Stories from Sunday, April 10, 2005

John and Linda Lombard of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Jayme Ann Lombard, to Michael James Abbott. He is the son of Rose Smith of Sikeston, Mo. Lombard received a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Southeast Missouri State University. She is employed by the state of Missouri Department of Social Services Division of Child Enforcement in Jefferson City...

MCCLURE, Ill. -- David and Linda Stevens of McClure, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Suzanne Elaine Stevens, to Spencer Alan Wills. He is the son of Alan and Lana Wills of Jackson. Stevens is a 2000 graduate of Shawnee High School, a 2002 graduate of Shawnee Community College, and expects to receive a degree in social work from Southern Illinois University this fall. She is employed at Sara Lee Bakery...

Bradley and Dee Dee Stevens of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Jessica Linzy Stevens, to Nathan Andrew Meade of West Plains, Mo. He is the son of the Rev. David and Susan Meade of Houston, Mo. Stevens is a 2003 graduate of Central High School, and is majoring in elementary education at Southeast Missouri State University. She is employed at the university...

PERKINS, Mo. -- Lynn and Olivia Burlison of Perkins announce the engagement of their daughter, Laura Dawn Nussbaum, to Bradley Linn Stotler. He is the son of Ann Stotler of Cape Girardeau and Lee and Carole Stotler of Marble Hill, Mo. Nussbaum is a 1995 graduate of Oran High School in Oran, Mo., and received a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice from Southeast Missouri State University in 2000. She is a deputy with Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department...

William and Laura Peffley of Springfield, Ill., and retired Air Force Maj. Ronald Doughty of Pekin, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Kari Jeanne Doughty of Jackson, to Timothy Austin Stroder. He is the son of Lonnie and Susan Stroder of Jackson...

Steven and Marsha Beamon of Gallatin, Tenn., announce the engagement of their daughter, Penny Lee Beamon, to Andrew Wayne Green. He is the son of Rick and Dorothy Green of Whitewater. Beamon expects to receive a degree in elementary education from Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, Tenn., in May...

ORAN, Mo. -- Glenn and Susan Nothdurft of Oran announce the engagement of their daughter, Sara Nothdurft, to Brandon Pylate of Jackson. He is the son of Penny Green of Jackson and Jerry Pylate of Caruthersville, Mo. Nothdurft received a master's degree in education from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2004. She teaches English at Hickman High School in Columbia, and will teach French at Jackson High School this fall...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Dana Delores Osborne and Lawrence Edward Fleming were married Oct. 10, 2004, at the World's Fair Pavilion at Forest Park in St. Louis. Dr. Brian Anderson performed the ceremony. Music was by the Chesterfield Quartet of Chesterfield, Mo...

ST. LOUIS -- After three straight difficult losses, Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel kept things calm. His team responded with an easy victory. Rookie Gavin Floyd pitched seven dominant innings Saturday, retiring 19 straight St. Louis Cardinals batters and giving the Phillies' beleaguered bullpen a break in a 10-4 victory...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Freshman Joey Evans continued his impressive pitching, as he helped Southeast Missouri State's baseball team salvage a doubleheader split Saturday. After being pounded by host Samford 13-5 in the nine-inning opener, Evans hurled a three-hitter as the Redhawks captured the seven-inning nightcap 3-1...

In earning the Special Olympics Missouri Athlete of the Year for 2004, Lucas Blattel excelled both as a competitor and off the field. Blattel displayed this excellence at the Southeast Area Spring Games on Saturday at Cape Central Junior High School...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The upcoming "Star Wars" film centers on what is known in the saga's mythology as the Clone Wars. The Missouri Senate last week found itself embroiled in its own version of the cloning conflict. Concerned the realm of science fiction is on the verge of intruding into reality, some senators want to ban human cloning in the state. ...

Eric Heins will not be defending his title in today's St. Louis Marathon. He instead is going to set his sights on a much bigger race. Heins, Southeast Missouri State's second-year cross country and assistant track coach, will compete in the Boston Marathon on April 18...

Girl Scouts from around the area learned how to protect themselves at the Take Charge program presented Saturday by the Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence. Leasa Stone, a pediatric nurse who is also part of NASV, taught how to defend against sexual harrassment, rape, sexual molestation, dating violence and to be aware of Internet dangers and date rape drugs...

