Stories from Tuesday, June 7, 2005

Cape Girardeau City Council members got a glimpse Monday night of what the city's new $2 million fire station will look like, as an architect presented a drawing and description of the biggest project from last year's quarter-cent sales tax measure...

The late Scott City businessman Don Roth will be memorialized with a day set aside in his honor. At the Monday night meeting of the Scott City Council, Mayor Tim Porch signed the proclamation setting aside May 7 as a day to remember and celebrate Roth...

It's common for Catherine Moreton to hear teenage friends begin explanations for car accidents with sentences like: "Well, I was talking on my cell. ..." "I've found that whenever I try to talk on my cell phone and drive, I don't have two hands anymore," said Moreton, a 17-year-old incoming senior at Central High School. "I've probably had some close calls myself because of that."...

Authorities are investigating a Saturday morning incident where witnesses say two armed men forced their way into a Cape Girardeau apartment. Cape Girardeau Sgt. Jason Selzer said police responded at 9:27 a.m. Saturday after witnesses claimed two men kicked down an apartment door in the 200 block of North Lorimier Street and started waving guns. ...

The Traveling Acoustic Open Mic featuring Lindsey Bowerman will perform at the Cape Girardeau Public Library in the community room from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Also, area residents interested in starting a songwriting club are asked to meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. prior to the performance at the library...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Retired public school superintendents would have to stay retired under a provision of an education bill the Missouri Legislature approved last month. The provision aims to end so-called "double-dipping" by retired school administrators who come back to work such roles at full salary while simultaneously drawing retirement pay...

On the same day that Farmington Road was closed for phase one construction of the Highway 34/72 widening project, the Jackson Board of Aldermen Monday night made an important move on the beginning of the second phase of the project. The board Monday night accepted a $703,859 bid from Dutch Enterprises Inc. to remove the city's water and sewer lines for the phase two stretch -- from West Main Street to the city limits...

When Centenary United Methodist Church senior pastor Clayton Smith came to Cape Girardeau eight years ago, he never expected to attend his own funeral. Church member Christy Howard said Smith had his 50th birthday shortly after he became Centenary's pastor, so several members of the congregation decided to give him a surprise. To mark Smith's milestone birthday, the group borrowed a casket from a local funeral home, carried candles and walked by his house pretending to cry and wail...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- A man led police officers on a chase Sunday evening on the gravel roads of two Southeast Missouri counties before hitting a dead end in Advance. After nearly a half-hour pursuit, officers from the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol and Advance police caught up to the suspect, Michael E. ...

Missouri education department wants personal finance class to become mandatory. Arming students against the dangers of credit cards, payday loans and other financial pitfalls is an important part of Donna Lute's finance class at Scott City High School...

St. Louis won 7-1 in the teams' first meeting since Boston swept the World Series last fall. ST. LOUIS -- Matt Morris gets excited for every start, it's just his nature. Facing the Boston Red Sox got him really pumped up, even if it wasn't the World Series...

Jackson baseball opponents saw more than their fair share of No. 30 on the base paths this season. Indians senior Jason Meystedt, who dons the No. 30 jersey, got on base in more than half his plate appearances, finishing with a .529 on-base percentage. Meystedt was second on the team with a .412 batting average to go along with 17 walks...

The defending champions returned to the NBA Finals with an 88-82 victory. MIAMI -- The pressure of Game 7 didn't faze the defending champions. In a deciding game that stayed close the entire 48 minutes, the Detroit Pistons summoned their experience and played with poise down the stretch of the fourth quarter to defeat the Miami Heat 88-82 Monday night...

Disabilities law applies to foreign cruise lines WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court, expanding the scope of a landmark federal disabilities law, ruled Monday that foreign cruise lines sailing in U.S. waters must provide better access for passengers in wheelchairs. ...

However, Abu Farraj al-Libbi does not appear on the FBI list of the world's most-wanted terrorists. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan said Monday it handed over a senior al-Qaida suspect to the United States even though he had been the country's most wanted man for allegedly masterminding two bloody attempts to blow up President Gen. Pervez Musharraf...

NAJAF, Iraq -- Scores of supplicants filed slowly past Muqtada al-Sadr, kissing his hands in a show of loyalty to this fiery young anti-American cleric who has created one of the most dynamic religious and political movements in Iraq. But despite the support he enjoys, al-Sadr said in a rare interview he would steer clear of Iraqi politics as long as U.S. troops remain in the country, and warned the current government legitimizes the occupation instead of preparing for its end...

