Stories from Friday, May 12, 2006

Here's an update on some of your letters and e-mails. n Dear Mr. Sullivan: What the heck's wrong with you? Baseball fans don't appreciate the false hope you generate when you put the wrong Cardinals score on the front page. What a letdown when we turn to the Sports section and find out the Cards lost...

Gotten used to calling it Westfield West Park yet? Well, forget it. The Cape Girardeau shopping center is being sold to Centro Properties Group, an Australian firm whose first order of business will be to change the name -- to West Park Mall. If it has a familiar ring, that's because West Park Mall is the name the mall had from the time it opened in March 1981 until Westfield bought it in 1993. Since then, it's been Westfield Shoppingtown West Park and, most recently, Westfield West Park...

When Kassey Heidebur took his turn painting sunflowers, he hesitated, uncertain at first whether he should indeed partake in the messy task before him. Finally, when the volunteer placed her hand into the paint to show that it was OK to engage in the sloppiness, the 7-year-old first-grader from Fredericktown, Mo., swiped his palm into the yellow liquid and then beamed as he smeared it onto the paper...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- People could contribute as much as they want to candidates under legislation sent to the governor Thursday night. The broad campaign finance bill repeals a Missouri law limiting individual contributions. Supporters say the change will end the money shuffling from one political committee to another and result in money going directly to candidates, making it easier for the public to track...

The Chaffee track and field program has experienced a resurgence this season, bringing home the school's first girls conference title. In all, the Red Devils will finish the year with 61 track athletes, numbers the school hasn't approached in nearly two decades. Among those 61, only four are seniors...

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols says he's got an aching back. Somehow, it's the pitchers who are suffering. Earlier this month, the reigning NL MVP missed a game due to stiffness, and since returning to the lineup he's reduced his batting practice cuts. The production remains high, with major league leads in home runs (18) and RBIs (43) after hitting a pair of key long balls to help the St. Louis Cardinals take two of three from the Colorado Rockies earlier this week...

Floyd Patterson, an undersized champion who avenged an embarrassing loss to Ingemar Johansson by beating him a year later to become the first boxer to regain the heavyweight title, died Thursday. He was 71. Patterson died at his home in New Paltz, N.Y. He had Alzheimer's disease for about eight years and prostate cancer, nephew Sherman Patterson said...

How many of you are still using 37-cent stamps that you purchased before first-class postage went up to 39 cents? If you are, you're having to add an additional 2 cents of postage every time you mail a letter. For many postal patrons, having to deal with out-of-date stamps can be just as aggravating as an increase in postal rates...

To the editor: On April 27 my wife and I were traveling south on Interstate 55 between Perryville and Cape Girardeau. We blew a rear tire at 70 mph and pulled over. The vehicle I had just passed pulled over behind us. Two gentlemen driving a small white pickup truck stopped to see if they could be of help. ...

In its 151st year the SEMO District Fair will pin its entertainment hopes on a country music legend and two former "American Idol" contestants. Organizers announced the grandstand entertainment line-up Thursday. The entertainment will start on Sept. 9 with Outlaw Tractor and Truck Pulling, which will be expanded to two nights this year with another event on Sept. 11. On Sept. 12, the fair will hold the Dual Demo Derby...

Section of river reopens after barge accident A 24-mile section of the Mississippi River near Thebes, Ill., closed since Wednesday due to a barge accident has been reopened. Before midnight May 9, the Mary Kay Eckstein, a towboat pushing 30 barges containing grain, coal and rock, collided with the Thebes Bridge. ...

The contract for the final phase of renovation on the Cape Girardeau post office at 329 N. Frederick St. has been let, and construction is set to begin next week. The post office is scheduled to reopen in early August, according to officials. The building, which was dedicated in 1965, closed its doors in March 2004 for renovation and has stayed closed due to unforeseen structural problems...

ST. LOUIS -- Thursday was a long day for the Central tennis team in the Class 2 District 1 tournament. And for all the effort involved, the Tigers had one victory and a seventh-place team finish to show for it. The tournament began early Thursday morning at Dwight Davis Tennis Center in Forest Park, but rain eventually resulted in an afternoon delay and finally a move to the indoor courts at the Vetta Club-Hampshire...

