Stories from Wednesday, March 21, 2012

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton was suspended without pay for the 2012 season by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was banned indefinitely on Wednesday because the team's players were paid bounties for big hits on opponents from 2009-11...

Make and model: Harkey-Davidson 2004 VROD Owner(s): Jason Butler Owner's hometown: Scott City It is 8 of 200 limited edtion custom paint set from Harley-Davidson only available that year. Totally aluminum frame,wheels and tins. Its Dyno Jet race tunner keeps the custom exhaust and fastest Harley in check...

When Laura Bennett and her husband built a new home off County Road 618 more than a decade ago, they agreed to come into Cape Girardeau's city limits when the time came. They were just hoping it wouldn't be so soon. "We do not want to come into the city," Bennett said. "We were hoping it would be a little longer than it's been."...

Missouri and Illinois are cracking down on a national tax preparation chain known to target low-income individuals, alleging violations when it comes to refunds and hidden fees. Attorneys general in both states have filed lawsuits against MoneyCo USA, also known as Mo' Money, which operates tax preparation offices in 17 Midwestern and Southern states and Washington, D.C...

Luther Haynes has tried and tried to lower his electric bill. He installed a new energy-efficient furnace for his Cape Girardeau home. He switched to compact fluorescent light bulbs. He unplugged everything that he wasn't using. Instead of lowering his bill, he's watched it continue to increase...

Notre Dame and Sikeston reminded everyone the two school's rivalry extends well past the basketball court during a Tuesday afternoon baseball contest at Notre Dame Regional High School. The two rivals christened their seasons with a game that Notre Dame claimed 10-9 on a walk-off single in the ninth inning...

Cape Central High School's Tevin Roper has earned a football scholarship to attend Lincoln University in Jefferson City. Tevin and his mother, Elaine Roper, are pictured above signing his letter of intent. Standing are Football Coach Nathan Norman, center, and Athletic Director Lance Tollison. ...

Cape Central High School's Chelsea Willett will be heading to Canton, IL, with an athletic scholarship to attend college and play softball for Spoon River College. She is pictured above with her mother and father, Cella and Jeremy Willett, signing her letter of intent. Standing are Cape Central High School Softball Coach Amy Blattel and Athletic Director Lance Tollison...

The Alzheimer's Association St. Louis Chapter and Adam E. Stone, present the world premiere of "A Life Unhappening". Celebrate Mother's Day with a unique performance that blends the beauty of the arts with the science of a critical public health crisis. This spoken-word ballet explores the impact of Alzheimer's disease on three generations of one woman's family...

Whitney is 4 months old. She is available for adoption at The Humane Society 573-334-5837. See more pets available at www.semopets.org.

The Cape Girardeau Public Schools Board of Education honored several outstanding students for their leadership, scholarship and service to others during the March board meeting. The recipients of the Terrific Tiger Award are pictured above with School Board President Stacy Kinder and Superintendent of Schools Dr. ...

The 2012 Cape Girardeau County Heart Walk was a big success, thanks to the support and dedication of Saint Francis Medical Center and its employees. Twelve Saint Francis teams, made up of more than 100 employees and their families, raised more than $9,000 for the walk on February 25, winning the award for most money raised. The Medical Center was also the signature sponsor of the event, which raised a total of $46,726 for the American Heart Association...

Do you know the three numbers that can indicate your increased risk of heart disease? Learn your numbers -- and how to change them -- at the fifth annual Heart to Heart Luncheon Friday, April 13, at Drury Lodge, 104 S. Vantage Drive. The event will feature exhibits and screenings, as well as cardiovascular wellness and weight management expert Janet Bond Brill, PhD, RD, LDN, as the keynote speaker...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri House has defeated an attempt to boost funding for the blind by cutting money that would provide treatment to welfare recipients who test positive for drugs. The House voted 102-49 Tuesday to turn back the $1.1 million cut to the drug treatment program proposed by Democratic Rep. Sara Lampe, of Springfield. She had argued that it was more important to restore money to a health care program for the blind...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich has decided not to enter the Republican race against Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. Schweich said in a statement Tuesday that he determined his candidacy would have made the Republican Senate primary more contentious, and thus would not have helped Republican chances of defeating McCaskill in November...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri Senate has rejected an attempt to set up a state-run health insurance exchange. The exchanges are part of the federal health care law approved in 2009. States are required to create exchanges by 2014 so that individuals and small business can compare health insurance plans...

