Stories from Sunday, December 5, 2004

Soldiers from the 35th Engineer Brigade were honored for their service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in a ceremony Saturday at the National Guard Armory in Cape Girardeau. About 140 soldiers, civilians and dignitaries attended...

Mail carriers who've been operating out of the regional mail processing center on Kell Farm Drive began moving to the former Minor's Harley-Davidson location at 905 Enterprise St. on Saturday. This helps the Christmas rush by freeing up 5,500 square feet of space used for staging mail at the Kell Farm Drive location. Once trucks deliver mail to the postal facility, the mail is divided into rural and city routes and bulk mail, a process that takes space as well as organization...

Jackson residents stood two and three deep along Main Street Saturday afternoon waiting for this year's version of the Christmas parade. The theme this year was a "candyland Christmas," and onlookers were treated to plenty of the sweet stuff. The Girl Scout troop's float was decorated with larger-than-life snow cones. Jackson's swim team built a gingerbread house and Immaculate Conception turned their float into the board game. All three were honored with awards...

In America, 2.4 million grandparents are guardians of their grandchildren. By Tony Rehagen ~ Southeast Missourian The cab pulls to a stop in front of the blue house at 1025 Good Hope St. in Cape Girardeau. Out steps 45-year-old Charlene Dalton in her nursing uniform, finally home from a double shift at Life Care Center of Cape Girardeau. It's 7 on a Thursday morning...

Scott City will be aglow with lights this holiday season, from Main Street to the city park and Second Street in Old Illmo, thanks to the city's parks and recreation department and Chamber of Commerce. The Winter Wonderland in the city park, which has been a holiday tradition for about 15 years, has the biggest concentration of decorations, with lighted displays from almost 20 area businesses and organizations such as the Riverside Regional Library, the Scott City Historical Commission and the Sunny Village Garden Club.. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Perryville police continue to investigate three apparent drug-related deaths from earlier this week. Police chief Keith Tarrillion said officers have talked to some of the people who were at the same party last weekend with Dwayne Alan Hill, Dean Novack and Michelle Welty, who were found dead. Tarrillion said investigators believe they are making progress in finding out where Novak, Welty and Hill may have gotten the drugs that police believe caused their deaths...

Cape Girardeau is one of 20 Missouri cities chosen to test a new online training program targeted for the owners and employees of restaurants and bars. The program is expected to cut down on the instances of drunken driving by educating managers and employees about both underage drinking and the consequences of serving alcohol to someone who is already intoxicated...

Cape Girardeau sewer and trash customers would pay slightly higher fees next year to help fund pay raises for city employees under budget revisions the city council will vote on Monday. But Councilman Jay Purcell objects to raising the sewer and trash fees. He said it wasn't mentioned by city officials in proposing passage of a fire sales tax earlier this year...

ANKARA, Turkey -- Historic rivals Turkey and Russia have spent centuries vying for influence in central Asia, the Balkans and the Caucasus. Most recently, they bickered over routes to carry energy resources to world markets and traded accusations that each supports the other's militant groups...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia condemned continuing Israeli military raids, saying Saturday that they were hampering efforts to restart the peace process. Hopes have been high that the peace process, stalled by four years of violence, would take off following Palestinian presidential elections on Jan. 9 to replace Yasser Arafat...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- About 400 protesters gathered outside the statehouse on Saturday to support a recount of the presidential election in Ohio and call for an investigation into Election Day irregularities. Speakers addressing the crowd alleged that many voters were the victims of a fraud in which votes intended for John Kerry were given to President Bush...

SEOUL, South Korea -- The key players in international efforts to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions are picking up the pace in what has become a protracted ritual of talking about talks and discussing how to entice the North's recalcitrant government back into negotiations...

Eddie is a lonely war veteran who feels his life as the handyman at a seaside amusement park has been meaningless. Then, on his 83rd birthday, he dies. After a flash of light, he awakens, newly energized. He dashes through the park, which is oddly deserted -- except for a swami tinted blue...

