Stories from Thursday, June 22, 2006

It was a move Stephen Gray never expected. Less than a day before the jury trial of Hurley Dixon was scheduled to begin for the sexual assault of a mentally handicapped woman, the defendant admitted his guilt. "I never would have thought he would take a plea," said Gray, the prosecuting attorney for Bollinger County...

The state teachers' retirement organization will investigate the decision by the Jackson school board to rehire retiring high school principal Rick McClard. The Public School and Education Employees Retirement System, based in Jefferson City, Mo., said it will ask Jackson school officials to justify their action...

June 22, 2006 Dear Julie, A few months ago at a dinner party, I cornered someone deeply involved in a Japanese martial art in which swords play a prominent role. I wanted to know if he knew the secret of golf, a secret I have been searching for many years...

The winners of the Golden Golf Ball contest from Arena Park Golf say the prize is great but the thrill was in the chase. "It was fun. We'd do another one if they had one. It was just something nice for us to do as a family," said Chris Breite of Thomas Drive...

The case was lost and the accused convicted, but the tears defense attorney Jan Zembles cried were of relief, not sadness. For more than three hours, jurors deliberated the punishment for 26-year-old Justin Brown, convicted of the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Ralph Lape in New Madrid County. His only sentencing possibilities were life imprisonment or death...

Three men were charged Wednesday with beating and robbing a pizza delivery man in a Cape Girardeau home. The 29-year-old Domino's employee was delivering a pizza order at 11:45 p.m. Jan. 17 to an unlighted home at 320 Good Hope St., according to a probable-cause statement. While in the home, three men beat and robbed the victim...

A 20-year-old man accused of hitting a Cape Girardeau police officer on Memorial Day and having forged documents waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday. Associate Circuit Judge Gary A. Kamp bound Carlos Quintas, of 2813 Whitener St., over to circuit court and scheduled him to appear before Judge Benjamin Lewis Monday morning...

Southeast Missouri State star 400-meter runner Miles Smith has added another All-American honor to his impressive list of accomplishments. Smith was recently named to the NCAA Division I men's outdoor track and field All-American team selected by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Walter E. Daniels, 70, of Chaffee passed away Sunday, June 18, 2006, at his home. He was born Sept. 27, 1935, in New Madrid County, son of Edward and Pearl Annis Daniels. He and Bonnie Storey were married Oct. 16, 1959, in St. Louis. She died Oct. 12, 1997...

BENTON, Mo. -- John Grady Corbitt, 76, of Red Bud, Ill., died Tuesday, June 20, 2006, at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Belleville, Ill. He was born Sept. 28,1929, in Camden, Tenn., son of Meredith Smith and Ila Jane Wiseman Corbitt. He and Lois Anita Reed were married Sept. 8, 1949, at Charter Oak, Mo...

Riverside Regional Library The 2006 summer reading club, "Paws, Claws, Scales and Tails" for children up to age 11, is underway at Jackson, Altenburg, Benton, Oran, Perryville and Scott City. A reading log (for readers and listeners) must be filled out to earn free food coupons, free paperback books, a certificate and pencils. The program ends July 31...

WEST POINT, New York --Cadet Ashley Bradford Hahn, son of Bradford and Terri Hahn of Benton, Mo., graduated from the U.S. Military Academy recently. Hahn graduated from Thomas W. Kelly High School in 2002. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army upon graduation from West Point. Hahn has branched Air Defense Artillery and will complete his Officer Basic Course at Fort Bliss, Texas...

The Cape County Suzies Chapter of Ducks Unlimited will hold its third annual wine and beer tasting event at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Deerfield Lodge. Ticket price includes annual membership, food and drinks and participation in a silent auction and raffles. Representatives from St. James Winery, Bluff City Beer, Kohlfeld Distributing Inc. and River Eagle Distributing will be present...

GRAND TOWER, Ill. -- Herschel Carter Campbell, infant son of Colin and Lindsey Campbell of Grand Tower, passed away Sunday, June 18, 2006, at St. Mary's Hospital in St. Louis. Survivors include his parents; grandparents, Pansy Crisel of Ware, Larry and Sharon Freese of Jackson, David and Paula Griggs of Grand Tower, Dean Campbell of Springfield, Ill.; and many aunts and uncles...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Della "Biggon" Cobb, 80, of Advance died Wednesday, June 21, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 29, 1926, in Haleyville, Ala., daughter of William and Alice Flanagan Head. She and Dorris Cobb were married June 10, 1947. He died in 1961...

Moral profit; Muslim vs. Christian; Stuck in the '50s; Neutering as Auschwitz; Sleepless nights; Mexico's problem; Insidious myths; No more about addicts; A terrible thing; Voter fraud; They don't matter; Deputy pay right; Unfunded mandate

School districts across the country have until July for 100 percent of their teachers to be highly qualified teachers, a designation that means that they are fully certified to teach the classes they teach. The federal No child Left Behind Act requires that 100 percent of classes must be taught by highly qualified teachers...

