Stories from Thursday, May 19, 2005

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Governors typically pounce on the opportunity to fill vacancies on the powerful Missouri State Highways and Transportation Commission. Gov. Matt Blunt, however, is taking his time. Although a Democratic position on the governing body of the Missouri Department of Transportation opened 11 weeks ago, the Republican governor's spokesman said he is in no hurry to fill it. ...

Fifteen years ago, when Dennis Debbaudt asked a group of law enforcement officers if they'd heard of autism, the answer from most, if not all, was no. When Debbaudt asked the question Wednesday at Southeast Missouri State University, all of the 30 local emergency and law enforcement workers in attendance said they had heard of the neurological disorder...

Robert L. Grant pled guilty Friday to involuntary manslaughter in the stabbing death of 23-year-old Chad Chaney of Scott City. Grant, who is also from Scott City, was sentenced to seven years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Grant was originally accused of stabbing Chaney and four others at a party in rural Scott County in July of 2004. The altercation took place in an area outside Scott City known as Red Gate on County Road 301...

The public will have an opportunity to meet the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation at a reception from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. today at Buckner Brewing Co. restaurant at 132 N. Main St. The Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, the historic preservation program at Southeast Missouri State University and Buckner Brewing Co. ...

Increasing preservation efforts at Old Lorimier Cemetery and Fort D and getting tax credits for restoration of historic sites were the topics addressed by three speakers at Wednesday night's meeting of the Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission...

May 19, 2005 Dear Leslie, I never meant to get into real estate. I liked being a renter. If the surroundings didn't suit me, I could easily move somewhere else and did. From my college years until DC and I bought our house 10 years ago, more than 25 different apartments and houses were home. ...

BOONVILLE, Mo. -- Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon on Wednesday said he will use the full legal power of the state to preserve a historic Missouri River railroad bridge for future use as part of the Katy Trail. Union Pacific Railroad wants to remove the 73-year-old structure, which it owns, and has received tentative permission to do so from Republican Gov. ...

The soldiers of the National Guard's 1140th Engineer Battalion have already received their informal welcome home after returning from deployment to Iraq. On Saturday, they will be officially recognized for their sacrifice by the government they fought for...

Dejan Kocevski lived a nightmare of a childhood. Starved, beaten and locked up in the basement of a Cape Girardeau home, the then-7-year-old boy nearly died in a house fire 23 years ago that sparked discovery of the abuse and led to the prosecution of his mother and her boyfriend on child abuse charges...

The value of land in Cape Girardeau County increased by $47 million, or 7.76 percent from last year, while personal property value increased by $13 million, or 7 percent, according to the county assessor's office. The numbers, released by the county Wednesday, are subject to change as property and real estate owners are allowed to appeal assessments to the board of equalization. Property owners should be getting notices of change in the mail next week...

NORTHBROOK, Ill. -- Though his high school basketball coach is the brother of Illinois' Bruce Weber, Glenbrook North junior all-stater Jon Scheyer announced Tuesday he will play college hoops for the Blue Devils over the Illini. "It was tough, it definitely was," Scheyer said of his decision. "But Illinois is going to get great guys coming in the next couple of years, and I think, I am just happy with my decision to go to Duke."...

PHOENIX -- Steve Nash added the most impressive night yet to his marvelous MVP season, leading the Phoenix Suns within one victory of the Western Conference finals. Nash had 34 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists -- his third career triple-double and first in the playoffs -- and the Suns turned on the jets in a fourth-quarter outburst to beat the Dallas Mavericks 114-108 on Wednesday night...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Former Indy winner Kenny Brack is coming back to the Brickyard, summoned to replace the injured driver who once filled in for him: defending champion Buddy Rice. Brack, the 1999 Indy 500 winner, will return to Indy more than a year after a horrible crash at Texas knocked him out of the IRL...

WASHINGTON -- Big jumps in energy and food costs pushed consumer prices higher in April, but many other prices calmed down, easing fears about a broad outbreak of inflation. Wall Street rallied on the news. From an economic and investor point of view, the Labor Department's latest snapshot of the nation's pricing climate suggested inflationary pressures were moderating and the Federal Reserve probably could stay the course of gradually rate increases to check inflation...

CONCORD, N.C. -- Kurt Busch has been ordered by NASCAR to start behaving like a champion. His first test will be the All-Star race, an event at which Busch has struggled to stay out of trouble. The defending Nextel Cup champion has had at least two gaffes in the $1 million race, including triggering an 11-car accident last year that wrecked both Busch and teammate Greg Biffle. ...

WASHINGTON -- The NBA wants to kick players out of the league for a third failed steroid test and double the punishment for a first offense, commissioner David Stern told a House panel on Wednesday, the latest example of a professional sport moving to tighten its drug policy in the face of congressional scrutiny...