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Washington Democrats will pay for a second recount in the state's unsettled governor's race, hoping it will erase the 42-vote margin held by Republican Dino Rossi. The party also asked the state Supreme Court Friday to rule that all ballots be treated the same from county to county. ...

KIEV, Ukraine -- Supporters of opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko lost a round to their foes in parliament Saturday, when pro-government lawmakers helped block legal changes intended to prevent fraud in the Dec. 26 repeat of the country's presidential runoff vote...

REAL, Philippines -- Helicopters delivered food to famished survivors and picked up casualties as the weather cleared on Saturday in villages ravaged by back-to-back storms that have left 640 people dead and nearly 400 missing in the northern Philippines...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The lumbering, low-tech observation balloon, first used on Civil War battlefields, is making a comeback in Iraq. But this time around it's packed with zoom-lens video cameras and thermal imagers. The unmanned craft -- which looks like smaller versions of the Goodyear blimp -- monitor battle zones and other danger spots. They're also used to detect possible ambushes on roads used by multinational forces...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- According to Iraq's government, people like Ismail Ibrahim should be glad Fallujah is all but rid of the insurgents accused of turning the city into a terrorist base and using its civilians as human shields. But in a Baghdad school where Ibrahim and about 200 displaced Fallujans have been living since the latest fighting drove them out, the talk is of vendetta -- not against the insurgents but against the Americans and the Iraqi government...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Suicide car bombs struck Iraqi police and Kurdish militiamen in Baghdad and northern Iraq on Saturday, killing at least 14 people, wounding dozens, and again demonstrating the lethal reach of Iraq's insurgency just weeks ahead of crucial elections...

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Police followed a trail of doughnuts to find a stolen Krispy Kreme delivery truck. "It has a happy ending," Swatara Township Sgt. Robert Simmonds said. "The evidence was brought back to the police station, and the cops are eating the doughnuts."...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- There's a reason that smiling Salvation Army bell-ringer looks a little stiff this Christmas season, and it's not the cold weather. Banned from Target stores and faced with a shortage of holiday volunteers, the Christian charity is using scores of animated, cardboard bell-ringers on a test basis to staff its familiar red donation kettles in stores across the South...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Fort Riley soldier returning home from Iraq to be with his pregnant wife missed the birth of his second child by just 20 minutes after his flight was delayed. Spc. Timothy Ryan Rinella was the first passenger off his flight Thursday night at Kansas City International Airport, and a security guard was waiting to whisk him to St. Luke's Northland Hospital...

FORT HOOD, Texas -- A military judge on Saturday ordered the former commander of U.S. prisons in Iraq to testify at the trial of a soldier who says he was ordered to abuse detainees at Abu Ghraib. The judge, Col. James Pohl, said Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski's testimony at the trial of Sgt. Javal Davis would be limited to conditions at Abu Ghraib and the interaction there between guards and military interrogators...

BOSTON -- Maj. Rachel VanLandingham's job sounds like one of the toughest in the military -- persuading law school graduates to pass on high-paying private sector jobs and become Air Force judge advocates for about $40,000 a year. But VanLandingham, chief of recruiting for the Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps, says she often succeeds in luring the bright young lawyers that the military urgently needs. ...

MIAMI -- A founder of a Colombian drug cartel that became the world's chief supplier of cocaine in the 1990s was transported to a Florida jail Saturday after being extradited from Colombia. Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela, 65, landed before dawn in a U.S. government plane and was driven to a downtown Miami jail. His first court appearance is set for Monday...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Alabama, which has some of the nation's toughest drug laws, has become an unlikely ally of California on medical marijuana use. In a legal brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard arguments Monday on California's medical marijuana law, Alabama Attorney General Troy King said states, not the federal government, should have the right to decide drug-control policies...

SANYA, China -- Miss Peru, Maria Julia Mantilla Garcia, an aspiring high school teacher, was crowned Miss World 2004 on Saturday night in this southern Chinese beach resort. Miss Dominican Republic, Claudia Julissa Cruz Rodriguez, was the first runner-up and Miss USA Nancy Randall was second runner-up...