The Cape Girardeau mother whose 18-month-old daughter tested positive for cocaine Jan. 1 has pleaded guilty, although only to one lesser count of second-degree child endangerment, prosecutors said. Brooke Whitener, 31, was sentenced to two years of probation March 6, said Cape Girardeau County assistant prosecuting attorney Frank Miller. She was originally charged with three counts of felony child endangerment and faced up to seven years in prison for each count...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Vanduser, Mo., man is in jail following an alleged kidnapping in Advance, Mo. Charlie Dale Reynolds, 34, has been charged with felony kidnapping, felony first-degree burglary and misdemeanor third-degree domestic assault. According to a probable-cause affidavit, Sunday afternoon, a man invited a woman into his apartment, and Reynolds forced his way in as the woman entered. ...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- An Advance, Mo., man is behind bars today following a weekend rape that resulted in an ensuing chase and shots being fired. Steven Clark Rendelman, 51, of Advance, has been convicted of rape twice in the past 30 years. Rendelman had convictions in 1984 in Cape Girardeau County and in 1990 in Stoddard County. A third incident in 2009 in Cape Girardeau County led to a guilty plea of sexual misconduct...

Law enforcement authorities in Perry County are seeking information to aid in identifying and locating several suspects they believe are responsible for theft of payroll checks and petty cash at several businesses. The Perry County Sheriff's Department reported in a news release that several men have entered businesses seeking job applications and returned and burglarized the businesses later when they are closed...

Cape Girardeau police arrested a suspect Tuesday in connection with a foot pursuit and a shot fired at officers in a neighborhood near the intersection of Hanover and Bloomfield streets Monday night. Otis D. Rutherford, 25, of Cape Girardeau was arrested following an investigation by police and charged with four felonies after he allegedly ran when confronted by officers around 10:20 p.m. Monday...

A fire that began in the kitchen at a downtown Cape Girardeau business caused only minor damage Tuesday morning but will cause the facility to shut down for a short time. Cape Girardeau firefighters responded to The Billiard Center, 26 N. Main St., around 10:10 a.m. after an employee called in to report a fire...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Union County voters soundly defeated a proposition to consolidate four school districts, while the Democratic Party chairman was defeated in his attempt to secure a nomination for a newly created county commissioner seat. To read the rest of this story, visit www.thesouthern.com...

The Southeast baseball team saw its losing streak stretch to five games

A precautionary boil water order will be in effect from 8 a.m. today until 5 p.m. Friday for residents of portions of Forest Acres subdivision in Jackson. According to a news release from the city, the order is for all homes on Royal Drive, East Jackson Trail, Shady Lane and homes at 1129, 1138, 1158 and 1205 Highland Drive...

MONROE CITY, Mo. -- A 2010 ballot initiative to toughen oversight of dog breeders highlighted the rift between Missouri farmers and national animal rights activists. Two years later, the divide has only deepened. Twenty-five farm groups ranging from the Missouri Pork Association and the state Beef Industry Council to agribusiness heavyweights Cargill and Monsanto have united under the banner of Missouri Farmers Care...

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -- Front-runner Mitt Romney sailed to an easy victory in the Illinois primary Tuesday night, trumping Rick Santorum in yet another industrial state showdown and padding his already-formidable delegate lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination...

Today is Wednesday, March 21, the 81st day of 2011. There are 285 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 21, 1963, the Alcatraz federal prison island in San Francisco Bay was emptied of its last inmates at the order of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy...

LOS ANGELES -- Fans are so hungry for "The Hunger Games" that Hollywood's buzzing about an opening weekend to rival the $140 million debuts of some of the "Twilight" movies. Early tracking pegged "The Hunger Games" at only about half that much. But box-office forecasters have been continually revising their predictions upward based on audience awareness and advance ticket sales...

Former Scott County Central standout Otto Porter has moved on to the college ranks, but that didn't stop his alma mater from going the distance on Saturday to win the Class 1 state championship. The Braves, who have won four state titles in as many years, defeated Drexel 79-72 at Mizzou Arena. This year's championship was the program's 16th overall...

DEAR residents of the proposed Fruitland incorporation area: Be prepared to hold onto your wallets. Once your village incorporates, the village will be responsible for taking on various administrative duties. In order to fund these duties, the village must have a source of revenue -- tax dollars. ...

It was just two years ago that this current administration was able to push through ObamaCare -- the proposed national health insurance that was designed to solve the financial and access problem of health insurance. The questions that circled that ambitious program involved the forced mandate that will compel millions of uninsured to enter the market. One of the larger questions was the lack of available medical providers to cover this new emerging market...

