Stories from Thursday, July 6, 2006

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Authorities on Thursday identified a man who died after falling from a bridge he was repairing as Andy J. Wilson Sr., 49, of St. Louis. Federal investigators are looking into Wilson's death, the second fatal fall at the Lexington Avenue bridge in two months and the third this year involving Pevely-based Thomas Industrial Coatings...

Many of the steps recommended by a consultant for improving public transit in Cape Girardeau have already been taken, Frank Spielberg of BMI-SG told the city council Wednesday night. Spielberg reported on the results of a two-year, $225,000 study of public transit needs during the council's meeting. The report recommends establishment of a fixed-route bus service, consolidation of transit programs under one agency and a quarter-cent countywide sales tax to pay for the system...

The Southeast Missourian has been named Newspaper of the Year in the 2006 Suburban Newspapers of America contest. More than 200 newspapers from across the country and Canada entered the contest, which was divided into four nondaily circulation classes and two daily classes. The Southeast Missourian won its award in the category for dailies with a circulation of under 30,000...

The Cape Girardeau City Council sought to balance the rights of property owners to race ATVs and motorcycles against a larger issue of noise disturbance at Wednesday night's meeting. An amendment to the existing noise ordinance will curtail off-road racing only when it disturbs neighbors...

July 6, 2006 Dear Darci, Thank you for inviting us to Springfield to see you in "Rumors." I had seen a high school production in 1999 and enjoyed the pandemonium. I was relieved that your production, like the high school one, deleted most of the bad words. Your grandparents would have had trouble listening to them, especially coming from your mouth. But thank you for reciting the missing words for the rest of us while they were out of earshot...

On Thursday, the United Way of Southeast Missouri announced the allocation of funds remaining from its 2006 campaign. The more than $140,000 in additional funds came from late pledges as well as funding set aside by the United Way board of directors to help strengthen families in the community, said Marla Mills, United Way assistant director...

CHESTER, Ill. -- A vehicle stolen out of St. Louis was found submerged Wednesday in the Mississippi River. The vehicle was partially submerged along the river bank near Chester, Ill., which is located about 15 miles north of Perryville, Mo., according to a release from the Chester Police Department. No one was inside the car when found...

A recent discussion on a local newspaper Internet blog had gotten feisty. The people posting were passionate, lobbing critical comments back and forth in rapid-fire succession. Politics must have been the topic, right? The war in Iraq? The president's poll numbers?...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. didn't come close to challenging Tony Stewart for this past weekend's win in Daytona. In years past, that failure would have put Junior and his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team in a panic. But those days of fretting over restrictor-plate wins and losses are long gone now...

MUNICH, Germany -- Leave it to the French to give this World Cup a sense of deja vu. Zinedine Zidane had been there before, standing behind the penalty spot, with a chance to gain glory for himself and France. With sweat dripping off his bald pate, he faced Ricardo Pereira, 12 yards from the goal. And with the composure gained from so many tough games over the years, he kicked the ball just inside the post...

ATLANTA -- Chuck James says he isn't a student of baseball history, so he hadn't heard of Rick Behenna before Wednesday night. And the more James heard about Behenna, the less he wanted to know. James won his third straight start, the first Braves' rookie to do that since Behenna 26 years ago, and Atlanta matched its season high for runs in beating St. Louis 14-4 Wednesday night...

Christina McWaters has started a local chapter of a national not-for-profit organization called Binky Patrol. Their mission is to make and distribute handmade blankets to babies born with HIV or addicted to drugs, and children who are abused, in foster care or shelters. Children from 1 day old to 18 years old can receive a blanket...

Organized eight years ago by the Young Americans 4-H Club led by Dortha Strack, Dortha's Day Camp for Clover Kids gives children, ages 5 to 7, the chance to experience what 4-H camp will be like when they get older. This year's theme, "Fishing for 4-H," gave campers hands-on experience with a program led by the Missouri Conservation Department...

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea has three or four more missiles on launch pads and ready for firing, major South Korean newspapers reported Thursday. The missiles are either short- or medium-range, reported Chosun Ilbo, one of South Korea's largest dailies. It cited an unidentified senior South Korean official. Another major paper, JoongAng Ilbo, carried a similar report...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Radio host Rush Limbaugh will not face charges in Palm Beach County for the bottle of Viagra found in his luggage that was prescribed in his psychologist's name, prosecutors said Wednesday. Charges could have nullified the Cape Girardeau native's deal in a "doctor shopping" case...

By ERIN McCLAM The Associated Press He was a man, after all -- not just some abstract symbol of corporate thievery and vanished investor billions. Kenneth Lay, founder of Enron Corp., was also a grandfather to 12, a husband to the woman who sobbed at his side on the day of his conviction...