ORAN, Mo. -- Marcia A. Roberts, 68, of Scotts, Mich., passed away Tuesday, June 20, 2006, at her home. She was born April 29, 1938, at Perkins, Mo., daughter of John and Mabel Creed Arnold. She and Prentice Roberts were married Nov. 1, 1958. He preceded her in death in March 1985...

CHICAGO -- Putting up football-like numbers for the second straight game, the Chicago White Sox's offense made it another miserable night for the St. Louis Cardinals. Even the White Sox are shaking their heads at the double-digit outbursts against one of the best teams in the NL...

VIENNA, Austria -- President Bush won solid European support Wednesday for his handling of escalating nuclear crises with North Korea and Iran but was challenged over the Iraq war, the U.S. prison camp in Cuba and rising anti-American sentiment. "That's absurd," Bush snapped at a news conference in response to an assertion that the United States was regarded as the biggest threat to global security. ...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Jean Tallent Swope, 81, of Columbia Falls., Mont., formerly of Marble Hill, died Saturday, June 10, 2006, at White Fish, Mont. She was born Oct. 25, 1924, at Scopus, Mo., daughter of Robert H. and Tora Seabaugh Tallent. She and Eldon Evans were married; he died in 1955. She and James Swope were married April 27, 1957...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Anthony Paul Triller was stillborn Monday, June 19, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Survivors include his parents, Jeremy and Michelle Kuehn Triller of Perryville; twin brother, Caleb Paul of the home; maternal grandparents, John and Carla Kuehn of Perryville; paternal grandparents, Gilbert and Debra Triller of Perryville; maternal great-grandparents, John and Wanda Kuehn Jr. ...

Marjorie L. Baker, 87, died Tuesday, June 20, 2006. She was born Oct. 17, 1918, in Jackson, to Orville and Esther Godwin. She grew up and attended school there. She married Ralph H. Baker July 6, 1945, in Jackson. The couple later moved to St. Louis, then returned to Jackson in 1950 where she worked at the hosiery mill. ...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A woman protesting her family's eviction from a Springfield apartment remained on a phone tower for a third day Wednesday, even as temperatures neared 90 degrees, police said. Alice Gatimu was seated on a platform about 50 feet up the tower near Jefferson Avenue and Battlefield Road...

OMAHA, Neb. -- Jay Cox homered twice and made a great catch in the ninth inning to help North Carolina move to the College World Series championship round with a 6-5 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday night. The Tar Heels (53-13) won Bracket 1 and will play either Rice or Oregon State in the best-of-three final beginning Saturday. Those two teams met later Wednesday, with Rice needing one victory to win Bracket 2. Oregon State would have to beat the Owls twice to reach the final...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Movelda P. Myers, 82, of Marble Hill died Tuesday, June 20, 2006, at her home. She was born Nov. 10, 1923, in Apple, Okla., daughter of Franklin W. and Bessie Reed Fennell. She and Carl E. Myers were married June 12, 1964, in St. Louis...

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- Prosecutors said Wednesday they are working on a possible plea agreement with a couple accused of faking the birth of sextuplets to tap the generosity of neighbors. Sarah and Kris Everson, of Grain Valley, appeared for just four minutes before Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Bushur, asking to waive their preliminary hearing, but that request was denied. The preliminary hearing was delayed until July 26...

To the editor: My name is Thomas Hamilton. I served three years in federal prison for manufacturing meth. I was addicted to meth for nearly 10 years. I sold it, used it, made it, cheated people to get it, lied to attain it, lost a business over it, and destroyed family ties because of it. I left a girl pregnant with my son over it...

Wuertz; Blum; Davis; Smith; Gers

25 years ago: June 22,1981 The Cape Girardeau County Court approves seven recommendations for improving jail security in light of the recent jail escape; the recommendations, designed to help prevent future escape attempts, are made by county Sheriff Herman "Bob" Gribler...

A bad start in the opening round of the 99th Missouri Amateur Championship golf tournament became even worse in the second round for a handful of local participants. Ben Brumitt of Cape Girardeau led five area golfers with a 13-over-par 157 after the second day of play Wednesday at the Blue Hills Country Club in Kansas City...

The Plaza Tire Capahas suffered a 4-2 loss Wednesday night to the host St. Louis Golden Spikes. Losing pitcher Jason Chavez allowed just five hits in seven innings, with nine strikeouts and two walks. But Chavez hit three batters in the bottom of the seventh inning, which helped the Golden Spikes score twice to break a 2-2 tie...

Briefly "Managing Pain: Standards and Treatment" is a seminar to be presented June 28 at Saint Francis Medical Center, Franciscan Conference Room A. The program is sponsored by the Missouri League for Nursing and will be presented by Curt Wood, one of 25 certified geriatric pharmacists in Missouri. ...

The following information was released by the office of federal prosecutor Catherine Hanaway for defendants in who appeared in federal court Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel. Name: Jerry Boone Jr. Age: 28 Residence: Pemiscot County...