O Father God, may we glorify you in our actions, words and attitudes. Amen.

I am writing this letter to give you a different view on this story. I am regretfully unable to give you Sean's side of the story as he was never able to speak after the incident with the police, but I am more than happy to give you my side of this tragic story. ...

LOS ANGELES -- Three online dating giants agreed to screen for sex offenders and take other safety steps after a woman was assaulted on a date, the California attorney general's office said Tuesday. Match.com, eHarmony and Spark Networks signed a joint statement of business principles intended to provide an example for the industry and help guard against sexual predators, identity theft and financial scams...

Stocks closed lower Tuesday for only the second time in two weeks after two reports suggested an economic slowdown in China, where blistering growth over the past three years has helped sustain the global economic recovery. Home prices dropped in 45 Chinese cities last month, a result of government policies designed to reduce property speculation. And BHP Billiton, a mining company, predicted that China will not use much more iron ore in 2020 than it does today...

NEW YORK -- Apple made computers sexy. Can it do the same for the musty old dividend? Issuing a regular payment to your stockholders after years of just amassing cash used to be an admission that your company has run out of creative ideas to grow profits...

BAGHDAD -- Insurgents plotting to derail next week's Arab League meeting in Baghdad unleashed bloody attacks across Iraq on Tuesday, killing 46 people. The government vowed not to be scared off from hosting the summit -- the first in the country in a generation and a chance to prove it is moving toward normalcy after years of war...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court appeared ready Tuesday to say anew that young people who commit even the most brutal crimes should not be punished as harshly as adults, taking up a pair of cases in which 14-year-olds convicted of murder are serving life sentences with no chance of parole...

WASHINGTON -- Republicans looking for a political opening to challenge President Barack Obama on national security got little help Tuesday from the top military commander in Afghanistan, who insisted that the White House is heeding his advice. In his much-anticipated appearance before Congress, Marine Gen. ...

Dorothy Estelle Jones Francis, longtime resident of Blytheville and Sherwood, Ark., died Sunday, March 18, 2012, in Rogers, Ark. She was born Sept. 21, 1921, in Hill Creek, Conway County, Ark., daughter of David Gillard and Winnie Pearl Hawkins Jones...

Lloyd I. Watkins, 83, of Bloomington, Ill., president emeritus of Illinois State University, died Thursday, March 1, 2012, after a courageous three-year battle with cancer. Per Lloyd's wishes cremation rites have been accorded. A memorial service was held Sunday at First United Methodist Church in Normal, Ill., with the Rev. John Mcintosh officiating...

Wendel Richard "Midge" Sullivan, 87, of Sturgeon, Mo., formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, March 19, 2012, at Sturgeon Rest Home. Private funeral will be Wednesday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home, with the Rev. Thomas Kiefer officiating. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Samuel G. Fisher, 80, of Advance passed away Monday, March 19, 2012, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Oct. 12, 1931, in Lodge, Va., son of Samuel and Mabel Sebra Fisher Sr. Sam opened Sam's Restaurant in Advance in 1980. He and his family operated the restaurant more than 30 years. He was a member of Advance United Methodist Church. He had been an Advance city alderman eight years and was active in the Republican Party. He was an avid golfer...

Friends, relatives and patients of Dr. Edward D. Campbell pay tribute to his 40-year career as a physician; appropriately enough, the festivities at Cape Girardeau's Holiday Inn are also in celebration of Campbell's 50th wedding anniversary. Speaking before about 40 people, mostly local NAACP members here, the Rev. Raymond Mallory of Hannibal, Mo., says despite integration, black Americans are "losing out" in terms of quality education; Mallory is an NAACP coordinator for a 10-state region...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Kathern "Katie" Newton, 94, of Jonesboro died Monday, March 19, 2012, at her home. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Rendleman and Hileman Funeral Home in Jonesboro. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, with David Eidson officiating. Burial will be in Jonesboro Cemetery...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. — Beulah DeLashmutt, 91, of Olive Branch died Tuesday, March 20, 2012, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Tamms, Ill.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Gov. Jay Nixon is releasing $1.6 million that he trimmed from the current year's budgets for social service programs, firefighter training and the state Senate. Nixon budget director Linda Luebbering said Tuesday that $1.2 million was released for domestic violence shelters, crisis care services for children and Area Agencies on Aging. Nixon also released $200,000 each for firefighter training and the operations of the state Senate...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Several Missouri senators say more security cameras should be installed in the state Capitol to deter people from committing crimes. There are currently 20 cameras recording different places in the building. Legislation to add more cameras was filed after a January incident in which someone put orange stickers resembling gun targets on five lawmakers' office nameplates...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Lena VanGennip, 90, of Marble Hill passed away Tuesday, March 20, 2012, at her home. She was born April 6, 1921, near Lutesville, Mo., daughter of Lewis Emmanuel and Edna Josephine Johnson Mansker. She and Frank VanGennip were married Oct. 11, 1941. He passed away Aug. 7, 1981...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri lawmaker is pushing tougher penalties for hunters who accidentally kill someone. Under existing law, the state Conservation Commission may suspend the hunting privileges of any hunter who causes an accidental death for up to five years. Legislation by Senate Majority Leader Tom Dempsey would double that to 10 years...

