a dollar to wear stickers or hats for the day...

CAN someone please explain why our ships are moving over toward Libya? We didn't get involved when it was happening in Greece, yet suddenly we want the leader of Libya out? And so many said that the Republicans were the warmongers. Where are the protesters now?...

The plump calico cat that adopted us several years ago is, having used eight of her lives to the fullest, looking for an angel's lap. Miss Kitty, who became a regular topic in this column over the years, was the smartest cat that ever lived. I do not boast. I am merely stating fact. I know some of you feel the same way about your cats, and I would be the last person to disagree with you. But, for today, Miss Kitty takes the prize...

Praise be to You, O Heavenly Father, for forgiving all our sins. Amen.

LONDON -- An expert panel commissioned by the World Health Organization to investigate its handling of the swine flu pandemic has slammed mistakes made by the U.N. body and warned tens of millions could die if there is a severe flu outbreak in the future...

RAS LANOUF, Libya -- With barrages of tank and artillery fire, Moammar Gadhafi's loyalists threw rebels into a retreat from a strategic oil port Thursday, its counteroffensive reversing the opposition's advance toward the capital Tripoli and now threatening its positions in the east...

JERUSALEM -- The militant Islamic Hamas group that rules Gaza has recovered from a war against Israel two years ago and looks "much like an army," thanks in part to direct assistance from Iranian and Hezbollah agents operating in the Gaza Strip, a senior Israeli military official said...

MADISON, Wis. -- Police carried dozens of protesters from a hallway leading to the Wisconsin Assembly on Thursday morning as Democratic representatives pounded on the locked door of the chamber, demanding to be let in before a historic vote on an explosive bill taking away public workers' collective bargaining rights...

WASHINGTON -- The number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose last week. But the rise comes after applications hit their lowest level in nearly three years, and economists expect further declines as the economy improves. Applications increased by 26,000 to a seasonally adjusted 397,000 during the week ended March 5, the Labor Department said Thursday...

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans will "lead with our chin" and offer politically explosive cost curbs this spring on programs like Medicare, Medicaid and perhaps Social Security, the party's point man for curbing crippling budget deficits said Thursday...

Venus Lorene Petitt, 87, of Scott City died Wednesday, March 9, 2011, at her home. She was born May 14, 1923, in Thebes, Ill., to Clyde Franklin and Ida Mosher Dunn. She married Thomas Alvin "Bill" Petitt April 4, 1940, in Thebes. He preceded her in death Aug. 10, 1987...

Matthew Deven Christopher, 23, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, March 9, 2011, at his home. He was born Sept. 16, 1987, in San Bernardino, Calif., to Douglas and Carol Rogers Christopher. Matthew graduated from Central High School in 2006. He worked for Marquette Barge Lines and was recently promoted to first mate...

Son to Todd LeShawn Blissett and Angelia Relonda Applewhite of Cape Girardeau, Saint Francis Medical Center, 7:27 a.m. Monday, Feb. 14, 2011. Name, Todd LeShawn. Weight, 7 pounds, 6 ounces. Fourth child, second son. Ms. Applewhite is the daughter of Ann Applewhite of Sikeston, Mo. Blissett is the son of Linda Blissett-Smith of Fulton, Mo. He is employed at Nordenia USA...

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, through its air transportation committee, is attempting to at least delay the planned closure of the Federal Aviation Administration's Flight Service Station here; the committee is circulating petitions among pilots at various airports in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois against the closure...

NORFOLK, Va. -- A federal grand jury has indicted 13 suspected pirates from Somalia and one from Yemen in the February hijacking of a yacht that left four Americans dead, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday. The men face piracy, kidnapping and firearms charges stemming from their efforts to hold the Americans for ransom, according to the indictment...

HOUSTON -- Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords plans to attend the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour next month to see off her astronaut husband, a person close to the family told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the family and doctors have not yet publicized the decision. A news conference was scheduled for this morning at the Houston hospital where Giffords is undergoing rehabilitation...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Senate voted Thursday to repeal many of the mandates included in a dog-breeding law approved by voters four months ago. Some lawmakers fear the law could wipe out the state's dog-breeding industry by forcing costly renovations to facilities and effectively limiting the number of dogs each business can sell...

ST. LOUIS -- Surgeries resumed Thursday at the Veterans Affairs hospital in St. Louis, more than a month after they were shut down over sterilization concerns. The hospital suspended surgeries Feb. 2 after surgical trays were found to be pitted with corrosion. ...

SEYMOUR, Mo. -- Webster County authorities say an Army veteran became enraged and shot his mother and tried to shoot his father after they would not acknowledge that he was the reincarnated Jesus. Sheriff Roye Cole said Zakariah Jacob Evitt was jailed Wednesday on $500,000 bond on two counts of felonious assault and one count of armed criminal action...

WASHINGTON -- Congress pushed deep into a debate Thursday over American Muslims who have committed terrorist attacks in the name of religion, in a hearing punctuated by tearful testimony, angry recriminations and political theater. Republican Rep. Peter King declared U.S. Muslims are doing too little to help fight terror in America. Democrats warned of inflaming anti-Muslim sentiment and energizing al-Qaida...

