Stories from Tuesday, April 27, 2004

As you descend the shadowy wooden staircase in the Petzoldts' concrete basement, you wouldn't know a colorful wonderland is just a few paces away. Open the door at the steps' end and you enter a world where darkness and negativity stop at the threshold. A curious painted fox peeks around a tree. What was once a drab sewer pipe has been magically transformed into a tree branch. And Michelle Crosnoe's smiling face and cheery voice brighten the room like no fluorescent light ever could...

Man has always liked to demolish things. How else can you explain the excitement on "Extreme Home Makeover," a show with a huge budget and an army of construction workers who practically tear down a deserving family's home and rebuild it bigger and better than ever...

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Those gleaming necklaces, rings and watches in the jewelry case may cost a lot more than you think, environmentalists say. In a new public relations campaign, environmentalists groups are scolding jewelers for the damage caused by mining for gold, silver and other precious metals, and are putting pressure on jewelry retailers to reject minerals from big polluters...

N. Korea balks at South's offer to send relief DANDONG, China -- North Korea balked Monday at opening its heavily armed border to relief trucks from rival South Korea, even as international aid groups sought more help for thousands injured or made homeless by a massive train explosion. As a cold rain fell on the devastated community of Ryongchon, relief workers warned that more food, blankets and medicine were needed immediately in the impoverished nation...

FULTON, Mo. -- Vice President Dick Cheney, stepping forcefully into his role as John Kerry's chief critic, questioned on Monday whether the Democrat is fit to serve as president in a time of war. Democrats said the tactic is a sign of desperation. "It's time for Dick Cheney to call off the Republican attack dogs," said Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe...

Twelve-year-old Nicole Townes of Baltimore is out of a coma but still struggling to recover after being pummeled and stomped at a birthday party in a beating that was shocking not just because of its savagery, but because it was meted out by other girls...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A 15-year-old boy on a wilderness expedition for emotionally troubled youths woke up to find a 400-pound brown bear with a bad attitude sitting at his feet. After trying to back out of the tent, the boy was bitten in the forearm and decided to fight back, punching the bear, Alaska state trooper Adam Benson said Monday. When the teen tried to run, the bear bit him below his ribs...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- An explosion leveled part of a building as U.S. troops searched it for suspected "chemical munitions" on Monday, an American general said. Two soldiers were killed and five wounded, and a cheering mob of Iraqis looted their wrecked Humvees, taking away weapons, a helmet and a bandolier...

PARIS -- The Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of the unknown woman with the enigmatic smile, is sparking a new kind of mystery: What is causing the Renaissance masterpiece to deteriorate so quickly? The thin, poplar panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since conservation experts last evaluated it, the Louvre Museum said. Leonardo's masterwork -- now nearly 500 years old -- is inspected every one to two years...

SEWANEE, Tenn. -- Some students say choosing a school, a major, a fraternity or a sorority are the most important decisions of their college life. Students at the University of the South also can choose to fight. Fires, that is. Students compete to become members of the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department, which serves both the campus and community...

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- A clerk for the Pulaski County public administrator's office has been charged with 17 felony stealing counts for allegedly taking more than $16,000 from private checking accounts managed by the office, Attorney General Jay Nixon said Monday. Cathi M. Leuthen, 25, of Crocker is accused of taking the money from January through October 2003, said Nixon, whose office was appointed as a special prosecutor in the case...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The mass e-mail from the boss was simple enough: an update on the prospect of employee pay raises and health plan improvements in the annual budget. But this was no typical company. In this case, the e-mailing boss was none other than Gov. Bob Holden, a chief executive who also is running for re-election this year. And the recipients were most of Missouri's 61,000 employees, a potentially large voting bloc...

The Notre Dame girls soccer team looked at ease on Monday night at Central High School. Despite losing their starting goalie in the first 10 minutes of the game and playing without one of their top defenders, the Bulldogs controlled play most of the game and came away with a 3-1 victory...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- With the help of a 1-over-par 73 from senior Todd Obegoenner, Central topped a field of 13 teams with a 305 at the Sikeston Invitational on Monday. Matt Bain of Sikeston tied Obergoenner through 18 holes. Obergoenner won the tournament on the second playoff hole...

HUMBLE, Texas -- Vijay Singh is usually unbeatable entering the final round of a tournament. He proved it again Monday. Singh shared the lead with John Huston in the rain-delayed Houston Open going into the last round, but he pulled away with a 4-under 68 for his sixth straight win when leading after three rounds...

Southeast Missouri has a new voice in the state realm of homeland security. On Monday, Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson announced that he has been invited to serve as a member of the Emergency Responders Committee of the Missouri Office of Homeland Security. There he will work with authorities at the federal, state and local levels to lay out training, select equipment and establish preparedness standards for Missouri's emergency responders...

The Four Seasons Audubon Society will host two programs Wednesday at Central High School in Cape Girardeau. "Analysis of the Cape La Croix Watershed" will be presented by Mark Hahn's ecology class. The Audubon Society will present "Local Birding Hotspots."...