LOUISIANA, Mo. -- Twenty years ago, George St. Pierre handed over $10 for a framed scrap of cloth at a secondhand store. Now he hopes the swatch -- supposedly from the coat President Lincoln was wearing when he was assassinated -- is worth a small fortune...

WINDSOR, England -- Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles wed in a modest town hall ceremony Saturday with the blessing of the queen and the Church of England, sealing a tangled love affair ignited at a polo match more than 30 years ago. Once married, the royals knelt beneath the towering Gothic arches of St. ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Tens of thousands of supporters of a militant Shiite cleric filled central Baghdad's streets Saturday and demanded that American soldiers go home, marking the second anniversary of Baghdad's fall with shouts of "No, no to Satan!"...

Come Friday's tax return deadline, you may be suffering financial loss. By that same day, by chance, your children can profit from a block of TV shows designed to help them manage their money -- and even spend less of yours. "Cyberchase," PBS' math mystery cartoon series, will present a two-hour "Cyberchase: Know Your Dough" marathon of four episodes that give children tips on how to earn, save and spend money in a thrifty way...

ST. LOUIS -- More than 400 laid-off auto industry workers in the St. Louis area will receive aid from a roughly $1.5 million federal grant meant to provide job counseling and short-term training opportunities, officials said Friday. The National Emergency Grant will help Ford Motor Co. and Lear Seating Corp. workers in Hazelwood who lost their jobs, given a slowdown in vehicle sales, Gov. Matt Blunt said in a joint statement with Republican Sens. Kit Bond and Jim Talent...

LOS ANGELES -- The new ABC drama "Grey's Anatomy," which has proved a strong Sunday night partner for "Desperate Housewives," will keep its time slot and cut short the season for "Boston Legal." "Grey's Anatomy," about first-year surgical interns at a Seattle hospital, debuted March 27 and improved on the ratings in the 9 p.m. Sunday time slot that had belonged to "Boston Legal."...

LOS ANGELES -- Antonio Villaraigosa's story would be compelling in any language. The son of a Mexican immigrant, raised by a single mother, Villaraigosa dropped out of high school yet rose to become speaker of the California Assembly, an adviser to John Kerry's presidential campaign and, now, the front-running candidate for mayor of Los Angeles...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- If you're driving through Southern Illinois and it seems as if there is a red-tailed hawk sitting in every tree and on nearly every fence post, you aren't imagining things. Red-tailed hawks are thriving. "Between 1966 and 2003, there has been an average 1 1/2 percent per year increase in the number of red-tailed hawks counted in the breeding survey," said Glenn Kruse of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Division of Habitat Resources. ...

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon expects overwhelming support from President Bush before embarking on one of the most fundamental concessions in Israeli history -- the evacuation of 9,500 Jewish settlers from their homes. Sharon meets with Bush this week at the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas, a venue reserved for a select few world leaders...

There is certainly an appeal to living close to the land, and the home at 946 Highway 51 in Bollinger County is a perfect place to reconnect with Mother Earth. With 40 acres of wooded land that borders Missouri Conservation Land, a two-acre stocked lake with its own dock, and a variety of fruit trees and grapes, this vinyl-sided ranch-style home is a great place to not just "get away from it all," but to "stay away from it all."...

The Southeast Missouri State intramural field was a little muddy Friday night. That didn't matter to the members of the Central lacrosse club. The third-year club, which plays at the junior varsity level of the Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association, played its only home contest of the year. And the result was a winner: 7-3 over Wentzville...

Efforts to find an agreeable solution to the rift between Southeast Missouri State University and Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff have so far been unsuccessful. As a result, students interested in pursuing classes at convenient locations throughout Southeast Missouri are faced with some uncertainty. This is unfortunate...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items on Saturday. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI <li> Elizabeth A. Heise, 21, 105 E. Cape Rock Drive, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and a stop sign violation...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following call Friday: <li> At 11:31 p.m., emergency medical service at 232 Camellia Drive. Firefighters responded to the following call Saturday: <li> At 12:45 a.m., emergency medical service at 1938 Delwin St...