Laretha Virginia Harris, 83, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., and Cape Girardeau, died Monday, July 3, 2006, in Memphis, Tenn. Miss Harris was born Jan. 24, 1923, to Martin and Vera Fornkohl Heise. She went to work at the age of 19 for L.A. and Letha Harris, and became a part of their family. She was legally adopted by them in her adult years...

Diana is someone whose spirit shines brightly. Being in her presence, you just naturally want to engage. For 35 years she was a teacher in the public school system, using that same energy to inspire and move her students to change. This past year, at 58, she retired...

To the editor: As a disabled person with multiple sclerosis, recent statements made in the Southeast Missourian have puzzled me. The Missouri Stem Cell Initiative does not ask for taxpayer money. It protects existing privately funded research. Our children and grandchildren are not being asked to pay for anything as claimed by one comment. ...

To the editor: We as a nation celebrated our nation's birthday this week. When a person drives through towns and cities, it's pathetic to see so few homes displaying the American flag on our nation's holidays. Come on, fellow Americans. We're living in the most blessed nation on earth. ...

To the editor: The news that Charter Cable is entering the phone market in Jackson is interesting. As a business owner, I know that competition in any industry spurs more choices, lower prices and better services. That's how competition works in a consumer-driven market. But it also raises this key question: If Charter can easily enter the telephone market, why can't telephone companies easily enter the cable market and provide much-needed competition in that industry?...

Government feeding; Getting a raise; Be tolerant; Making dust; Thanks to Guard; Worthless ordinance; Runoff concerns; Take responsibility; War comparison; Stop and start; The secret is out; Bicycle rules; Unconditional love; County roads

Rebecca Marie Garner Estes Hinkle, 90, of Dutchtown died Wednesday, July 5, 2006, at her home. She was born May 8, 1916, at Sank, Mo., daughter of Thomas and Estella Wooldridge Garner. She and Edgar W. Estes were married April 21, 1934. He died July 2, 1963. She and Homer Hinkle were married in 1964. He preceded her in death...

Mary Wilson Mecham died Monday, July 3, 2006, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was surrounded by her family. Mary was born April 19, 1923, at Bell City, Mo., daughter of Dr. John and Verl Wilson. The family moved to Bloomfield, Mo., when she was 12. She received a teaching certificate from Southeast Missouri State University...

25 years ago: July 6, 1981 Like a defective firecracker, last week's Fourth of July Doin's was a dud according to members of the Cape Girardeau Jaycees, who sponsored the annual event at Arena Park; rain hampered many of the activities during the three-day event and forced cancellation of the fireworks display Saturday night...

Clara Jenett Davis, 81, of Jackson passed away Tuesday, July 4, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 9, 1925, in St. Louis, daughter of William and Catherine Jacob Littleton. Clara made her home on a farm at Neelys Landing...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Toni Evans, 47, of Puxico passed away July 5, 2006. She was born March 15, 1959, daughter of the late Clifton and Lydia Lois Crank Leirer. She and Eldon Evans were married Oct. 6, 1979. Survivors include her husband; a son, Josh Evans of St. Louis; a daughter and son-in-law, Jessica and Mark Christian of Thompsons Station, Tenn.; a grandson, Jack Christian; and other relatives...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Stan Owens, 64, of Marble Hill died Monday, July 3, 2006, at his home. He was born July 17, 1941, in St. Louis, son of Micky and Durlene Dunn Owens. Owens was a butcher with UFCW Local 655. Survivors include three sons, Greg Owens of Marble Hill, Brian Owens of Iowa City, Iowa, Patrick Owens of Huntsville, Ala.; two daughters, Michele Owens of Springfield, Mo., Jean Johnson of Galena, Mo.; six brothers, Paul Owens of state of Colorado, Buzzy Vickers of state of Texas, Kenneth and Dennis Vickers of St. ...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Robert "Chief" Welborn, 65, of Columbus, Ohio, died Wednesday, July 5, 2006, at the home of a son in Chaffee. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee is in charge of arrangements.

William "W.J." McMikle, 82, of Sikeston, Mo., died at 6 a.m. Wednesday, July 5, 2006, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 1, 1924, in New Madrid County, son of Joseph Bernie and Sally Katherine Black McMikle. He and Charlotte McCain were married Aug. 31, 1953...

