Stories from Wednesday, December 1, 2004

A program that opens up the world of business for thousands of local students each year is searching for input on its future. Junior Achievement Inc., a not-for-profit organization whose Cape Girardeau/Jackson branch is coordinated out of St. Louis, is working to create a new advisory board of directors...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Senate transportation chairman on Tuesday vowed to win passage of a tougher mandatory seat belt law in the upcoming legislative session and threatened to hold up other transportation bills as leverage if necessary. "I'm not taking any prisoners on that," said state Sen. Jon Dolan, R-Lake St. Louis. "Seat belts will pass this year or many, many bills will die."...

When Rhon Abraham lights the first menorah candle for Hanukkah this year, she'll be observing a centuries-old tradition. But she'll also be sharing her tradition with people unfamiliar with the Jewish holiday. To mark the beginning of the Festival of Lights, an interfaith Hanukkah event is planned for 6 p.m. Tuesday in the fellowship hall at Christ Episcopal Church, 101 N. Fountain St. Activities include dreidel games, refreshments and a question and answer session...

Before coming to take charge of the Missouri Department of Transportation, Pete Rahn said he had read that MoDOT was a broken organization with systems that didn't work. But Tuesday, after about 75 days on the job, Rahn told the more than 100 attendees at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's annual transportation dinner that his initial impression wasn't at all reality. ...

Out along Route V, about 1 1/2 miles from Trail of Tears State Park, you'll find the house where Theresa Taylor lives. It's nothing fancy, but a newly tiled gray floor in the living room and kitchen gives the place a certain sophistication, more than you might have expected when you first stepped onto the porch. In the kitchen, electrical outlets remain uncovered and black wires dangle from the rectangular holes along the white walls. It's a home-improvement job not quite finished...

November may have seemed wetter than usual, but according to the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., rainfall in the Cape Girardeau area is still 7.84 inches behind last year. So far this year, 36.86 inches of rain has fallen on the Cape Girardeau area, said Robin Smith, a meteorologist for the weather service. November feels so wet because September was so dry...

Ah, the Thanksgiving turkey, that Holy Grail of holiday entrees. The message from advertising and society in general is clear: It's nearly impossible for one's first turkey to turn out moist and succulent. Remember that old Butterball commercial with the two older women walking up to the house? They're bracing for a dry turkey since it's the hostess's first one...

From staff and wire reports Hunters in Missouri killed a record 222,329 deer during the season that ran Nov. 13 to Nov. 23, surpassing by 4,894 the mark set in 2002. The northeast region led Missouri's eight regions with 37,901, followed by the central section with 35,371 and the northwest with 31,507. Howell County, in the Ozark region, reported 4,401 deer taken, followed by Callaway County with 4,107 and Texas County with 4,072...

BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns coach Butch Davis resigned under pressure Tuesday, leaving a last-place team with five games left in a sinking season filled with close losses and costly injuries. The Browns dropped their fifth straight game on Sunday, 58-48 at Cincinnati. The team went 24-36 and made the playoffs just once in Davis' four seasons as head coach...

WILLOWBROOK, Ill. -- A complete set of 1914 Cracker Jack baseball cards featuring "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and Ty Cobb that a woman had in a shoe box in her home has sold for $800,000, a suburban Chicago auction house announced this week. The cards were in pristine condition, said Doug Allen, president of MastroNet Inc., the auction house in Willowbrook. The previous record for a complete set of baseball cards was $360,000, Allen said...

WASHINGTON -- Former members of the Sept. 11 commission met Tuesday with Vice President Dick Cheney, and President Bush planned talks with leaders of Congress in an attempt to gain passage for an intelligence reorganization bill this year. Tom Kean, the former New Jersey governor who chaired the commission, said panel members are offering Cheney whatever help they can to break an impasse over military intelligence and immigration issues...

WASHINGTON -- Tom Ridge, the nation's first homeland security secretary, announced Tuesday that he is resigning after three years of reworking American security and presiding over color-coded terror alerts. He's the seventh Bush Cabinet officer leaving so far...

** Toybox A single mother with three children, including an infant, needs help from Toybox to make her children's wishes come true. Austin, 6, likes to play games of all sorts. He'd like a Yu-Gi-Oh game and accessories and electronic games for Christmas. Jason, 2, likes SpongeBob SquarePants and Rescue Heroes toys...

Body found in Perryville that of ex-Jackson man PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Perry County authorities say they have identified the body of a man found Tuesday morning lying in an open field behind the Perryville Industrial Park. Sheriff Gary Schaaf said the man has been identified as Dwayne Alan Hill, 29, formerly of Jackson. ...

** Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items on Monday: At 7:25 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1200 block of Linden Street. At 8:57 p.m., box alarm at 3025 Mimosa St. Firefighters responded to the following items on Tuesday:...

** Cape Girardeau The following items were released Tuesday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Timothy Howard Carter, 41, 320 Boutin Drive, Apt. 134, was arrested on suspicion of being a parole absconder. Robert D. Shields, 23, 2261 Luxmore St., St. Louis, was arrested on a city warrant for failure to appear for false declaration...

Boy Scouts in the Shawnee District have something to be proud of, and so do the local communities where these Scout troops meet. More than 71,000 food items were collected during a recent Scouting for Food Drive held in Southeast Missouri. The number exceeded the goal of 70,000 items and was significantly higher than last year's collection. Scouts from Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties and the communities of Scott City, Chaffee and Advance participated in the food drive...

BOULDER, Colo. -- From the brink of unemployment to Coach of the Year, Gary Barnett has, indeed, seen some very high highs and very low lows these past several months. The Colorado coach was named the Associated Press Big 12 Coach of the Year on Tuesday, receiving eight of 20 media votes to outdistance Dan McCarney of Iowa State and Dennis Franchione of Texas A&M by three votes each. Oklahoma's Bob Stoops got the other two votes...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Skip Prosser never has visited Assembly Hall, but the Wake Forest coach knows the reception his No. 1 Demon Deacons are likely to get tonight against the fifth-ranked Illini. "It's going to be a cauldron of emotion," Prosser said. "My understanding is the fans are rabid. It will be a sea of orange. It will be a tremendous challenge for our guys."...

PHILADELPHIA -- The company that makes the artificial sweetener Equal filed a false advertising lawsuit claiming that its hot-selling competitor, Splenda, isn't really made from sugar, like its packaging claims. In a complaint filed in federal court in Philadelphia on Friday, Chicago-based Merisant Co. ...

WHITTINGTON, Ill. -- The Rend Lake Conservancy District board named engineer and Colorado utilities manager Keith Thomason as its new general manager Tuesday. The board unanimously picked Thomason to replace Glenn Poshard, who took over as the district's interim manger in July...

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Tyrone Willingham was fired Tuesday as coach at Notre Dame for failing to turn the nation's most storied football program back into a national championship contender. He was fired three days after the Irish lost 41-10 to No. 1 Southern California -- their third straight loss by 31 points to the Trojans -- to drop to 6-5 for the season...

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- A hospital in the Netherlands -- the first nation to permit euthanasia -- recently proposed guidelines for "mercy killings" of terminally ill newborns and then made a startling revelation: It has already begun carrying out such procedures, which include administering a lethal dose of sedatives...

The Joplin Globe We were disappointed to see that the Committee for Adequate Funding for K-12 Education chose not to join Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon in asking that a lawsuit challenging Missouri's school aid formula be put on hold until after the legislative session...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch One of the most important decisions that President George W. Bush and the new Congress face is who and how to put judges on the federal bench, including the U.S. Supreme Court. ... For the past four years, Democrats have used the filibuster, the nuclear weapon of Senate opposition, to block some of Mr. Bush's extreme judicial nominees...

NEW YORK -- A love-struck fan who ardently pursued singer Sheryl Crow for 15 months was acquitted Tuesday of stalking her. A jury deliberated about three hours before finding Ambrose Kappos, 38, not guilty of burglary and stalking charges. He faced up to seven years in prison if convicted...

One parameter that most gardeners want included in a landscape plan is winter color. Since we live in a temperate zone, we have to include evergreens such as yew, juniper, some viburnums, fir and spruce, to name a few. We can also include such broadleaf evergreens as holly, boxwood and abelia...

CONCORD, N.H. -- The holidays are upon us, and that means there is a lot of eating to be done. Thankfully, the season is scheduled to create the perfect celebratory eating circuit. Start with Thanksgiving, follow it closely with Hanukkah, then cruise through Christmas and end with a New Year's banquet bash...

A hearty soup made from scratch doesn't have to be a long project. Here's a case in point: a savory lentil soup with flavor that comes from vegetables and plenty of garlic, that you can serve up in your soup bowls or mugs in about half an hour. Lentil Soup with Serrano Ham and Arugula...