Central and St. Vincent advanced to the championship game of the Noon Optimist Spring Classic girls soccer tournament at Central with semifinal victories Saturday. The teams will meet 7 p.m. Tuesday in the championship, following the 5:30 p.m. third-place game between Sikeston and Notre Dame...

To the editor; Five years ago the 21st century dawned. But it looks like Cape Girardeau, a community which is rapidly growing, is about to be saddled with a post office in a 20th century location. Problems at the old location appeared to be a blessing in disguise. With our very own congresswoman jumping on the new- location bandwagon for us, optimism was rampant...

The Central baseball team couldn't withstand a seventh-inning, two-out comeback and lost 10-8 to state-ranked Francis Howell in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday. Central's Brad LaBruyere pitched 6 2/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits before being relieved by losing pitcher Tyrone Reece. Reece gave up the game-winning, two-run home run on his first pitch...

Megan McDonald didn't expect much out of her freshman softball season. But she has received plenty --much to the delight of Southeast Missouri State coach Lana Richmond, whose team has already won more games than it did all of last year. McDonald, a Cape Girardeau Central High School graduate, continued her impressive rookie campaign Saturday, belting two home runs as the Redhawks swept an Ohio Valley Conference home doubleheader...

The Southeast Missouri State track and field program turned in a host of stellar performances during Saturday's University of Mississippi Invitational in Oxford, Miss. Going up against nearly 20 other schools -- including several from the Southeastern Conference -- Southeast met NCAA regional qualifying standards in six events...

To the editor: I am a former foster child of the house parents living at Shepherd's Cove at this time. I have known David Butler for 10 years, and I also have helped at every Shepherd's Cove event that has happened in the past four years. I trusted David 100 percent with my money and still would...

John Robert "Jack" Lipps, 66, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 8, 2005, at his home. He had been in failing health for many years. He was born Oct. 16, 1938, at Cape Girardeau, son of George and Dorothy Lipps. He and Joan Clyne were married June 28, 1960 in London, England...

Grass in the streets...

Mural to be discussed on KRCU show today...

WASHINGTON -- The Secret Service, which has the job of guarding the president and other dignitaries, now has a new temporary duty -- protecting a mother duck and her nine eggs. The duck, a brown mallard with white markings, has had several names suggested by Treasury Department people, including "Quacks Reform," "T-Bill," and "Duck Cheney." It has built a nest in a mulch pile right at the main entrance to the Treasury Department on Pennsylvania Avenue...

NEW YORK -- Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is on his way to the Kentucky Derby thanks to a dazzling, 17 1/2-length victory by Bellamy Road in the $750,000 Wood Memorial on Saturday. Taking the lead from the start, the big bay colt made easy work of six rivals and gave trainer Nick Zito yet another 3-year-old for the Derby on May 7...

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Jack Nicklaus climbed to the top of the ninth green, gave a small wave to the cheering crowd and dipped his head to brush the tears from his eyes. This was the way the six-time Masters champion wanted to leave. No drawn-out sendoff, just a simple goodbye. After a tap-in for one last par and some smiles for the fans, he was gone. And the 65-year-old says it's for good...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Dan Kaercher thinks it's time Midwesterners start tooting their own horn -- and if they won't do it, he will. "I do feel like the Midwest just doesn't get our due," he said. As editor of Midwest Living, he spent two months last summer visiting his favorite places in the region -- nearly 60 spots in 12 states -- for the magazine's annual "Best of the Midwest" edition, out this week...

25 years ago: April 10, 1980 About 65 county and city officials from throughout the area converged on the Ramada Inn in Cape Girardeau last night for a meeting with 10th District U.S. Rep. Bill D. Burlison in an effort to convince the congressman of the importance of continuing revenue sharing for local governments...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- After some initial opposition, many of Missouri's leading education groups now support legislation to revamp the state's system for funding public schools. That support, however, could easily evaporate depending on how the legislative process unfolds...