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

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests...

MEXICO CITY -- A strong 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit southern Mexico on Tuesday, damaging some 800 homes near the epicenter and swaying tall buildings and spreading fear and panic hundreds of miles away in the capital of Mexico City.

Route Z from Route OO to Route F in Cape Girardeau County will be closed today as Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a pipe beneath the roadway. Weather permitting, work will be done from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The work zone will be marked with signs. Motorists are urged to use caution while traveling near the area...

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Kyle Lohse will leave his new curveball in Florida when the season starts. "We tried it. That's what spring training is for, to mess around with pitches," Lohse said Tuesday after pitching five innings in his fourth spring start for the St. Louis Cardinals. "But if you don't have confidence in something, you're not going to be able to execute it...

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Corvette he won as World Series MVP is waiting at home for David Freese to drive. Provided he can pry the keys from his dad, that is. It might take a GPS to locate another prize from last October. Freese already owns the ball he hit for the home run in the 11th inning that won Game 6. He'd love to add the ball from his two-out, two-strike, two-run triple in the bottom of the ninth that saved the Series for the St. Louis Cardinals...

All the local high school events reported Tuesday to the Southeast Missourian.

Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday:...

TOULOUSE, France -- Police searched southern France on Tuesday for an expert gunman suspected of fatally shooting seven people in the head at close range in attacks that may have been motivated by neo-Nazi ties or grudges against minorities. The shooter is suspected of carrying out three deadly attacks: leaving four people dead Monday at a Jewish school in Toulouse, three of them young children; killing two French paratroopers and seriously wounding another last Thursday in nearby Montauban; and fatally shooting another paratrooper in Toulouse on March 11.. ...

SANFORD, Fla. -- An unarmed black teenager shot to death by a neighborhood watch captain told his girlfriend moments before he was killed that he was being followed, a lawyer said Tuesday as federal and state prosecutors announced they would investigate...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Storms shuffled through parts of the south-central United States again Tuesday, bringing more heavy rain, damaging winds and thunder so loud some people in Oklahoma mistook it for an earthquake. Forecasters said the slow-moving storm system that socked the region Monday could cause more flash floods, hail, strong winds and possibly tornadoes in a corridor stretching from Texas east to Louisiana and as far north as Missouri...

GORENTAS, Turkey -- Syrian rebel commander Ahmad Mihbzt and his ragtag fighters grabbed their aging rifles to fight Syrian troops advancing on their village, but soon fled under a rain of exploding artillery shells. "We will fight until our last drop of blood," Mihbzt declared a week later in this village across the Turkish border. "We just withdrew because we ran out of ammunition."...

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) -- It was a decade when tens of millions of people in the U.S. experienced mass unemployment and social upheaval as the nation clawed its way out of the Great Depression and rumblings of global war were heard from abroad...

SEATTLE -- When Justin Bassett interviewed for a new job, he expected the usual questions about experience and references. So he was astonished when the interviewer asked for something else: his Facebook username and password. Bassett, a New York City statistician, had just finished answering a few character questions when the interviewer turned to her computer to search for his Facebook page. ...

MEXICO CITY -- A strong magnitude-7.4 earthquake hit central and southern Mexico on Tuesday, damaging some 800 homes near the epicenter and swaying tall buildings and spreading fear and panic hundreds of miles away in the capital of Mexico City...

Scott County Central senior Dominique Porter went out on top. He started to walk back to his team's locker room after answering questions following the Class 1 boys basketball state championship game, but he stopped and shook his head slightly before turning back...