In the nearly 15 months since the war in Iraq broke out, barely a day has gone by that some area church member or devoted believer hasn't prayed for someone serving in the military. A group has been gathering at Mount Auburn Christian Church to pray for families and friends in the military on the first Monday evening of each month. In March, there were 62 people who came to pray but the numbers had nearly doubled by April's gathering...

A Denver pilot on his way to a flying competition had his ability tested Monday afternoon when he tried to land at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. John Klitzke, 21, and two passengers in his single-engine Cessna 17B left Kansas City Monday morning en route to Smyrna, Tenn. ...

Members of the Missouri National Guard units in Poplar Bluff, Doniphan and Warrenton, Mo., received notice Monday that they are being called up in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle. Capt. Chris Mickim at the Poplar Bluff armory, said this callup involves National Guard troops in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, as well as throughout the state. ...

Editor's note: In Day 2 of Ben Rushin's story, Ben broke two years of silence in the back seat of Debby's van. He said "waterslide," and Debby has yet to tell Richard. By Callie Clark and Bob Miller ~ Southeast Missourian...

After going through speech, occupational and physical therapies throughout the week, sometimes it's nice just to horse around. Horse therapy has been found to help many autistic children. The horses provide both visual and tactile stimulation, and riding them builds up the child's strength...

Mary Reynolds simply couldn't wait any longer. On March 30, Reynolds received word at her home in Whitewater that her son, Lance Cpl. Charles Bigham, had been wounded by a fragmentation grenade in a gunfight while serving as a military policeman in Iraq. The following three weeks were a tumult of canceled flight plans, periodic long-distance phone updates on his condition and location, and prayer. The only thing she knew for certain was that she couldn't see, hold or kiss her son...

Jackson School District's plans for expanding its high school include $25 million in improvements and new construction to begin as early as the fall of 2005. The school, with its 1,200 students, has battled a lack of space and deteriorating buildings for 10 years. District officials now have a basic layout for the future campus, which will remain at the current site on Missouri Street...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Kristin Mulhall acts as if the Kentucky Derby is just another race. She isn't fooling anyone. The 21-year-old Californian really is cool and calm about having a legitimate chance at becoming the first female trainer to win the Derby. She will saddle Imperialism against such veterans as Bob Baffert, Bobby Frankel and Nick Zito...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis Rams defensive end Leonard Little, who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in a 1998 accident that killed a St. Louis woman, was charged Monday as a persistent offender with felony driving while intoxicated and speeding...

WASHINGTON --The $50 bill is getting splashes of red and blue, the second of the nation's paper currencies to sport new hues beyond the traditional black-ink fronts and green-ink backs. The makeover, unveiled Monday, is part of an effort to make U.S. bills harder to counterfeit...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court said Monday it will not consider reinstating mealtime prayers at a state-funded military college, turning aside an appeal from officials who wanted to preserve the tradition. Justice Antonin Scalia blasted his colleagues for refusing to hear the case, arguing that it raised important church-state and other questions. ...

WASHINGTON -- Every low-income Medicare beneficiary who qualifies can sign up for a Medicare-approved drug discount card, which provides $600 in government aid to buy prescription medicines. For everyone else, the decision to buy a discount card -- and which one -- is not so simple...

To the editor; I have a suggestion for Dr. Scot Pringle, the obstetrician who thinks tort reform will make his medical malpractice insurance rates go down. It takes the form of a famous quotation: "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."...

Wonderful play I BELIEVE we saw the same play by the River City Players that Kathryn Alfisi reviewed, and my friends and I thought it was wonderful in its entirety. The roles of Nadine and Juanita, both played by Tana Howard, were superb acting and added a needed dimension. The authors obviously wanted that portion in or they wouldn't have written it that way. We are faithful River City Players fans...

Marybeth Nardoni, 60, of Weatherford, Okla., died Tuesday, April 20, 2004, at Mercy Health Center in Oklahoma City, Okla. She was born May 28, 1943, in Kirkwood, Mo., daughter of Walter D. and Virginia Wagner Kennedy. She and Harry Nardoni were married Aug. 20, 1966...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Stella W. Cornehlsen, 88, of Perryville died Friday, April 23, 2004, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born March 19, 1916, at Friedheim, Mo., daughter of William and Ernestine Vogt Elbrecht. She and Raymond H. Cornehlsen were married July 5, 1950. He died Feb. 7, 1968...

WYATT, Mo. -- Ivory Mack Harris, 90, of Wyatt died Saturday, April 24, 2004, at Charleston Manor. He was born Oct. 20, 1913, in Hardin County, Tenn., son of Will and Allie Howell Harris. He and Flora Mae Rogers were married Oct. 20, 1935. Harris was a retired farmer. He was a member of Wyatt Baptist Church and charter member of I.O.O.F. Lodge in Charleston, Mo...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Imogene Constance Holmes, 83, of Sikeston died Sunday, April 25, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born Feb. 15, 1921, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Fred Clarence and Josephine Victoria Young Dudley. She and Paul Philip Holmes were married Dec. 23, 1938, in New Madrid, Mo. He died Sept. 2, 1993...