Notre Dame's girls soccer team ended its regular season with a 5-0 win on Thursday at Farmington. Destiny Dirnberger led the Bulldogs (11-4-1) with two goals and two assists. Dirnberger started the scoring for Notre Dame with a goal 15 seconds into the game...

Reality beckons, as Andy Johnson must report to his employer on Monday. The Southeast Missouri State baseball team will be without home run leader Andy Johnson for the rest of the season. Johnson has completed his degree requirements at Southeast and has accepted a job with Excel, a distribution company in Minneapolis, Minn. The job requires that he report Monday or someone else will be hired for the position...

Football...

To the editor: May is Neurofibromastosis Awareness Month. What is NF? It is a genetic disorder that my 7-year-old daughter was diagnosed with when she was a baby. Neurofibromastoses are a set of genetic disorders that cause tumors to grow along various types of nerves and can affect the development of non-nervous tissues such as bones and skin. ...

To the editor: The Southeast Missourian has printed several stories about churches that are scrutinizing Dan Brown's sensational novel "The Da Vinci Code" with intentions of defending Christian orthodoxy. The process could lead congregations into a fruitful discussion of the role noncanonical gospels played in the formation of early Christian thought. ...

Wonderful show; Read the textbooks; Douglas was best; Bad oil suggestion; A teacher's job; Tap fuel reserves; Unprofessional attire; Willing to work hard; Straight-party voting; Thanks, teachers; Not constructive; Holding wages down; Too much good food; Watching incumbents; Abusive people; Who's benefiting?

Rev. Albert Eugene "Gene" Moore, 76, of Jackson died Wednesday, May 10, 2006, at his home. He was born Dec. 4, 1929, in Cape Girardeau, son of Henry Ashberry and Elizabeth Isabelle Clark Moore. He and Clara Tackett were married Dec. 1, 1952, in Piggott, Ark. She died March 7, 1997...

Lucille Virginia McCulley, 81, of Scott City died Wednesday, May 10, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 8, 1925, at Froemsdorf, Mo., daughter of Hershel and Ora Rendleman Eads. She and Tommy Hershel McCulley were married Jan. 15, 1946. He died July 29, 1976...

A 24-year-old man was shot early Thursday in a Cape Girardeau apartment complex, and one person was in custody for the attack. The shooting occurred around 3:15 a.m. at the apartment complex, 312 W. Lorimier St., according to police spokesman Jason Selzer...

The wife of a man injured Thursday in a hit-and-run in Cape Girardeau was arrested an hour later for assault. At the time of her arrest, Cape Girardeau police say, she was driving the Ford Explorer that struck the 43-year-old man. The incident occurred at 5:02 p.m. in the 1200 block of South Benton Street, according to police Sgt. Barry Hovis...

LAS VEGAS -- Groomed and polite, a former NFL kicker who has been hospitalized for mental illness pleaded guilty Thursday to shooting at the home of entertainers Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn in 2004. Cole Ford, who last kicked for the Oakland Raiders in 1997, agreed to a felony plea that could result in a suspended sentence of one to six years in a Nevada prison if he continues mental-health treatment at a center near his family's home in Tucson, Ariz...

Grand jury indicts Kentucky governor FRANKFORT, Ky. -- A grand jury indicted Gov. Ernie Fletcher on misdemeanor charges Thursday, accusing him of illegally rewarding political supporters with state jobs since taking office two years ago. Fletcher was charged with conspiracy, official misconduct and violating a prohibition against political discrimination. ...

OK, so Alex Gordon's baseball card isn't as valuable as the 1909 Honus Wagner gem that sold for more than $1.2 million a few years ago. But Gordon's card, which was mistakenly released in limited numbers by Topps, sold last week for $7,500 on Internet auction site eBay. Pretty impressive considering Gordon, a top Kansas City Royals prospect, is playing Double-A ball in Wichita, Kan...

DALLAS -- Michael Finley happily expected to spend the rest of his career on the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs didn't really have a choice considering the huge contract they gave him. Then, last summer, along came the "amnesty clause," a one-time chance for teams to dump big salaries that was part of the NBA's new labor agreement...