WASHINGTON -- The government ran the largest-ever budget deficit for a single month in February. The shortfall kept this year's annual deficit on pace to end as the biggest in U.S. history. The widening deficit reflects the effect of the tax-cut package President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans brokered in December...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday:...

NEW YORK -- The new iPad model hitting stores today comes with several improvements over the original version but the same price tag, hobbling efforts by rivals at breaking Apple Inc.'s hold on the emerging market for tablet computers. Competitors such as Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. can't seem to match the iPad's starting price of $499. Tablets that are comparable to the iPad in features cost hundreds of dollars more, while cheaper tablets are inferior to the iPad in quality...

A ribbon cutting was held Thursday for Veterans Memorial Drive, which saw phase four of the project recently completed. City officials turned out to tout the project, which was administered by the city's engineering division. The original bid price for the work was $1.3 million. ...

FARMINGTON, Mo. (AP) -- An eastern Missouri town has agreed to pay $61,566 in civil penalties for violating federal wastewater discharge standards. The Park Hills Daily Journal reports that Farmington agreed to the settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency for wastewater discharge permit and Clean Water Act violations...

Jackson officials have announced a new temporary road closure policy. According to a news release issued earlier this week, anyone requesting a closure of any city street must submit an application to the city clerk, stating the location, dates, times and other circumstances of the temporary closure. The city clerk will forward the application to the appropriate city departments for review...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Summons Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday:...

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI rejects the idea of Jesus as a political revolutionary and insists that violent revolution must never be carried out in God's name in a new book that was released Thursday amid great fanfare at the start of Lent...

The cardinals right-hander allowed just three hits and one run in four innings

I don't normally delve far into pop culture in this column; I like to keep it local. But humor me for just 370 words (or tune in next week when I revert to the norm.) I like TV. I don't like it enough to invest in cable for my house or splurge for DVR at my Local's house, but I do like it. Up until recently, "Two and a Half Men" was a favorite in the house -- the one with cable...

Highway 177 from County Road 610 to Route V in Cape Girardeau County will be closed Tuesday through Friday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace culvert pipe under the roadway at various locations. Weather permitting, the road will be closed from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use caution while traveling near the area. For more information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

BENTON, Mo. -- A ramp on southbound Interstate 55 in Scott County will be reduced to a 10-foot width restriction today while Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform shoulder repairs. The ramp is from southbound I-55 to Highway 77 at Benton. ...

Highway 177 from Route J to Route W in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane today while Missouri Department of Transportation crews make shoulder repairs. Weather permitting, the work will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use caution while traveling near the area. For more information, contact the Missouri Department of Transportation's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Route O between Highway 72 and Route A in Bollinger County will be reduced to one lane today while Missouri Department of Transportation crews make pavement repairs. Weather permitting, the work will be done from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorist are urged to use caution while traveling in the area. For more information, contact MoDOT's Customer Service Center at 888-275-6636...

WASHINGTON -- Higher oil prices are slowing global economic growth, and the effect is likely to spread in coming months. Oil prices helped raise the U.S. trade deficit to a seven-month high in January, when crude prices were $87.50 a barrel. Oil is now trading at more than $100 a barrel, suggesting the gap will widen in coming months. Even fast-growing China isn't immune -- higher oil prices contributed to a rare trade deficit there in February...

Kristian Troxel finished third in the 400-meter IM to lead the Gator Swim Team qualifiers at the 2011 Speedo Champions Series meet in Oklahoma City, Okla., last weekend. Troxel had a time of 4 minutes, 41.60 seconds, which qualified him for the 2011 NCSA Junior National Swimming Championships in Orlando, Fla., later this month. Troxel also finished fourth in the 1,500 freestyle, sixth in the 800 freestyle and eighth in both the 200 butterfly and 800 freestyle...

Texas A&M defeated Missouri 86-71 in the second round of the Big 12 tournament

Southeast enters the three-game weekend series with a 7-5 record

St. Louis won its third straight game as its goaltender beat his former team

HONOLULU (AP) -- Tsunami waves swamped Hawaii beaches and brushed the U.S. western coast Friday but didn't immediately cause major damage after devastating Japan and sparking evacuations throughout the Pacific. Water rushed up on roadways and into hotel lobbies on the Big Island and low-lying areas in Maui were flooded as 7-foot waves crashed ashore. Smaller waves hit the U.S. western coast and beaches were closed as fishermen fired up their boats and left harbors to ride out the swell...

Meadow Heights girls basketball coach Mitch Nanney didn't care about getting another shot at Couch. "We're glad to play anybody," Nanney said. "It doesn't matter who we're playing. We're in the quarterfinals. We'll play anybody." Nanney's Panthers will face Couch in a Class 2 state quarterfinal for the second time in three years. Couch defeated Meadow Heights 54-24 in 2009...