UNITED NATIONS -- In a highly awaited report prompted by the deep divide over the war in Iraq, an international panel made 101 recommendations Tuesday on how to deal with global threats in the 21st century including the use of pre-emptive and preventive military strikes with approval from the U.N. Security Council...

Moderates looking for compromise are being pulled back by hard-liners hoping for a victory. By Ali Akbar Dareini ~ The Associated Press TEHRAN, Iran -- First, Iran backed down before the U.N. nuclear watchdog. Then it set last-minute conditions, called the retreat only temporary and claimed victory over Washington...

From staff and wire reports Asian soybean rust -- a fungus that can hinder plant growth and drastically cut crop production -- has been found in Southeast Missouri, state agriculture officials said Tuesday. The samples were collected by University of Missouri Extension scientists from soybean fields in Pemiscot and New Madrid counties...

ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis judge is expected to decide this week whether to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations that a school board member threatened other members at a board meeting. Board member Bill Haas claims that board member Vince Schoemehl threatened members Veronica O'Brien and Amy Hilgemann on Nov. 12 but that police and prosecutors are not looking into it...

MCCLURE, Ill. -- Joel W. "Little Joe" McCrary Sr., 69, of McClure died Monday, Nov. 29, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Ford and Sons Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements.

Doris "Jennie" Friedrich, 85, of Jackson died Monday, Nov. 29, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery...

NEW YORK -- CBS claimed a "sweeps" month victory among youthful viewers for the first time since 1980 -- a milestone even the network's top executive never thought he'd see. With two days to go, CBS had a comfortable lead among viewers aged 18 to 49 during November, one of four months where Nielsen Media Research ratings are used to set local advertising rates. ABC and NBC were fighting for second...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Perry County authorities say they have identified the body of a man found Tuesday morning lying in an open field behind the Perryville Industrial Park. Sheriff Gary Schaaf said the man has been identified as Dwayne Alan Hill, 29, formerly of Jackson. Schaaf said Hill had recently moved to Perryville...

I love it when I find a real bargain, and especially when it is a cookbook. I came across a couple of cookbooks that Habitat for Humanity has for sale as a fund raiser. Habitat for Humanity is a faith-based organization that offers a "hand-up" to potential homeowners who might not otherwise be able to get a conventional mortgage. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The coach who made "burnout" a part of sports lexicon is 68 now and enduring one of the most disappointing years of a long, distinguished career. But there are no thoughts of another retirement for Dick Vermeil, who said Tuesday he'll be back next season for the final year of his contract with the Kansas City Chiefs...

WASHINGTON -- Americans who want to make sure their credit reports are accurate or check their financial histories can get the information for free under a program starting today. The Federal Trade Commission is rolling out the service in phases. Residents in 13 Western states will get first crack at requesting a free credit report from any of the three major credit bureaus that maintain them...

** Pay the teachers I AM not worried about the superintendent. I am worried about the teachers who are teaching my children. How can I expect them to keep giving my children 100 percent when the school district only offers them nothing. Let's face it, a superintendent does not teach your children. The grossly underpaid teacher does...

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. -- Everything about the bones that turned up in a Grain Valley back yard last summer suggested to scientists that they came from a 50,000-year-old mastodon. But evidence yielded by additional digging has led the experts to conclude they were off-base. The remains are actually those of a mammoth that lived 500,000 to 1 million years ago, according to the scientists...

ST. ANN, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers should use new settlement money the state receives from about 40 small tobacco companies for efforts to reduce smoking among young people, Attorney General Jay Nixon said Tuesday. Nixon said the state's smoking rate is the nation's third-highest, with more tobacco-using high school students -- 30.3 percent -- than adults smoking statewide, or 26.6 percent...

ST. LOUIS -- For a while, horrendous special teams kept the heat off the St. Louis Rams' woeful run defense. Not this week. The Green Bay Packers' 231-yard output in Monday's 45-17 victory put the onus squarely back on a unit that's every bit as responsible for the team's slide, with four losses in five games. Najeh Davenport is the seventh player to run for more than 100 yards, and the Rams (5-6) have surrendered 703 yards rushing the last four games...

Southeast Missouri State University's women are off to a strong start, having won three straight games to improve their record to 3-1. But those three victories have all come at home. Tonight, Southeast will look for its first road triumph when it visits Southern Illinois University for a 7:05 p.m. tipoff in Carbondale, Ill...

The undefeated Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky own a road win over Georgia. By Marty Mishow ~ Southeast Missourian Red-hot Western Kentucky will provide a third consecutive rugged road test for Southeast Missouri State University's men tonight. The Hilltoppers are 3-0 -- including a win at Georgia of the Southeastern Conference -- as they prepare to greet Southeast (1-2) in a 7 p.m. tipoff in Bowling Green, Ky...