Adam Scott shot a 5-under 65 Thursday on the TPC at Las Colinas and shared the first-round lead with Steve Lowery in the Australian's first appearance at the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas. Despite a pair of three-putt bogeys in a three-hole stretch, Scott had the best round of the day on the 7,052-yard TPC course after a closing 11-foot birdie putt...

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Ottawa goaltender Ray Emery turned aside the questions, the chanting Buffalo crowd and, most importantly, the Sabres' potent offense to ensure the top-seeded Senators wouldn't go down with a whimper. The rookie stopped 29 shots, and Wade Redden's third-period power-play goal was the difference in a 2-1 win over the Sabres on Thursday night that cut Buffalo's lead to 3-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinal series...

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- With its tricky egg-shaped oval and tradition of rattling rookie drivers, Darlington Raceway is a peculiar place to make a NASCAR debut. Even so, Terry Labonte chose the "Track Too Tough to Tame" to start his career way back in 1978. The 21-year-old Texan brought a car to Darlington, made the show and finished fourth...

WASHINGTON -- Congress has completed the first move in an election-year tax-cutting two-step. But now, having extended lower tax rates for investors, lawmakers hope to not stumble in the next step of the dance -- passing another bill to give tax breaks for college tuition and to teachers who buy pencils and crayons for their students...

Daily American Republic The 2006 Poplar Bluff Regional Air Show will take place at the Poplar Bluff Municipal Airport on Saturday. Every year, air show coordinators draw in new performers as well as crowd favorites. From wing-walkers and parachute demonstrations to B-2 stealth bombers, the variety will keep spectators on their feet...

Cape's Wildest Roughstock Rodeo will have fewer events, but the event's subtle name change -- adding roughstock -- will likely allow it to live up to its wild billing. According to co-director Garrett Sparkman, the sixth annual rodeo has scaled back from nine competitive events to only three -- barrel racing, bronc riding and bull riding...

MARQUAND, Mo. -- Wilma Maxine Lindeman, 89, of Marquand died Thursday, May 11, 2006, at Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. She was born Dec. 30, 1916, at Patton, Mo., daughter of William and Lillian Zimmerman Tallent. She and Harold Lacey were married in 1941. He died in 1961...

BELL CITY, Mo. -- Albert McCulley Sr., 57, of Bell City died Wednesday, May 10, 2006, at his home. He was born May 13, 1948, at Bell City, son of Henry and Rose McCulley. He and Jennie Turner were married May 6, 1971. She died July 23, 1991. McCulley was a laborer...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Pauline E. Heberlie, 74, of Ste. Genevieve died Wednesday, May 10, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Basler Funeral Home in Ste. Genevieve.

Marion, Ill. -- Nina M. Rushing, 96, of Marion, Ill., died Thursday, May 11, 2006, at Fountain Nursing Home in Marion. Funeral arrangements are incomplete with Barkett Funeral Home of Mound City, Ill.

'Just My Luck'; 'Poseidon'; STILL PLAYING; 'Akeelah and the Bee'; 'American Haunting'; 'Hoot'; 'Ice Age: The Meltdown'; 'Inside Man'; 'Mission Impossible III'; 'RV'; 'Scary Movie 4'; 'Stick It'; 'Take the Lead'; 'United 93'; 'The Wild'

Polly Joan Bell, 76, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, May 10, 2006, at her home. She was born Aug. 22, 1929, in Kennett, Mo., daughter of William Howard and Rella Alice White Linam Sr. She first married Paul James Esham Sr. in 1954 in Wiesbaden, Germany. He preceded her in death. She then married Oscar Malloy Bell in 1962 in Sikeston, Mo...

25 years ago: May 12, 1981 A St. Louis banker, brimming with optimism over the economic future of the nation, declared last night that "the '80s might be the best decade since the 1920s"; Frank K. Spinner, chairman of the board and president of Tower Grove Bank and Trust Co., addressed the annual Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce dinner held at the Ramada Inn...