Talley Haines is going to try his hand with the organization of baseball's world champions. There is no assurance he'll ever actually pitch for the Boston Red Sox -- and finally make it up to the major leagues -- but the 1995 Central High School graduate is hoping for the best...

Reggie Bush had two long touchdown runs, Ryan Killeen kicked five field goals and No. 1 USC held off UCLA 29-24 on Saturday to virtually lock up a trip to the Orange Bowl for the Bowl Championship Series title game. The final BCS standings and bowl pairings will be announced Sunday. The Trojans (12-0, 8-0 Pac-10) have been ranked No. 1 all season in both The Associated Press Top 25 and coaches polls and, most importantly, the BCS standings...

ST. LOUIS -- At long last, St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz believes his beleaguered defense is ready to stand alongside his still somewhat high-powered offense. How he came to that conclusion is unclear because the Rams (5-6) have shown zero progress lately. The Packers rang up 45 points on Monday, the Bills scored 37 the week before and there have been seven 100-yard rushers against St. Louis. The last four opponents have totaled 703 yards rushing...

The Jackson boys basketball team finished 3-0 in the Farmington Tournament with a 75-66 victory against rival Central on Saturday. Jack Puisis led all scorers with 22 points for the Indians. Aaron Redecker added 16 points for Jackson. "We won some games which is good, and we found some things we need to work on which is good," Jackson coach Darrin Scott said of the tournament...

Offense QB -- ALEX ARMBRUSTER, SR., ST. VINCENT THE FIRST-YEAR STARTER WAS NOT ASKED TO CARRY THE OFFENSE, BUT WHEN ST. VINCENT NEEDED A BIG PLAY IN THE AIR, HE WAS ABLE TO DELIVER. MOST IMPORTANTLY, HE DID NOT MAKE THE MISTAKES THE VICTIMIZE SEVERAL HIGH SCHOOL QUARTERBACKS. ARMBRUSTER HAD 13 TOUCHDOWNS TO JUST SIX INTERCEPTIONS, THE BEST RATIO OF ANY PASSER IN THE AREA. HE FINISHED WITH 1,139 YARDS PASSING AND 120 RUSHING. HE HELPED LEAD THE TEAM TO ITS FIRST STATE TITLE...

With 105 yards rushing, two touchdowns, seven tackles -- four for losses -- and a sack, it is fair to say St. Vincent junior Waylon Richardet played perhaps one of his most impressive games against East Buchanan. The fact that his performance came in the Class 1 state championship game at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis made the performance all the more impressive...

A week after St. Vincent brought home its first football state title with a 21-0 victory against East Buchanan in the Class 1 title game at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, family and fans packed the American Legion Hall in Perryville on Saturday to celebrate the team's accomplishment...

Mike Nelke picked a heck of a time to score his first points of the season. Nelke, a senior guard who has seen limited action so far this year because of a sprained wrist, hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer Saturday night as Southeast Missouri State University pulled out a 59-58 victory over South Dakota State...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch Mix teenagers and alcohol and you get a cocktail that combines bad judgment, inexperience and lowered inhibitions. That's a recipe for risky behavior, from drunk driving to unprotected sex. It's also a recipe with which many parents have first-hand experience, back in the day when dinosaurs roamed the earth. That, and the social acceptability of alcohol, may be why some adults turn a blind eye to teen drinking...

The Christian right has sought to portray the president's re-election as a victory for their moral agenda, claim ing that it was a mandate to legislate further curbs on abortion and to approve draconian Supreme Court nominees. In fact, the president's victory was about terrorism, terrorism and terrorism...

AVENTURA, Fla. -- The crew of a decades-old cargo plane put the aircraft down in a lake in a Miami suburb Saturday after it developed engine trouble, avoiding high-rise buildings in the densely populated area, then were rescued from the floating fuselage...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Despite interest in the concept of early voting during this year's election, a panel of Missouri lawmakers said late last week they had no plans to address the issue in the legislative session that starts next month. The city of St. Louis sought to have early voting during this year's general election, but a court eventually said it's not allowed under state law. Supporters of early voting say it would make voting more convenient...