LOS ANGELES -- Jerry Moss is used to people questioning his judgment. He pegged the Police song "Every Breath You Take" as a hit when others predicted failure -- and the tune ended up No. 1 on the charts. He had a similar belief in Giacomo five months before the colt's stunning Kentucky Derby victory at 50-1 odds...

BALTIMORE -- The morning after the Kentucky Derby, Kiaran McLaughlin stood outside his barn at Churchill Downs wearing the smile of winner. He wasn't, of course, but the trainer didn't mind. "Not that anybody remembers who finishes second in the Kentucky Derby," he said, "but it was a great thrill for us."...

ST. LOUIS -- The University of Missouri system will set aside $10 million in a scholarship fund to settle a class-action lawsuit's claims that it illegally charged in-state tuition to undergraduate students, the four-campus system announced Wednesday...

ST. LOUIS -- Death-penalty opponents objected to an inmate's three hours strapped to a gurney before his execution, saying the wait adds grist to their claims that death by injection is inhumane. The state Department of Corrections defended its treatment of Vernon Brown, saying the inmate never complained of discomfort and actually slept part of the time after taking a sedative he earlier had declined...

URICH, Mo. -- A 3.3-magnitude earthquake centered here had some locals feeling a strange motion Wednesday afternoon, but caused no damages or injuries, state officials said. The temblor occurred at 2:59 p.m., the State Emergency Management Agency said. It was centered about 4 miles south of this 500-person town east of Kansas City. There are hundreds of thousands of tiny quakes across the globe each year. Those with magnitudes of 2.5 to 5.4 can typically be felt, but cause only minor damage...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A woman accused of lying about finding a human finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili was charged Wednesday with conspiracy to commit fraud, adding to the theft counts she already faces. Meanwhile, a woman provided more details about how the finger may have been lost. She said her son lost the finger in a work accident and gave it to the suspect's husband to settle a $50 debt...

Marie K. Hinkle, 78, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, May 18, 2005, at the Lutheran Home. She was born July 27, 1926, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Louis C. and Elda M. Lampe Kaufman. She and Roy V. Hinkle were married July 21, 1945, in Cape Girardeau...

PHILADELPHIA -- The Cardinals retired Bobby Abreu when it mattered most. Yadier Molina hit a three-run homer and Albert Pujols added a two-run shot, helping the Cardinals overcome another homer by Abreu in an 8-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night...

Overtime was not necessary to decide the winner of the Class 2 District 1 girls soccer championship game between rivals Central and Jackson this year. After winning the last two district championships in overtime, Jackson decided to take care of business in regulation, and that it did. The Indians put an emphatic end to the Tigers' season with a 6-1 rout Wednesday at Jackson...

BURBANK, Calif. -- Actor Frank Gorshin, the impressionist with 100 faces best known for his Emmy-nominated role as The Riddler on the old "Batman" television series, has died. He was 72. Gorshin's wife of 48 years, Christina, was at his side when he died Tuesday at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center....

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Morgan Stanley must pay billionaire financier Ron Perelman more than $1.4 billion in damages, awarded by a jury that said it found clear evidence the investment firm acted fraudulently in Perelman's 1998 sale of his Coleman camping gear company to Sunbeam Corp...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- A sharp flare-up of violence Wednesday, including two Palestinian militants killed, an Israeli airstrike against Hamas and the shelling of Jewish settlements, threatened to collapse a fragile truce and derail efforts to restart Mideast peace talks...

ST. LOUIS -- A tractor-trailer crossed into the path of an Amtrak train just starting its daily St. Louis-to-Kansas City run Wednesday, the collision critically injuring the truck's driver but sparing the handful of people aboard the passenger train. The truck driver, whose name was not released, sustained burns to about 25 percent of his body and internal injuries...

WASHINGTON -- A House committee voted to prohibit women in the military from serving in direct ground combat roles Wednesday as part of a bill setting Defense Department policy and spending plans for the coming budget year. By voice vote, an amendment was approved that would put into law a Pentagon policy from 1994 that prohibits female troops in all four services from serving in units below brigade level whose primary mission is direct ground combat...

A special ceremony to honor girls who earned the Girl Scout Gold Award or the Girl Scout Silver Award as well as graduating senior Girl Scouts. was held recently at Centenary United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a young woman can earn in scouting, requires Girl Scouts to plan and implement a project to benefit others. Otahki Council scouts from Cape Girardeau Troop 290 and Jackson Troop 192 were recipients of the Girl Scout Gold Award...