ZALMA, Mo. -- Melvin Eugene Woods, 68, of Zalma died Monday, July 3, 2006, at his home. He was born May 11, 1938, in East Prairie, Mo., son of Neal E. and Dimple M. Harden Woods. He and Betty Lou Husk were married Nov. 19, 1960. Woods lived near Zalma the past several years and was formerly of East Prairie. He retired from Tyson Foods at Dexter, Mo., and attended Brush Creek Baptist Church at Arab, Mo...

Wyatt; Yarbro; Reischman

Many youngsters in Southeast Missouri have become avid readers of the special monthly section called the Southeast Missourian Jr. under the special guidance of Cheryl Ellis. One of the things that makes this publication for youngsters so special is that it is filled with contributions from those same young readers...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Viola M. Fassel, 89, of Perryville died Tuesday, July 4, 2006, at Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Crystal City, Mo. She was born April 24, 1917, at New Wells, Mo., daughter of Anton H. and Augusta (Clementz) Petzoldt. She married Milton E. Fassel July 5, 1936...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- A Bollinger County teenager was charged this week with stabbing a 43-year-old man in what police called a quarrel over money and drugs for sexual favors. Ralph R. Carnahan, 17, of Zalma, Mo., was charged with first-degree assault in the stabbing early Monday morning...

The Chaffee City Council met Monday night for a public hearing to decide whe-ther or not to allow modular homes in residential zoning areas. The ordinance was not voted on and there was no talk of considering the ordinance in future meetings.

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly First Friday Coffee at the Show Me Center this week. This month, Kara Clark, director of sales for the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, will give an update on upcoming CVB events...

Area firefighters responded to a series of suspicious blazes Independence Day that were possibly caused by fireworks. Four different fires broke out in Cape Girardeau Tuesday night, and at least one was believed to have been caused by bottle rockets, which are illegal in town, said assistant fire chief Mark Hasheider...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Matt Blunt was touring the state Wednesday to promote a new law requiring most Missouri gasoline to contain a 10 percent ethanol blend. The requirement kicks in Jan. 1, 2008, and even then, it applies only when the price of ethanol-blended fuel is equal to or drops below the price of regular gasoline. Premium-grade fuel will be exempt from the requirement...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- An Illinois man who drove three hours to Bollinger County on Independence Day was arrested in an undercover Internet sex sting. William J. Heyduck, 30, of Centralia, Ill., was charged with attempted statutory rape and had bond set at $7,500...

The Scott City Council will keep a close watch on two businesses after the stores repeatedly sold alcohol to minors. The council voted 7 to 0 Wednesday night to extend liquor licenses for Larry's Store 24 on Main Street and Rhodes Travel Center on Nash Road until Oct. 2 with several stipulations...

The C-SPAN2 Book Bus will be parked at the Cape Girardeau Public Library today. The bus travels the country compiling reader interviews to air on the national cable station. From noon to 12:30 p.m. local leaders will read stories to children. The readers will include Mayor Jay Knudtson and city manager Doug Leslie...

By Dr. Michael Wulfers In November. Missourians will be asked to approve a constitutional amendment called the Missouri Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. The purpose of this measure, promoted by a group called the Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, is to ensure that human embryonic stem-cell experimentation and research cloning will remain legal in Missouri. Unfortunately, the coalition has promulgated a number of misconceptions about the initiative...

Consent ordinances New ordinances Resolutions Appointments Liquor licenses Other...

Cape Girardeau...

Cape Girardeau...

Area school campaigns raised nearly $18,000 and the Youth United Way were asked to help allocate the funds. The Youth United Way is a United Way initiative that helps youth build an understanding of community needs and promotes volunteerism for participants and the entire youth community...

Having a cup of coffee with your morning paper? It might just prevent diabetes. Drinking several cups of decaf a day -- along with skirting insomnia and jitters -- may lower a person's risk for developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. The research, published this month in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that postmenopausal women who daily drank more than six cups of coffee -- particularly decaffeinated coffee -- had a 33 percent lower risk of developing diabetes than women who didn't drink coffee at all.. ...

Briefly Area residents are invited to participate in educational programs offered today and July 20 as part of Southeast Missouri Hospital's Walk'n Be Fit program in conjunction with West Park Mall. The 30-minute program starts at 8 a.m. in the Steve and Barry wing of the mall near the customer service kiosk...

Ealy inspection shows no damage to Discovery HOUSTON -- Early inspections have revealed no damage to the space shuttle Discovery, NASA said Wednesday after a day of checking out the spacecraft with on-board cameras. That means that when the shuttle meets up with the international space station Thursday morning it likely won't need emergency repairs while hooked up with the orbital outpost -- unlike last year's daring spacewalk fixes. ...