Fourth-seeded Kelly opened its season with an 80-62 victory against No. 5 Scott County Central on Tuesday night in the first round of the Oran Invitational Tournament. Brothers Kent and Kendal Deason teamed up for more than half of the Hawks' points. Kent Deason had 24 points, while Kendal added 20. Michael Glastetter scored 14 points for Kelly (1-0)...

Both teams will try to overcome the loss of talented senior classes. By Jeremy Joffray ~ Southeast Missourian It has been a busy offseason for the sport of high school swimming. In May, the Missouri State High School Activities Association narrowly voted to change the swimming seasons, moving boys swimming to the fall and girls swimming to the winter, starting the 2006-2007 school year...

NEW YORK -- The woman who ended "Jeopardy!" whiz Ken Jennings' 74-game winning streak is a California real estate agent whose own 8-year-old daughter asked for his autograph when they met. But having an accountant-friend who's nearly impossible to reach at tax time paid off for Nancy Zerg -- big time...

BUCHAREST, Romania -- The leader of Romania's opposition party demanded Tuesday that the results of weekend presidential and parliamentary elections be annulled because of fraud and a new vote be held. Presidential candidate Traian Basescu, who heads the centrist Justice and Truth Alliance, claimed election authorities gave an extra 160,000 ballots, or 2.5 percent of the votes cast, to his main rival, Prime Minister Adrian Nastase of the ruling Social Democratic Party...

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's shivering but determined political opposition dug in its heels in Kiev's frigid central square Tuesday, rejecting an offer of the prime minister's job from the declared winner of a disputed presidential election and withdrawing from talks aimed at reaching a compromise...

MATTHEWS, Mo. -- James H. "Cub" Tidwell, 67, of Matthews died Monday, Nov. 29, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. He was born July 29, 1937, in Fayette County, Ala., son of Bersie and Clara Tucker Tidwell. He married Ollie McCormick, who died in 1978. He later married Elizabeth Vandiver Scott Nov. 21, 1980...

ANNA, Ill. -- Victor Russell, 84, of Alamo, Texas, died Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2004, at Mission Hospital in Mission, Texas. He was born July 23, 1920, in Vienna, Ill., son of Willie Ernest and Della C. Henard Russell. He and Mable A. Davis were married June 6, 1938, in Jackson...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Helen Ruth McMillan, 95, of Bloomfield died Monday, Nov. 29, 2004, at Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter, Mo. She was born Sept. 29, 1909, in Ozone, Ark., daughter of Merion Lamac and Mary Francis Shelby Adkins. She and Oliver Scott McMillan were married Oct. 28, 1928. He died Dec. 18, 1993...

Eddie A. Cotner, 56, formerly of Jackson, died Monday, Nov. 29, 2004, in Washington, Mo. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Billy Agnes Cruse, 82, of Jensen Beach, Fla., died Saturday, Nov. 27, 1999. She was born Jan. 23, 1917, in Villa Ridge, daughter of Henry and Alys Gamble Gunn Sr. She married Robert Harold Cruse, who died Nov. 21, 2004. Cruse taught at Thistlewood Elementary School in Mounds, Ill., through the 1940s, and at Jensen Beach Elementary School from the late 1950s to the early 1980s...

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Robert Harold Cruse, 85, of Jensen Beach, Fla., died Sunday, Nov. 21, 2004, at Parkway Health and Rehab in Stuart, Fla. He was born in Grand Tower, Ill. He moved to Jensen Beach 48 years ago from Mounds, Ill. He married Billy Agnes Gunn, who died Nov. 27, 1999...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Adrian Earl Young, 75, of Sikeston died Monday, Nov. 29, 2004, at Sikeston Convalescent Center. He was born May 6, 1929, in Portageville, Mo., son of Jesse Earl and Ella May Carson Young. He and Jessie Brown were married July 13, 1953, in Portageville...

** 25 years ago: Dec. 1, 1979 Dr. Pamela Hearn, English department, and Dr. Lina Trompetter, department of philosophy, have collaborated on a proposal for a minor in Women's Studies at Southeast Missouri State University. As a result of mailing tax bills early, the Cape Girar-deau County Collector's office has already collected $1.3 million of the $9.5 million in taxes owed this year; all the taxes were mailed out by the last part of October...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Thousands of U.S. soldiers are preparing an operation against Taliban insurgents to preempt an expected spring offensive which could upset plans for Afghan parliamentary elections, a senior American general said Tuesday. The operation will begin within days of the Tuesday inauguration of Hamid Karzai as Afghanistan's first directly elected president -- an event that itself is a potential target, Maj. Gen. Eric Olson said...