The loans are built on the assumption that home prices will continue to rise. SAN FRANCISCO -- Once a frustrated renter, Chris Economou is now a happy homeowner, enjoying a splendid view of San Francisco and an $80,000 increase in his property's value since he bought the one-bedroom condominium for $435,000 a year ago...

Larger "vote centers" and more than one day to cast ballots are part of the proposals. The nation's election administrators say it's time to restructure elections to reflect the way Americans live, scrapping neighborhood precincts and Election Day for large, customer-oriented "vote centers" where people could cast ballots over a period of weeks...

LONDON -- Britain shelved a referendum on the European Union constitution Monday, following the charter's rejection by French and Dutch voters. The development strongly suggests the treaty cannot survive in its current form, and removes a major complication for Prime Minister Tony Blair. Across Europe, many people saw the British announcement as a final nail in the coffin of the EU charter...

WASHINGTON -- Before they can even read, almost one in four children in nursery school is learning a skill that even some adults have yet to master: using the Internet. Some 23 percent of children in nursery school -- children age 3, 4 or 5 -- have gone online, according to the Education Department. By kindergarten, 32 percent have used the Internet, typically under adult supervision...

Cell phones have picked up their share of critics as they have become more popular among communicating consumers. There are complaints about cell phones ringing in public places like theaters and restaurants. There are complaints about the loud, one-sided conversations that annoy anyone nearby. And there are worries about the safety of using cell phones while driving...

Local pupils earn high education scholarships...

To the editor: Jane Gaffigan's letter regarding Medicaid cuts reflects many misconceptions common to people who do not work with people who have disabilities. Many disabled and elderly people have worked long and productive lives only to see all they have worked for disappear into the black hole of catastrophic medical expenses. Others are born with or develop disease requiring tens of thousands of dollars each year for medications. No insurance program will touch them...

Update Olympics...

Cape Girardeau...

Consent ordinances (Second and third readings) * Approved an ordinance amending the city code by establishing handicap parking on a portion of Broadway. * Approved an ordinance approving the record plat of Cape Meadows Second. * Approved an ordinance accepting permanent waterline easements and temporary construction easements from various property owners for waterline improvements along Bertling Street and Old Sprigg Street Road...

However, the Supreme Court ruling does not stop California's law or similar ones in nine other states. WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court's elderly members have dealt with cancer, chronic back pain and other ailments. They've also lost spouses, children and friends to illness...

WASHINGTON -- The number of murders fell last year for the first time since 1999, part of a nationwide decline in all types of violent crime, according to FBI data released Monday. Cities with more than 1 million people had the greatest decrease in violent crime, 5.4 percent, while cities under 10,000 saw the greatest decrease in murder, 12.2 percent...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Doris L. Tejeda, 79, of Sikeston died Sunday, June 5, 2005, at Clearview Nursing Center. She was born March 14, 1926, at Illmo, daughter of John and Rose Holmes Wooley, Tejeda was a certified nurse aide at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Kansas City, and at area nursing homes...

Martha Ann Craig, 77, of Glenwood Springs, Colo., died Sunday, April 17, 2005, at her home. She was born Sept. 28, 1927, in Fulton, Ky., daughter of Rex and Arah Payne. She and Charles Craig were married Dec. 21, 1947. He preceded her in death. She was a 1944 graduate of Central High School in Cape Girardeau, and received a bachelor's degree in English and chemistry from Southeast Missouri State University in 1947...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Carrie G. Dickerson, 84, of Sikeston died Saturday, June 4, 2005, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born Dec. 5, 1920, in Blandville, Ky., daughter of George W. and Emily Tinnon Dickerson. Dickerson was a graduate of Sikeston High School and Draughon Business College. She was a seed analyst with Dan McCoy Seed Co...

Tom W. Seyer, 51, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, June 5, 2005, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born May 25, 1954, at Chaffee, Mo., son of Peter Bernard and Cora Leona Schaefer Seyer. Seyer was a truck driver with Quality Carriers in Memphis, Tenn. He was a member of Elks Lodge 1810 in Chaffee...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Blanche Howard, 92, of Bloomfield died Saturday, June 4, 2005, at her home. She was born March 13, 1913, at Bloomfield, daughter of Harry and Isa Link Taylor. She and Sidney Hendley were married in 1937. He died in June 1952. She and Dail Howard were married Aug. 18, 1984. He died Jan. 23, 2000...

Nora F. Brown, 80, of Scott City died Monday, June 6, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements.