ANNA, Ill. -- Patricia "Patty" Williams, 56, of Anna died Saturday, April 9, 2005, at her home. She was born June 9, 1948, at Anna, daughter of Rufus and Erline Brown Williams. Survivors include four brothers, Bruce Williams, Harold Williams, Billy Max Williams, all of Anna, Michael Williams of Dongola, Ill.; and a sister, Sherry Parr of Dongola...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Joyce A. Gray, 59, of Puxico died Saturday, April 9, 2005, at her home. She was born July 22, 1945, at Marston, Mo., daughter of James Robert and Sarah Melissa Ford Gray. Survivors include a son, Terry J. Townsend of Puxico; two daughters, Angela Proffer of Burfordville, Joyce Jenkins of Dexter, Mo.; two brothers, Buck Gray of Fisk, Mo., D.W. ...

CHAFFEE, Mo. --David Joseph Burckhardt died at birth Friday, April 8, 2005, at Poplar Bluff Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He was the son of David Thomas and Eva Yvonne Ewing Burckhardt. Survivors include his parents; paternal grandparents, David John and Joan Edmond Burckhardt of Chaffee; maternal grandmother, Betty Sue Duty of Manito, Ill.; paternal great-grandfather, Ronald H. Burckhardt of St. Louis; and maternal great-grandmother, Lavern Marie Ryan of Mason City, Ill...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Ralph B. Smith, 87, of Tamms died Saturday, April 9, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Jones Funeral Home in Tamms.

Outraged...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A man drove his car into a wall at the Division of Motor Vehicles building, then walked in and renewed his driver's license, police say. Police believe the man was driving while impaired on medication and charged him with driving under the influence. ...

A year ago, most local families were forced to drive to Columbia, St. Louis and even other states regularly for diagnosis and treatment of an autistic child. The therapies that parents were able to implement in Southeast Missouri didn't always seem effective...

With more than four out of five states allowing law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons, that argument is finished. Now, the nation's long-running argument over guns turns on how much to loosen the rules -- should guns be allowed in judge's chambers? Bars? In workplace parking lots?...

Notre Dame, Central and Jackson all finished in the top five of both the boys and girls portions of the Jackson Invitational track and field meet Saturday. On the boys side, Notre Dame finished second, followed by Central, Perryville and Jackson. Poplar Bluff won the title...

WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio -- After his grandmother was killed in a string of highway shootings in Ohio, 7-year-old Max Knisley worried that the gunman could be lurking around any corner. Now that suspect Charles McCoy Jr.'s trial is underway, the Knisley family is hoping for a swift end to a case that terrorized drivers around central Ohio between October 2003 and February 2004...

ST. LOUIS -- Relatives of a death row inmate who killed his St. Louis grandmother in 1993 after she refused to give him money to buy crack cocaine are asking the governor for leniency. "We have had enough death in our family," said Matthew Knuckles, a Rock Hill alderman for 16 years...

BERLIN -- Pavel Kohn survived a death march from Auschwitz and a winter train trip in open coal cars. He arrived at Buchenwald concentration camp a frostbitten, exhausted 15-year-old Jewish orphan, his parents and older brother already dead in the Nazi Holocaust...

When we left the Rushin family last spring, 10-year-old Ben was standing atop the champion's tier at the Jackson Youth League Wrestling tournament, proudly waving over his head the tournament bracket that showed his first-place finish. Twenty-two-year-old Taylor Crowe was a student at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, Calif., living out his dream of becoming an animator...

MADISON, Wis. -- Call it much ado about almost nothing. To create buzz about an otherwise arcane subject, the University of Wisconsin-Madison showed off a tiny speck of zircon crystal believed to be the oldest known piece of Earth at about 4.4 billion years old. ...

Recently the Southeast Missourian published a column by James W. Wente, president and CEO of Southeast Missouri Hospital, regarding Medicaid facts. Mr. Wente called for a public debate on this important but expensive entitlement program. I agree wholeheartedly on that need....

There was no fairy-tale finish to Illinois' storybook basketball season. But at least Monday's NCAA tournament championship game lived up to its hype -- which certainly isn't always the case...

In most museums, Abraham Lincoln is discussed in hushed voices and illustrated with sepia-toned photos and marble statues that give him a saintly air. The new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum doesn't buy into that reverence -- it brings Lincoln to life with booming cannons, holographic ghosts and latex statues so lifelike the arms have freckles. It shakes visitors up and shows them all sides of the former president...