SEVILLE, Spain -- The Bryan twins stopped Spain's momentum in the Davis Cup final. Now it's up to Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish. Bob and Mike Bryan defeated Tommy Robredo and Juan Carlos Ferrero in 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 Saturday, leaving the Americans down 2-1 entering today's singles in the best-of-five series. The Californians are 5-0 in Davis Cup doubles and haven't dropped a set...

PATTON, Mo. -- Esther Eula Doggett, 85, of Patton passed away Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 19, 1919, in Patton, Mo., daughter of Wiley Joseph and Mary Margaret McGraw Gallup. She married William Grandison Doggett on June 22, 1939, and he preceded her in death on Dec. 16, 1995...

Elvine "Misty" Flannigan, 45, of Dahlgren, Ill., formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004, at Good Samaritan Regional Hospital in Mount Vernon, Ill. She was born Dec. 25, 1958, in Chicago, daughter of Elvin Earl and Ruth Adams Ladd. She and Donald Flannigan were married Aug. 23, 1981...

Clara J. Acup Sides, 87, of Jackson died Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 11, 1917, in Zalma, Mo., daughter of William H. and Mary E. Gregory Jackson. She and Burl Acup were married March 24, 1944. He died May 20, 1974. She and Raymond P. Sides were married Jan. 6, 1983. He died Nov. 21, 2002...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Julitta L. Wibbenmeyer, 96, formerly of Perryville, died Friday, Dec. 3, 2004, at Brookview Nursing Home in Maryland Heights, Mo. She was born Sept. 11, 1908, at Old Appleton, Mo., daughter of Theodore W. and Christina H. Buchheit Meyer. She and Leo N. Wibbenmeyer were married April 23, 1932. He died in March 1979...

Marilyn Logel, 73, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004, at the Lutheran Home. Arrangements are incomplete at Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel.

Jack L. Seabaugh, 71, of Marietta, Ga., and formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Friday, Dec. 4, 2004. He and Wilma Maile were married Aug. 12, 1956, in Peoria, Ill. He was retired from GAB Business Systems and was a U.S. Army veteran. Survivors include his wife; and two daughters, Kathy Adkins and Karen Seabaugh, both of Marietta...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Lorenza P. Whitley, 72, of Chaffee died Friday, Dec. 3, 2004, at his daughter's home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 26, 1932, in Portageville, Mo., son of Cecil and Lennie Lucille Cudd Whitley. He and Anna Mary Rodenberry were married May 15, 1965, in Cape Girardeau...

Leigh Ann Asmus and Christopher Paul Pender were united in marriage Oct. 9, 2004, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Jackson. Monsignor Edward M. Eftink performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Sylvester and Pauline Asmus of Chaffee, Mo. The groom is the son of Paul and Lillian Pender of Millersville...

Tammy Renee Pinkerton and James Edward Keller Jr. were married Oct. 9, 2004, in Jackson. Jim Matthews performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Harold and Kathy Ringwald of Jackson. The groom is the son of Vicki Vernon. Following the ceremony, the reception was held at the Elks Lodge in Jackson...

Cortney Lynn Correa and Kenneth Charles "K.C." Fleitz were united in marriage Oct. 10, 2004, at Fairmont Orchid Hotel in Hawaii. The bride is the daughter of Joe and Debbie Correa of Bowling Green, Ohio. The groom is the son of Judy and Bob Hodits of Cape Girardeau and Kenneth Fleitz of Curtice, Ohio...

Jennifer Lynn Carlton and Michael W. Engelhardt exchanged wedding vows Sept. 18, 2004, at Centenary United Methodist Church. Dr. Clayton Smith performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Jim and Cheri Honey of Ullin, Ill., and the late Mike Carlton of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Richard and Karen Engelhardt of Paris, Tenn., and the late Elaine Engelhardt of Cape Girardeau...

Alexis Cleveland Reese and Capt. David Gregory Cash were married May 15, 2004, at Cape Bible Chapel in Cape Girardeau. Dan Greene performed the ceremony. Music was by Trio Girardeaux. Pianist was Tyson Zahner of Jackson, guitarist was J.R. Honeycutt of Fort Worth, Texas, cousin of the bride, and soloist was Adrian True of St. Louis...