Weekly farmer's market begins at Arena Park; 'Day of the Family' declared by mayor; VISTA Project program seeks local volunteer; Cape library announces various May events; Chaffee pictorial cancellation available ; Diebold Orchards holds spring fest on Saturday; Hi-CotN' Dance Club meets Thursday nights; Red House holds cooking program; Chaffee Centennial events kick off Saturday; Historical association meets at Royal N'Orleans; Old Goshen Cemetery Association meeting ; Salvation Army serving Meals with Friends

To the editor: Predictions that future elections will shift political power are frightening but probably correct. Most Republicans in office seem to believe they were elected by radical right-wing-thinking voters. Most Democratic politicians are radical left-wing-thinking party followers...

To the editor: Contrary to the anonymous opinion titled "Jefferson City backward" published May 15 in the Southeast Missourian, the Jefferson City News Tribune has not ended its Web site, nor does it have plans to do so. The service continues to be updated daily at www.newstribune.com. Anyone with questions or difficulties viewing the site can contact me at NT@newstribune.com...

Where's that leash?; Small-school success; Dastardly criticism; The long haul; Selective on taxes; No more excuses; Selective praise; Trash exercise; Shoddy journalism; Losing the war; Risking lives; Funding shift; No respect for procession; Credit-card calls; Federal program; Teaching manners; Why they switched; Considerate visitors; Gathering in the street; Caring for the poor; Focus on the positive; Made where?

Mary Dean Flaker, 82, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, May 16, 2005, at Lenoir Retirement Community in Columbia, Mo. She was born Mary Magdelene Cook May 21, 1922, near Montauk State Park in central Missouri, daughter of James E. and Susan Foust Cook. She and Clyde Flaker were married Dec. 7, 1944...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Colette Gosche Heath, 95, went peacefully home to be with the Lord Thursday, May 12, 2005. She passed away at St. Paul's Inpatient Care Center in San Diego, Calif. She was an artist who painted china and taught painting classes in her studio many years...

Olga O. Reitzel, 86, of Jackson passed away Tuesday, May 17, 2005, at Monticello House. She was born Dec. 30, 1918, in Jackson, daughter of Otto and Molly McBryde Schweer. She and Earl Reitzel were married Oct. 13, 1939, in Blytheville, Ark. They had been married 53 years when Earl passed away May 10, 1993...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Donald Leo Plaskie, 67, of St. Louis died Tuesday, May 17, 2005, at Forest Park Hospital. He was born July 4, 1937, in Bristol, Va., son of John H. and Florence Willis Plaskie. He married the former Betty Hunt. Plaskie worked for the C&O Railroad in Ohio, and then was a service station attendant in St. Louis. He was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church in St. Louis...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- Ruth Ishmael, 76, of East Prairie died Saturday, May 14, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. She was born Dec. 10, 1928, in East Prairie, daughter of William N. and Inez A. Bippus Nall. She married Jacob T. Zook, who preceded her in death. She and Jacob "Jake" Ishmael were married June 23, 1953. He died July 12, 2002...

Evelyn Clodine Cunningham, 91, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, May 17, 2005, at Life Care Center. She was born June 14, 1913, near Cape Girardeau, daughter of E. Frank and Lillie Clodine Williamson Hopper. She and Jesse Holmes Cunningham were married June 21, 1930, in Cairo, Ill. He died May 27, 1989...

MAYFIELD, Ky. -- Wilma Pearl Baker, 80, of Mayfield died Tuesday, May 17, 2005, at Murray-Calloway County Hospital. She was born Oct. 15, 1924, in Graves County, Ky., daughter of James and Vera Grant McManus. She first married Vernice Holmes, who preceded her in death. She later married Nolvice Baker, who also preceded her in death...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Roy Bell, 91, of Chaffee died Wednesday, May 18, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee is in charge of arrangements.

Camella Ann Schleinger, 65, of Scott City died Wednesday, May 18, 2005, at her home. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements.

Victor Douglass, 53, of Jackson, died Wednesday, May 18, 2005, at his residence. He was born June 25, 1952, at Thayer, Mo., son of Russell and Wilma "Jean" Bates Douglass. He and Linda Pearl Fields were married July 17, 1981 in Cape Girardeau. She preceded him in death on Oct. 10, 1991...

To the editor: Small business owners, like myself, are relying more and more on advanced telecommunications services in efforts to remain competitive, lower our costs, increase productivity and communicate with our customers. Lawmakers in Missouri saw the need to update the telecom rules and approved Senate Bill 237 by an overwhelming majority. ...

25 years ago: May 19, 1980 County voter registration officials say "Registration Outreach" should result in well over 1,000 new names being added to Cape Girardeau County's voter registration rolls upon completion of the program Wednesday. A flood-protection plan, including earthen levees, pumping station, floodgates and channelization, has been recommended for the oldest U.S. city on the west bank of the Mississippi River -- Ste. Genevieve, Mo...

