Stories from Tuesday, November 28, 2006

LEMAY, Mo. (AP) -- With his father, aunt and grandmother missing for nearly a week, Michael Politte held out little hope Tuesday he'd see them alive again. "I think my cousin killed them and took them somewhere," Politte, 34, of St. Clair, Mo., said. "I don't think they'll find them alive."...

When Cape Girardeau County commissioners begin work on the 2007 budget this week, the thorniest issue seems to be who will be first in line to spend a new half-cent sales tax. Competing interests include the Cape Special Road District, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department, paving gravel roads and the ongoing operations of the County Highway Department...

The Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority will receive a 73 percent boost in funding to make rides cheaper for older residents if the Senior Citizens Service Fund Board recommendations are adopted as part of the county budget for 2007. The increase, to $95,000 from the current level of $55,000, is by far the largest increase for any of the 21 programs the board will fund with $482,630 it allocated earlier this month. ...

To illustrate the predicament judges face when deciding whether to continue on the bench or return to private practice, Circuit Judge William Syler on Monday told a state commission studying pay about his daughter, Lauren Syler. She's 29, and he's 58. She finished law school last year, moved to Texas and joined a law firm there. And, he said, she's already making more money than he's being paid by the state...

Speaking English; Adoption issues; Parking money; Tourism boost; Constitution issues; Drug dealers; Student finances; Choice for all; Losing our rights; Hunting control; Pay suggestion; Obvious answer; He's not Bond; Better to give; Standing in line; Great tradition; Military fallacy; Paying support; Wreath lights; Nice compliment; It's disrespectful; Greenwood's good; Costly letters; Parental choice; Subjective scoring

Countless Americans received those automated political calls before the Nov. 7 election. For many on the receiving end, the calls were irritating nuisances. Shortly after the ballots had been counted, Missouri's attorney general, in a populist move, urged legislators to pass a law next year that would add the automated calls to the state's No Call List. Currently, 2.3 million Missourians have requested protection from unwanted calls by having their phone numbers added to the list...

To the editor:Regarding the Nov. 21 article concerning the rejection of county paving requests, the term "recalcitrant landowners" came to my attention. There is a less denigrating term which could be used and that is "tax-paying landowner." The names of these same people can also be found in other types of county records, namely on land titles and deeds of ownership...

To the editor:"It's a Republic, if you can keep it." That was Benjamin Franklin's rather prophetic admonition to a question about what this nation is. We the people seem bent on flushing our representative republic by slouching toward a change to the failed and deadly jackboot of socialism. Our Founding Fathers recognized pure democracies as a dysfunctional form of mob rule, like a lynch mob, which degrade into anarchy, then tyranny...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- A Cape Girardeau man charged with attempted statutory rape was found not guilty Monday in New Madrid County Circuit Court. Robert C. Wells, 46, of 2515 Horseshoe Ridge, was accused of attempting to meet with a 15-year-old girl for the purpose of having sex after reportedly meeting her on the Internet...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- U.S. Sen. Kit Bond will meet with patrons and officials of the Southeast Missouri Transportation Service at 2 p.m. today at the Senior Nutrition Center in Marble Hill. "For many in rural America, public transportation is the only way to get to the doctor or grocery store," Bond said...

A trial date has not yet been set for a Scott City dentist charged with two felony counts of child endangerment. A grand jury in Scott County indicted Dr. Gary L. Riddle on Nov. 16 with two felony charges of endangering the welfare of a child. An arrest warrant was served on Riddle Nov. 21 as part of a roundup by the Scott County Sheriff's Office. Riddle was released on bond the same day, Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter said...

An AIDS awareness walk will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Southeast Missouri State University. The walk is scheduled to start at the Beanery Cafe at the University Center. Candles will be provided. The Southeast Missouri State University Peer Education Association will pass out information and collect donations for the Southeast Missouri Hospital AIDS education program...

A robbery was reported in the parking lot of My Daddy's Cheesecake at 237 S. Broadview. The incident occurred at 6:23 p.m., when a female victim was approached and robbed of money while in her vehicle, the Cape Girardeau Police Dept. reported. Police did not release any more information, but said no suspect was in custody as of 10:00 p.m., Monday...

Mr. B, 75, lives alone and is unable to take care of himself due to his recently broken arm. He does not receive Medicaid and has been dependent on volunteers, friends and neighbors to help with his needs. His caseworker says he's been eating poorly, due to his broken arm, making it difficult to cook and feed himself...

Vera B. Leimer, 78, of Saxony Village in Cape Girardeau passed away Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 11, 1928, in Pocahontas, daughter of the late Herbert F. and Ida O. Palisch Lichtenegger. She and Tillman A. "Timmie" Leimer were married Oct. 7, 1945, in Pocahontas...

Orval Eldridge Shew, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006, at Saint Francis Medical Center. He was born Nov. 17, 1918, in Southeast Missouri, son of Eldridge and Emma Mehler Shew. He and Margaret Crosno were married May 20, 1949. Shew lived in Wyatt, Mo., most of his life where he was a landowner and farmer. He was a member of Wyatt Methodist Church until it closed recently, then became a member of the United Methodist Church in Charleston, Mo...

Kevin Michael Underhill, 42, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Sikeston, Mo., died Saturday, Nov. 25, 2006, at Forest Park Hospital in St. Louis. He was born Nov. 1, 1964, in Sikeston to Earl and Janet Alexander Underhill. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville, Ala., and Sikeston Chapter of the The People's First. He was previously employed by Six Flags of St. Louis...