OTTAWA -- President Bush tried on Tuesday to repair U.S.-Canadian relations strained by years of bickering over trade and Iraq, although he stood by policies that have irritated Canadians. He did promise Prime Minister Paul Martin to work toward easing a U.S. ban on Canadian beef...

Baseball * The District of Columbia Council approved financing a ballpark for the Washington-bound Expos after voting Tuesday to cap funding at $630 million. The council approved the plan 6-4 with three members, including Chair Linda W. Cropp, voting present. The measure must be approved a second time to become law...

Coale Son to Bria and Chelsea Coale of Honolulu, Hawaii, Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2004. Name, Keavan Nicholas. Weight, 7 pounds 12 ounces. Mrs. Coale is the former Chelsea Nicholson, daughter of Gerald and Kathy Nicholson of Mount Vernon, Ill. Coale is the son of Vernon and Linda Coale of Brandon, Miss. He is serving with the U.S. Navy aboard a nuclear submarine in Hawaii...

Kage FCE Club The Kage FCE Club met Nov. 11 at the home of Jane Clark. During the business meeting, Inez Statler reported that grant money and other money for the "Building Golden Memories" project have been spent and there are still enough Little Golden Books to complete the year. Since May 2000, 1,563 books have been given to children visiting the Cape Girardeau County health department's clinic. The club will participate in other community projects beginning in 2005...

Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Theatre and Dance and the Department of Music announce open auditions Dec. 5-7 in Rose Theatre for two spring productions, "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" by Steve Martin, and the popular musical, "Guys & Dolls."...

by Robert Lewis Combine a classical guitarist who wears leather pants, a vocalist and another guitarist who both champion early '90s grunge along with motion-picture theme songs from "Top Gun" to "Aladdin," and a down-home drummer from The Hill and the result will be Cape's newest band, The Super Happy Intelligence Team (S.H.I.T.)...

by Jim Obert The old Marquette Hotel on Broadway in downtown Cape used to have a star-shaped bar, which was a legendary hangout for people who enjoyed the night life. Old photos show scenes of gaudy, fin-backed Cadillacs parked in front of the vividly lit building. Women draped in furs and men dressed to the nines milled around the sidewalk...

The extremely popular chamber music series, "Sundays at Three," continues its season with its second offering, "Faculty Collegium" at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12 in Old St. Vincent's Church. This concert will feature some of Cape Girardeau's favorite musicians and Southeast faculty members Brandon Christensen on baroque violin, Sara Edgerton on baroque cello, Steve Hendricks as male alto, Gary Miller on harpsichord, Jeff Noonan on lute and therebo, and Paul Thompson on baroque flute...

Wednesday, December 01 Third Monkey @ The Ferrell Mansion, Benton, MO COME ON DOWN! Friday, December 03 DRIvIN RAIN, LOST POSSUM @ The Pour House, Cape Saturday, December 04 DRIvIN RAIN, LOST POSSUM @ The Pour House, Cape Saturday, December 04 Steve Ewing, The Tone Def All-Stars...

by Kevin Wilson Okay, so Hoey's too lazy, Boner's busy chasin' chicks, and Bondsy's at home chain chompin' large pizzas, so they left the Zone insider up to me. Let me just introduce myself so were all on the same page. I'm Just Kev, you're new mid-day guy on The Zone, winch means now I have to get up earlier than normal. ...

by J. Sohn Started as a "project band", the Dirty 30s were born when Jason Riley and Brian Heuring began writing catchy tunes on a four track for a good time. Within a few months the Rolex timing of Stu Faris and the thundering bass licks of Jeb Venable were thrown into the mixer and the results are southern fried...

Festival premieres to a sold out crowd by Meri Kidd Those who said a film festival in Cape Girardeau wouldn't draw much of a crowd should have been at the UC Ballroom on November 12th. Festival attendees began arriving in groups at 5:00 p.m. and they were still coming through the door when the films began just before 6:30 p.m...

By Mike Crowden Self-described as a mix of old-school classic rock with modern heavy riffs and a bit of swampy "stoner rock" attitude, Lost Possum has fans raving over Internet chat rooms and forums and lining up to get tickets for their live performances...