Edna V. Sitzes, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 11, 2006, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Oct.15, 1917, in Whitewater, daughter of Omer O. and Ora V. Crump Wampler. She and Wylie Sitzes were married Sept. 1, 1938, in Cape Girardeau. He died Feb. 1, 1979...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- George L. Felker, 79, of Chaffee died Wednesday, May 10, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 18, 1926, at Glenallen, Mo., son of Luther and Veda Burns Felker. He and Mildred Bollinger were married March 16, 1948...

A man was struck Thursday night in a Cape Girardeau hit-and-run attack, and his wife is the accused driver. The 43-year-old man was struck by the vehicle around 5:02 p.m. at 1210 S. Benton St., according to police Sgt. Barry Hovis. The accused driver of the vehicle was the man's 46-year-old wife, Hovis said. She fled from the scene in the vehicle but was arrested an hour later...

Depot museum looking for volunteer help; Local art students win awards at show; Southeast Public Radio begins 'Crossing East'; Southeast Explorer visits Sikeston Depot Museum; Bootheel Regional Art Guild opens contest; Red House hosts American Indian family stories; Bank, science center take educator input

Every year Dr. Kenn Stilson loses some of his best performers. After going through four years of education, the seniors in Southeast Missouri State University's theater and dance department have learned the ropes, honed their skills and become some of the top performers in the entire department...

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers demanded answers from the Bush administration Thursday about a spy agency secretly collecting records of millions of ordinary Americans' phone calls to build a database of all calls within the country. Facing mounting congressional criticism, President Bush sought to assure Americans that their civil liberties were "fiercely protected."...

By Steve Forbes You'd never know it from reading the mainstream media or listening to most economists, pundits, Democrats and even some GOP politicos, but the Bush tax cuts passed in May 2003 have been a fantastic success. Yet because of Washington's idiotic way of estimating the impact of prospective tax changes, these prosperity-producing reductions are threatened with extinction. ...

Corps: Spring rise starts at midnight today WASHINGTON -- The disputed artificial spring rise on the Missouri River will begin at midnight today, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday. A corps spokesman said water conditions are right to begin releasing water from upstream reservoirs in South Dakota to encourage spawning of an endangered fish. ...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

WASHINGTON -- Who should get the first flu vaccine during a worldwide outbreak -- the 60-year-old grandmother with a weak heart and lungs or the healthy 4-year-old with decades ahead of her? Government guidelines put the ill grandmother at the head of that line, for now...

Morris wins medalist in Ladies Day play Kathy Morris was the medalist this week in the Cape Gir-ardeau Country Club in Ladies Day action. Leslie Steele and Janet White tied for first place, and Luanne Kiefner finished third. The play of the day was most one putts...

Can a car have a palpable connection to its driver? If it's the new-for-2006 Porsche Cayman S, it can. All I had to do was glance at the point on the road where I wanted the Cayman to be, and the car moved there, almost instinctively. Steering responds that quickly...

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Few 37-year-olds have made the jump from slow-pitch softball to professional baseball, but Sean Fields can say he got his shot. The information technology specialist leapt for the skies during the fifth inning of a Sioux Falls Canaries preseason game, but the fly ball soared past his outstretched glove and cleared the loaded bases...

Three and a half stars (out of four) The third outing of "Mission Impossible" was packed with action. Most of the capers were unbelievable, hence, as the name says, impossible. The missile scene on the bridge is awesome. Some of the love scenes were a little boring and dragged out, but you had to have the love interest to make the plot work; however, I think we could have done without the drawn out "trust me" scene...

Former Southeast Missouri State All-American Eugene Amano has always taken football seriously, which led to his current NFL career. But Amano has also always put plenty of focus on academics -- and proof of that will come Saturday when he receives his diploma...

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Southeast Missouri State split a pair of games Thursday to fall into the loser's bracket of the Ohio Valley Conference softball tournament. Fifth-seeded Southeast opened the tournament with a 3-0 win over fourth-seeded Tennessee-Martin, but top-seeded Tennessee Tech then routed the Redhawks 8-0 in a six-inning, run-rule affair...

Records are made to be broken. Last year the summer Tunes at Twilight concert series smashed them to pieces. Attendance over the entire series: About 2,500 according to estimates by Old Town Cape. That's double the number who saw the series the previous year...