Lottie Irene Ray, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, April 26, 2004, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Aug. 27, 1917, in Hardy, Ark., daughter of Mentford Gracon and Myrtle Charlottie Benton Bryant. She and Delbert Leon Ray were married Dec. 15, 1936, in Black Oak, Ark. He died Feb. 13, 1965...

Robert Louis Renschen, 65, of Valley Park, Mo., died Friday, April 23, 2004, at St. Mary's Health Center in St. Louis. He was born July 29, 1938, in St. Louis, son of Louis John and Elizabeth Clara Renschen. Renschen lived in Cape Girardeau approximately 15 years, and was a retired member of Procter & Gamble Management Team...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Virginia L. Allbritten, 80, of Cairo died Monday, April 26, 2004, at Daystar Care Center. She was born April 14, 1924, in Anna, Ill., daughter of Green and Lucille Johnston Sneed. She married Tommy Simmons, who preceded her in death, and later married Leon Allbritten, who also preceded her in death...

BREWER, Mo. -- Beulah M. "Bea" Brown, 80, of Trenton, Ill., died Sunday, April 25, 2004, at St. Joseph Hospital in Highland, Ill. She was born July 9, 1923, at Brewer, daughter of Kenrick and Sarah Brewer Layton. She and Howard Brown were married Oct. 26, 1946, at Brewer...

Mary Virginia Brown, 50, of Jackson died Sunday, April 25, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 26, 1953, in St. Louis, daughter of Daniel and Mary Adele Holton Minnich. She and Michael William Brown were married in 1973...

To the editor: Alan Journet has fallen prey to a shamefully selfish and simplistic view of the current Mideast situation. One need only look to the very war he alluded to for a clearer picture of the true task at hand. Neville Chamberlain, Great Britain's prime minister before World War II, was instrumental in allowing Hitler to conquer Czechoslovakia in an attempt to appease Germany in the name of peace. ...

To the editor: We're in Iraq. No doubt about it. In similar circumstances, the American attitude has often been, "We're in it, let's win it." However, it may serve us well to consider how we got there. There is little doubt that the unilateralism and smug arrogance of the Cheney-Rove-Rumsfeld-Bush combination intensified the ugly American image to some of the rest of the world. ...

School districts in Missouri aren't the only ones dealing with budget crunches. But districts in a couple of others states -- New Jersey and California -- have come up with a way to raise quite a bit of money in short order: Naming rights. Most of us have become accustomed to the impact corporate America has had in recent years at sports venues. ...

7 p.m. today at 614 E. Adams Presentation on all-state choir Comprehensive School Reform grant Selection of MOSIP board of directors Reports

Two Charleston, Mo., men pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in separate charges of distributing cocaine base. Keith J. Browning, 40, and Mario Evans, 24, each pleaded guilty to two felony counts of distribution of five grams or more of cocaine base. ...

Paul Stacy Denton, 33, of Memphis, Tenn., pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Cape Girardeau to charges of bank robbery and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. On June 19, 2003, Denton and Dariess Harris entered the First State Community Bank of Hayti, Mo., and at gunpoint demanded money. ...

LOCAL RESOURCES Sikeston Regional Center for Developmental Disabilities Sikeston Regional Center is a Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities agency. It provides service coordination to all eligible persons who reside in the counties of Cape Girardeau, Perry, Bollinger, Madison, Ste. Genevieve, Scott, New Madrid, Mississippi or Pemiscot...

A Sikeston, Mo., man pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Cape Girardeau to drug and weapons charges. Veril Roy Wolff, 30, pleaded guilty to one felony count of being a previously convicted felon in possession of ammunition and one felony count of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base. ...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Lisa Diane Moore, no age given, 1514 Scott, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated following an accident on Perryville Road at Briarwood...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items on Sunday: At 3:53 p.m., an emergency medical service at 3003 Themis. At 4:22 p.m., an emergency medical service at 3126 Themis. Firefighters responded to the following items on Monday: At 6:09 a.m., a medical assist at 202 Siemers Drive...

As the last days of school are finally coming around, I am finding it harder and harder to concentrate on my schoolwork. Actually I think a lot of my classmates and I have been on summer vacation since Christmas break. When I return from a break for spring like the one we just had, it seems like the work I'm returning to is worse than it was when I left. ...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Students in preschool through first grade from the Parrish School took a field trip into prehistory recently, and they didn't even need to board a bus to get there. "A lot of kids don't get to go to museums," said Dino Discovery guide Dan Stone. "So we bring the museum to them."...

Holyfield receives scholastic key at MWSC Alyssa Holyfield of Cape Girardeau was one of 134 Missouri Western State College students to receive a scholastic key during the School of Professional Studies' recent honor convocation. Jones taking part in government internship...

What makes a family normal? Recently my best friend's mother said that I couldn't say anything negative about her or her family because of how my own family is dysfunctional. That got me thinking about all of my family members. What is considered normal? What is considered dysfunctional?...

10 years ago: April 27, 1994 Union Electric Co. didn't have very far to look yesterday to find source of power failure that darkened homes and businesses in some parts of Cape Girardeau. Dan Tallent, who started his education career at Central High School in 1976, teaching math and coaching, is hired as high school's new principal...