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church was the setting June 19, 2004, for the wedding of Beth Ann Kania and James Anthony Gosche Jr. The Revs. J. Friedel and Wayne Morgan performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Don and Sally Kania of Lewisburg, Tenn. The groom is the son of Jim and Mary Gosche of Cape Girardeau...

Tamara Lynn Clayton and Jeffery Don Hendrix were united in marriage Aug. 14, 2004, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Jackson. Monsignor Ed Eftink performed the ceremony. Soloist was Alisha Walther of Cape Girardeau. The bride is the daughter of Charles Clayton of Marion, Ohio, and the late Mary Clayton. The groom is the son of Gary and Donna Hendrix of Jackson...

** Blaylock Son to Blaine Ebbon and Sarah Renee Blaylock of Scott City, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 28, 2004. Name, Colin Parker. Weight, 6 pounds 4 ounces. Mrs. Blaylock is the former Sarah Cassout, daughter of Kenneth Cassout and Connie Cassout of Scott City. She is employed at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Blaylock is the son of Janet Smither of Oak Ridge, and the former Sterling Blaylock. He is employed by Cape County Private Ambulance...

Jeff Davis of the Missouri Public Service Commission will deliver the commencement address on Dec. 18 at Southeast Missouri State University. The university expects to graduate 728 students at the winter commencement ceremony at 2 p.m. at the Show Me Center...

** Protecting prep coaches? I'M WONDERING why you print some calls that are critical of coaches but other coaches seem to be off limits. You've printed calls that were very critical of Southeast basketball coach Gary Garner, very critical of Southeast football coach Tim Billings, yet you do nothing about some of the area high school coaches and I'm wondering why. ...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Steve L. Chandler, 55, of Marble Hill died Friday, Dec. 3, 2004, at his home, following an illness. He was born July 12, 1949, in Cape Girardeau, son of Lynn and Wanda Ricketts Chandler. He and Julia Johnson were married April 18, 1992, in Marble Hill...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Lester Walter Crader, 55, of Marble Hill died Dec. 3, 2004, at his home following a lengthy illness with cancer. He was born Sept. 15, 1949, in Lutesville, Mo., son of Lester Walter and Marcia Goskie Crader. He grew up in Bollinger County and attended Woodland R-4. He worked at the Lutesville Pallet Mill and Loveall Power Line Co. as an electrician, logger and self-employed carpenter...

Zale Richard Puhlman, 63, of Jackson passed away Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004, at his home. He was born Feb. 15, 1941, in Sioux Falls, S.D., son of Richard Vernon and Evelyn Nora Barr Puhlman. He and Cheryl L. Wills were married Aug. 7, 1971, in Seattle, Wash...

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Illinois was unable to dominate as it did against top-ranked Wake Forest, so the Illini took advantage of Arkansas' breakdowns whenever it could and came away with a 72-60 victory Saturday. Roger Powell had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Dee Brown and Deron Williams each scored 13, helping No. 5 Illinois overcome a sluggish offense and poor free-throw shooting to win...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Linas Kleiza scored 13 point and had nine rebounds and nine assists as Missouri beat Oakland, Mich., 70-61 on Saturday. Kleiza, the leading scorer for Missouri (4-3), came off the bench but said being dropped out of the starting five did not bother him...

WEST DOVER, Vt. -- A four-generation ski trip to a picturesque and pastoral Vermont village sounded like the ideal family vacation. It had something for everyone: sports, shopping, great restaurants -- many of them with children's menus, ambient fireplaces and plenty of babysitters, which to the mother of a 6-week-old baby might have been the most tempting of all...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Saturday defended Pakistan's cooperation in the hunt for Osama bin Laden despite the inability of U.S. and Pakistani troops to find the al-Qaida leader who, Bush once declared, was wanted dead or alive. The trail has gone cold in the more than three years since U.S. ...