* Name: Clarence "Dub" Suedekum Jr....

Bowles completes Marine basic training; Nuyt graduates from Air Force course

Report:Most diabetics not controlling blood sugar; House passes bill to scale back terror alert system; White House: U.S. image damaged by article; Man sought in Idaho slayings found, questioned; Police: Robber shot after taking hostages to airport

Iran will endure sanctions over nuclear program; Italian police arrest nine terror suspects; Anti-Western violence continues in Afghanistan; Ferry in Bangladesh capsizes, dozens missing; Fox promises to work with U.S. civil rights leader

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following call Tuesday: * At 10:05 p.m., a citizen assist in the 1200 block of Hilldale Circle. Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: * At 8:04 a.m., emergency medical service in the 600 block of Silver Springs Road...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items Wednesday. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests * A subject was in custody pending filing of formal charges for possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute...

Entering only its fifth year, Tunes at Twilight has become a Friday evening institution in Cape Girardeau. Fine touring musicians perform before an audience seated in lawn chairs and on blankets in the shade of Common Pleas Courthouse Park in Cape Girardeau. Dogs and babies frolic...

Basketball...

Six-year-old Mia Schwettman of Scott City is one of 100,000 Americans with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder. Parents of children who are diagnosed with cancer at least have some idea what they can expect from the disease and the treatment. Not so with parents of children with NF...

Three years removed from a Class 1 state title at Bell City, C.J. Hadley has fulfilled a dream many high school basketball players have. After three years at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Hadley recently signed with Division I Sam Houston State...

If all goes well this weekend Central sophomore Hannah Kinder will spend less than three minutes in the pool during competition at the state swimming meet. But those three minutes could land Kinder, the Tigers' lone state qualifier, with all-state medals in the 50 and 100 freestyle events...

WASHINGTON -- A hand grenade that landed within 100 feet of President Bush during his visit last week to a former Soviet republic was a threat to his life and the safety of the tens of thousands in the crowd, the FBI said Wednesday. The grenade was live but did not explode...

KORASUV, Uzbekistan -- The bearded 42-year-old farmer, astride a horse with a colorful saddle and wearing a traditional Uzbek embroidered black-and-white skull cap, snapped his fingers as he gave orders to an assistant. "We will be building an Islamic state here in accordance with the Quran," rebel leader Bakhtiyor Rakhimov said as he watched two roads converging at an intersection. "People are tired of slavery."...

BOSTON -- A widely used screening tool for colon cancer, sigmoidoscopy, misses precancerous growths in almost two-thirds of women -- a disturbing failure rate twice as high as the one seen in men, a government-backed study found. "All our data until now has been based on men. What this data shows is it's a lot worse in women," said Dr. Philip Schoenfeld of the University of Michigan and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs...

WASHINGTON -- Trade tensions between the U.S. and China escalated Wednesday when the Bush administration said it will set new limits on the amount of clothing that China can ship to America. It was the second time in five days that Washington announced such quotas, acting on complaints that a surge of Chinese apparel was hurting U.S. companies. American retailers are concerned the quotas will raise prices of these goods for U.S. consumers...

WASHINGTON -- More than a dozen senators trying to head off a showdown over judicial filibusters failed to work out a deal Wednesday to confirm some of President Bush's controversial judicial appointments while rejecting others. The Senate's party leaders, Republican Bill Frist of Tennessee and Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada, opened formal debate on Texas jurist Priscilla Owen -- the nominee that will test the Democrats' ability to continue blocking judges with filibusters...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Southwest Missouri State continued to roll Wednesday afternoon as the host Bears completed a dominating two-game series sweep of Southeast Missouri State. The Bears scored in every inning but the eighth as they cruised to an 11-6 victory, which came on the heels of Tuesday's 10-2 romp...

I am naturally suspicious of "positive thoughts." They have always seemed a bit cheap to me: A not very sophisticated balm for psychic scrapes and bruises. Yet I can't forget my experience with the biofeedback lady that I reported on in last week's column. Tina Lerner hooked me up to a computer program that resulted in a gnarly portrait of my heart rate incoherence. That meant I was operating in a mild state of stress...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- All year long the Sikeston Bulldogs had to hear about what they weren't and not what they had become. Even after impressive victories, skeptics were everywhere. But the Bulldogs quieted those critics on Wednesday afternoon as they captured the Class 3 District 1 championship with a 7-3 win over Notre Dame at VFW Stadium...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Jackson was led to the Class 4 District 1 championship Wednesday at Wilson-Rozier Park in Farmington by its veteran leaders. Senior Tyler Beussink was the winning pitcher in the 8-2 victory against Poplar Bluff. Senior Jason Meystedt cracked a home run that finally put the Indians on the board in the fourth inning...