Joseph W. Little, 34, of Wadsworth, Ohio, died Saturday, June 4, 2005, in Wadsworth. He was born Dec. 6, 1970, son of Joe and Kay Little. Little was a computer programmer with Ana-Comp. He served in the U.S. Air Force. Survivors include his parents of Wadsworth; a sister, Barb Nicodemus of Wadsworth; and grandmother, Helen Little of Cape Girardeau...

Wesley Leon Littleton, 80, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, June 6, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born May 14, 1925, at Neelys Landing, son of John A. and Oza Ann Craft Littleton. He and Wilma Imogene Huffman were married Feb. 8, 1946, at Jackson...

Shirley Penrod Francis, 70, of Springfield, Mo., died Friday, June 3, 2005, at Mercy-St. John's Regional Health System in Springfield. She was born Jan. 28, 1935, at Sank, Mo., daughter of Floyd and Emma Williams Vavak. She and Ivan E. Francis were married April 3, 1983, in Las Vegas, Nev...

To the editor: "Keeping it natural" caught my attention since Shawneetown is a small community about eight miles from where I grew up. It's true that millions of acres of forest thrived in Missouri when the Europeans arrived, but was the area desecrated, plundered and laid waste? Hardly...

BELL CITY, Mo. -- Cory Ray Lee, 27, of Bell City died Sunday, June 5, 2005, at his home. He was born Oct. 15, 1977, at Sikeston, Mo., son of Dale and Sheila Adams Lee. Lee attended Bell City schools. He was a member of Advance Eagles in Advance, Mo...

Berck...

25 years ago: June 7, 1980 Cape Girardeau County Coroner Harold G. Cobb has been appointed acting sheriff, following the resignation of Sheriff James J. Below yesterday; members of the county court are considering Below's permanent replacement. Almost two months after the scheduled completion date of the system, Cape Girardeau city officials are starting to classify the still incomplete disaster warning system as just that -- a disaster; a test Friday of less than half of the system was even less successful than a test Wednesday, when three of the seven sirens tested failed to perform correctly.. ...

CACHE, Ill. -- Jerry H. "Bud" Pecord, 88, of Cache died Monday, June 6, 2005, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete with Barkett Funeral Home in Cairo, Ill.

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- A judge Monday upheld Democrat Christine Gregoire's victory in last fall's governor's election, and defeated GOP candidate Dino Rossi said he would not appeal -- ending the legal fight over the closest gubernatorial race in U.S. history...

Linda Jean McCormick, 62, of Rockledge, Fla., died Sunday, May 29, 2005. Her husband, Walter Jene McCormick, 64, died Wednesday, June 1, 2005. Both were formerly of Cape Girardeau. She was born May 15, 1943. He was born Dec. 24, 1941, son of Elmer E. and Juanita McCormick. They were married Oct. 26, 1962, in Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau and Jackson hooked up for the first American Legion district game of the season for both teams Monday night at Capaha Field in a contest that featured two of the area's top high school pitchers. With Jeremy Brinkmeyer on the mound for Cape Ford & Sons and Tyler Beussink starting for Jackson, Monday's game had all the makings of a good pitchers duel. It did not work out that way for either starter, with Cape edging Jackson 11-8 in the opener of a doubleheader...

The Cape Girardeau and Jackson American Legion junior teams split a doubleheader at Jackson on Monday. Cape won the opener 9-8, with Jackson taking the second game 19-13. Chris Brotherton finished with six hits over two games for Cape (7-2). Justin Myers was the winning pitcher for Cape in the opener, and Tyler Propst pitched the final inning for the save...

Accident-in-waiting; Blame the Democrats; Can't we all get along?; Real problems; Mockingbird's songs; Big difference; The Golden Tears; No fancy frills; Beware of advice; Nothing's off limits; Must be a good job; His civic duty; Kicking up the war

Editor's note: This Mark Bliss column was originally published Feb. 2, 2003. You may have heard of the Fox TV show "Man Versus Beast." Well, this was a case of beast against Buddy. It was a disaster of epic proportions. Our dog, Cassie, chewed the hand and most of the arm off Bailey's beloved Buddy Bear...

Einstein's advice inspired local public libraries to take a chivalrous approach to this year's summer reading programs, one that libraries hope will pull children's minds off the television and into a book. "That's what we're trying to do this year, feed their imaginations," said Sharon Anderson, youth services coordinator at Cape Girardeau Public Library...

Jackson senior Jason Meystedt has played his share of baseball games at Capaha Field during his high school days, ranging from American Legion games to SEMO Conference tournaments. Meystedt will now call Capaha Field home after signing to play baseball for Southeast Missouri State University...