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain on Saturday demanded immediate action by representatives of major league baseball's players and owners to tighten the sport's drug-testing policy "to restore the integrity of baseball" or face possible congressional action...

With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, everyone needs a place to take some time to relax. The home at 156 Pocahontas Drive in Jackson offers a perfect holiday get-away. Located outside of Jackson in Indian Springs Estates, it is close enough to Cape Girardeau and Jackson for holiday shopping, but far enough from the holiday traffic to be restful. Set on 1.28 acres, it has a large pond in the back yard with its own fishing dock. The yard is level and easily maintained in any season...

** Couple allegedly report stolen marijuana CALLAWAY, Fla. -- Help, police, someone stole my pot! A Panhandle couple is under arrest after notifying police Thursday that their quarter-pound stash of marijuana was stolen and that they needed the weed back, because they were going to later sell it. ...

** Toybox A new bike under his Christmas tree this year tops the list of holiday wishes for 10-year-old Jerry. His bike was stolen, but his mother works to support her family of three and there's not enough money to buy a new bike. But Jerry can think of other things he'd like to brighten his holidays: Hot Wheels cars and Game Boy games among them...

** Belgrade officials want election annulled BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro -- Serbia on Saturday demanded the U.N. administrator of Kosovo annul the election of the province's new prime minister, a former rebel leader accused by Serbs of war crimes. Belgrade officials said the Kosovo parliament had jeopardized talks on the province's future as well as regional stability by choosing ethnic Albanian Ramush Haradinaj. ...

A program titled "Recipe for a Meaningful Christmas" will be held at 7 p.m. Monday in the Johnson Faculty Centre at Southeast Missouri State University. Several speakers will offer brief messages outlining ways to have a meaningful Christmas. Speaking will be Doug Johnson of the Center for Health and Counseling, the Rev. J. Friedel of Catholic Campus Ministry, Tye Parks of Intervarsity and Yvonne Dennis of Regeneration Collegiate Christian Ministry...

Residential n Residential customers of sewer, water and solid waste services face a 1.5 percent rate increase or a total increase of 65 cents on the average monthly bill. Current average monthly cost: $42.96 Proposed average monthly cost: $43.61 COMMERCIAL...

** Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items on Friday: At 5:26 p.m., motor vehicle accident at Independence Street and Kingshighway. At 6:05 p.m., motor vehicle accident at Independence Street and Kingshighway. Firefighters responded to the following items on Saturday:...

** Cape Girardeau The following items were released Saturday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Molly Wickenhouser, 21, of 7936 Diamond Springs Drive, Godfrey, Ill., was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and failure to stop at a stop sign...

Among human experiences, the miracle of childbirth is beyond adequate description. But a recent series of Southeast Missourian stories about Barb and Kenny Elfrink by staff writer Bob Miller did about as good a job as possible. The series was remarkable in so many ways. The stories shared the despair and joy of a couple who unsuccessfully tried for so long to have another child. Then fertility drugs led to Barb Elfrink's pregnancy with triplets...

The pile of holiday party invitations is staring back at you. Good news: You're really popular. Bad news: You've actually got to show up at a couple of these things. And certainly not empty handed. But what to bring? Not what you might think, say PR mavens/event coordinators Lara Shriftman and Elizabeth Harrison, authors of "Fete Accompli! The Ultimate Guide to Creative Entertaining."...

From staff and wire reports Dressing for a festive office party doesn't mean searching the closet for all your red and green attire. s This year, traditional holiday colors and designs are out, and glamor is in. But questions remain: How do you achieve a glamorous look on a budget?...

** Hats off to cyclists THE MISSOURIAN should say more about the motorcycle riders. This year these men and women have given money for toys for kids who are unfortunate. They had five or six runs this year. These people with these expensive motorcycles ought to be congratulated for their community service for the city...

** Thanks for article I regret that it has taken me six weeks to communicate my gratitude for Marty Mishow's excellent article about my sons, John and James Webb, in your article of Oct. 10. Although I do not see myself or my life as "tragedy," I believe that you did convey the spirit of victory and the power to overcome that is possible for us all. ...