When I served in the Missouri Legislature in the '70s, the St. Louis and Kansas City revenue offices were the least efficient and biggest political patronage offices in the state. Rather than contractually run fee offices, the state paid the bill, which included high rents of space often provided by political donors and too often a dumping ground for workers who supported political candidates in their district...

To the editor: I happen to be a disabled person who collects U.S. postal history items. I am writing to several daily newspapers across the country in search of postal history covers to add to my collection. I am collecting old envelopes from 1970 to the present. I have a postal history Web site on my own and selected covers or envelopes will be posted onto my website...

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Seven Marines and a Navy corpsman were charged Wednesday with premeditated murder in the shooting death of an Iraqi man who was pulled from his home and shot while U.S. troops hunted for insurgents. They could face the death penalty if convicted...

'Railroad Killer' to be executed HOUSTON -- A judge ruled Wednesday that serial killer Angel Maturino Resendiz, who gained notoriety as the "Railroad Killer" linked to at least 15 murders across the country, is mentally competent to be executed next week for the 1998 rape-slaying of a Texas doctor. ...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A furious gunbattle erupted inside a federal prison Wednesday when a guard opened fire on FBI agents who had come to arrest him and several others on charges of having sex with female inmates in exchange for money and contraband. Two people were killed and another was wounded...

WASHINGTON -- The government said Wednesday it would provide free credit monitoring to millions of veterans whose personal information was stolen last month, and it acknowledged it was not close to catching those responsible. Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson said the agency would seek to protect veterans and military troops against identity theft after their names, Social Security numbers and birthdates were taken from a department data analyst's home on May 3...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Saddam Hussein and his seven co-defendants went on a hunger strike Wednesday to protest the shooting death of an attorney on the ousted Iraqi leader's defense team, their chief lawyer said -- the third such killing in the 8-month-old trial...

NUREMBERG, Germany -- Win and hope. That's what it comes down to for the U.S. soccer team. After four years of painstaking preparation, after an opening flop and a valiant tie, the Americans must beat Ghana today and get some help to advance to the World Cup's second round...

Missouri's top environmental official and two troubleshooters will visit Cape Girardeau and other Southeast Missouri towns today and Friday. Department of Natural Resources director Doyle Childers, regional ombudsman Jackson Bostic and chief ombudsman Scott Totten will meet with local officials and the public at 4 p.m. today at the Osage Community Centre, 1635 N. Kingshighway...

In the summer of 1996, Jean Fisher knew little about cancer. But in June of that year, after she found a lump in her breast that was later found to be a malignant tumor, the Ste. Genevieve woman began a mission to educate herself on the subject. What she found was a treatment option that few adult cancer patients ever try: a clinical trial...

BERLIN -- Mexico will play in the second round of the World Cup for the fourth straight time. The Mexicans lost 2-1 Wednesday against already-qualified Portugal, but still advanced because Angola was held to a 1-1 draw by Iran in the other Group D match...

CLEVELAND -- Kerry Wood's comeback has hit a snag. Maybe even a season-ending one for the Chicago Cubs right-hander. Wood, who has made just four starts following shoulder surgery, said Wednesday that he's concerned that he might not be able to pitch again this year...

Jackson fell to 9-11 with the road loss. The Jackson American Legion baseball team committed six errors and allowed 10 unearned runs in a 10-7 road loss to Farmington on Wednesday. Bret Groening suffered the loss for Jackson (9-11), allowing four runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief...

Dalhousie Golf Club will host a demo day Saturday, the latest step in a spring membership drive that has brought the club an unprecedented growth spurt. The club, which opened in June 2002, has brought in 32 new members in a 45-day span in the membership drive, according to general manager Andy Deiro...

According to Scott County American Legion manager Tom Dirnberger, when his team starts off a game strong it generally fares well. Scott County could not have gotten off to a much better start against host Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons Wednesday night. The visitors jumped on Cape for seven runs in the first two innings and romped 14-1. The District 14 contest at Capaha Field was stopped after seven innings by the mercy rule...

Dalhousie touring professional Karen Stupples spent the weekend in Cape Girardeau, while the LPGA had a break. She returns to the tour this week with a final tuneup before the U.S. Women's Open begins June 29. She answered a few questions about issues facing women's golf. Southeast Missourian: Three LPGA Tour officials resigned earlier this month, and the tour has had seven executives resign since Carolyn Bivens took over from Ty Votaw as commissioner last September. What's your reaction to the turnover in the front office and how it will affect the tour?...

A banner cross country meet for area boys squads highlighted the year of the Crusaders, as Saxony Lutheran High School cemented its place among the top small school athletics programs in the state. Saxony Lutheran won its second straight Class 1 cross country state title, and the Crusaders won district titles in three of the four sports that were involved in district play. A second-place finish in track and field marked the fourth team state trophy in three years of varsity athletics...

America was once a place where fish could be scooped from streams by hand, herds of buffalo filled the prairies and roosting birds were so numerous they snapped tree branches. This was the America that naturalist John James Audubon once knew and documented. Performer Richard Johnson captured both the man and his times at a performance before 213 spectators at the Chautauqua celebration behind the Osage Community Centre Wednesday evening...