MEXICO CITY -- As Mexico launched the official recount of presidential vote tallies Wednesday, conservative Felipe Calderon insisted his slim lead from a preliminary count would hold and said he would be willing to include his leftist rival in his Cabinet as a show of unity...

Area bowling scores West Park Lanes Submitted July 3 MEN High games: James Smith 256, Cline Myers 252, Eddie Phillips 248, Ron McCulley 246, Travis Tyson 243, Keith Shamblin 239, Keith Schuessler 237, Cody Bell 234, Michael McGuire 234, Rich Meinke 234, Jeremy Henson 233, Scott Varney 232, C.W. Horton 232, Franklin James 226, David Barberis 225, Mike Hamilton 225...

Cook sweeps holiday horseshoe tournaments Lachelle Cook was on the first-place teams in both events for the SEMO Horseshoe Association this weekend. She teamed with Ron LeGrand to place first Saturday at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Leopold, then came back on the Fourth of July to team with Irv Vandeven in capturing a 32-team tournament at the July Fourth Picnic in Oran...

Kirk Boeller's steady hand on the mound Wednesday at Capaha Field helped pull Cape Girardeau's American Legion team out of an eight-game losing streak, as Ford & Sons topped Jackson 6-2 in the opener of a doubleheader. Ford & Sons' last win came at the Paducah Tournament on June 24. Cape was coming off an 0-4 mark at the Ballwin Tournament over the weekend...

SAINT-QUENTIN, France -- Tom Boonen kept his overall lead at the Tour de France on Wednesday -- wearing the yellow jersey as he entered his native Belgium -- but was upset with his showing on a day when Australia's Robbie McEwen won a stage for the second time in this race...

American Legion junior team defeated Scott County 6-5 in the opening round of the double-elimination District 14 tournament in Sikeston. Cape Girardeau plays top-seeded Sikeston at 5 p.m. today. Mark Himmelberg was the winning pitcher for Cape...

Josh Ford provided a key two-run single in a five-run eighth inning as the Plaza Tire Capahas shut out the Riverdogs 5-0 on Wednesday in Charleston. The Capahas had three hits and two walks in the eighth to break open the game. Scott Hubbard added an RBI in the inning and finished with three hits to lead the Capahas...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds' personal trainer was held in contempt of court and taken to prison Wednesday for refusing to testify to the federal grand jury investigating the San Francisco Giants' slugger for perjury. Greg Anderson, who served three months in prison after pleading guilty last year for his role in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative steroid scandal, was led out of U.S. ...

WIMBLEDON, England -- The "Ooohs" and "Aaahs" from an appreciative crowd began during warmups, when Roger Federer volleyed one ball through his legs. His artistry grew more impressive once play began for real. Facing the last man to defeat him on grass, three-time Wimbledon champion Federer quickly turned the Centre Court rematch into a mismatch, beating No. 7-seeded Mario Ancic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday to reach the semifinals...

Construction of the East Main Street interchange on Interstate 55 could get underway by mid-September as the contractor races to get initial work done so traffic can be detoured before winter hits. "It really depends on whether or not the weather cooperates," said Andy Meyer, project manager for the Missouri Department of Transportation in Sikeston, Mo...

Local Red Cross officials say the area blood supply level is "critically low." They are conducting an emergency drive to restock supplies. "This is generally a difficult time of year because the bulk of our supply comes from high school and college students who are not in session," said Laurie Nehring, district recruitment manager for the Southeast Missouri chapter of the Red Cross. ...

Missouri needs a state auditor concerned about the office's work, not using the position as a platform for winning a higher office, Republican candidate Sandra Thomas said Wednesday. In a meeting with the Southeast Missourian editorial board, Thomas ran down the list of her GOP opponents. As she named each of the leading party contenders, she noted that all are state lawmakers...

UNITED NATIONS -- China and Russia resisted an attempt in the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions against North Korea for its missile launches Wednesday, saying only diplomacy could halt the isolated regime's nuclear and rocket development programs...

HOUSTON -- Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay died of a heart attack Wednesday, still believing he was innocent in the corporate scandal that cost thousands their jobs and pensions and led to billions of dollars of investor losses. Lay, 64, faced the prospect of the rest of his life in prison after his conviction May 25 of fraud and conspiracy in one of the biggest debacles in American corporate history...

Center offers fishing, canoeing programs; Cape Democrats group meets next week; Ice cream social to benefit Brazeau Historical Society

WASHINGTON -- Orders to U.S. factories for manufactured goods rebounded in May following a big decline in the previous month as strengthened demand for petroleum and chemicals offset weakness in commercial aircraft and autos. The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that new orders rose by 0.7 percent in May following a 2 percent plunge in April...