LAS VEGAS -- Ronald D. Bollinger, 65, of Las Vegas, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006, in Minneapolis. He was born Nov. 4, 1941, at Cape Girardeau, son of Jessie Earl and Ethel Marie Brown Bollinger. He and Barbara Seabaugh were married April 6, 1966...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Doris W. Bock, 84, of Perryville died Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. She was born March 23, 1922, in Perry County, daughter of Cletus and Cora Sittner Hoehn. She and Herbert E. Bock were married Aug. 17, 1946...

ERIE, Ill. -- Irma Dee Williams, 78, of Erie, Ill., died Saturday, Nov. 25, 2006, at her home. She was born Dec. 25, 1928, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Clyde and Ada Belle Robinson Smith. She and Edward Williams were married March 19, 1950, in Piggott, Ark. He died in 2002...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Doug Wallace, 74, of Jonesboro died Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill. Crain Funeral Home in Anna is in charge of arrangements.

MERRIAM, Kans. --William H. "Bill" Wolfe, 87, died Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2006, in Merriam, Kan. He was born Nov. 14, 1919, in St. Louis, son of the Rev. William H. and Lena Lehman Wolfe. He and Gisele Pahin were married in 1957. He attended Southeast Missouri State University, graduated from Northwestern University, and studied meteorology at the University of Chicago...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Gail A. Schafer, 35, of Perryville died Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006, at Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Festus, Mo. She was born March 6, 1971, in Perryville, daughter of Eugene and Ruby Ruch Griep. Survivors include her mother of Perryville...

The nation's state legislatures need to set clear goals and hold colleges accountable in educating students, a national report released Monday recommends. The report, released by a commission of the National Conference of State Legislatures, calls on state lawmakers to be at the center of a nationwide movement to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current system, demand a public agenda for higher education, set clear goals and hold institutions accountable...

EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Southeast Missouri State's defense, which had largely been torched so far this season, played by far its best half Monday night. Unfortunately for the Redhawks, their offense could not even come close to repeating its hot-shooting performance from the previous contest...

My wife has been doing it for years, sneaking out of the house in the blackness of early morning on the day after Thanksgiving so she can get a jump on Christmas shopping. Of course, she isn't alone. Countless Americans embrace the holiday tradition known as Black Friday. The name alone seemed depressing to me...

Neal named finalist in Pre-Teen program Lindsay Neal, a seventh grader at Nell Holcomb School, was a state finalist in the Pre-Teen Missouri Scholarship and Recognition Program in Jefferson City, Mo. She was selected as the recipient of the Outstanding 12-Year-Old Award for her academic and community achievements...

A former Cape Girardeau realtor, Herbert L. Annis, has become the 12th candidate to seek a place on the seven-member Cape Girardeau charter council to be elected in April. Cape Girardeau Mayor Howard C. Took purchased the first subsidized taxi service coupon book from city transit supervisor Steve Engelman; the coupon books will go on sale Monday at city hall to residents past the age of 60 or permanently handicapped...

ANDERSON, Mo. -- A fire that killed 10 people and injured two dozen more at a southwest Missouri group home for the elderly and mentally ill Monday was being treated as a crime, Gov. Matt Blunt said. "We're not saying it is definitely a crime scene, but we are treating it as if it is and trying to determine if the fire was set by somebody who had a nefarious motive," he said...

Routine business n Received Senior Tax Board 2007 funding recommendations. n Received and filed Guardian Insurance Co. Jan. 1, 2007, to Dec. 31, 2007, rates. n Received and approved payroll change form. n Received and filed assessor's erroneous assessments...

LINDENHURST, Ill. -- A Burger King employee was killed and her body was found early Monday morning at the suburban restaurant, officials said. The victim was identified as Mary Hutchison, 45, of Trevor, Wis., which is about 10 miles north of the restaurant. Her death appears to be related to a robbery, according to the Lindenhurst Police Department...

Cape Girardeau; Jackson

Cape Girardeau: DWIs; Assaults; Property damage; Theft; Jackson: Arrests; Theft; Property damage; Miscellaneous; Assault

SEATTLE -- It took a blast of rare Seattle snow to lift Shaun Alexander out of his season-long hibernation. Alexander ran for a season-high 201 yards Monday night to lead the Seattle Seahawks to a 34-24 victory over the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre on a surprisingly snowy night in the Great Northwest. The Seahawks (7-4) overcame four first-half turnovers by Matt Hasselbeck...

Jay Cutler's time has arrived. Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan ended speculation Monday by officially elevating the rookie to starting quarterback for the rest of the year, sending Jake Plummer to the bench. "He's our future, he's our present," Shanahan said...

BENSENVILLE, Ill. -- After losing 12 of 15 games, the Chicago Blackhawks went on the offensive Monday, switching coaches and styles. The Blackhawks fired defense-oriented coach Trent Yawney, replacing him with assistant Denis Savard -- a Hall of Fame player whose No. 18 hangs from the United Center rafters. With the new coach comes a faster pace...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The bowl picture turned considerably brighter at Missouri after a victory over rival Kansas that reduced the Jayhawks to wishful thinking. Both schools were bowl-eligible entering Saturday's game. Missouri (8-4, 4-4 in the Big 12) exited with enhanced prospects after pulling away for a 42-17 victory, while Kansas (6-6, 3-5) may get left out...

NEW YORK -- NBC News on Monday began referring to the Iraq conflict as a civil war, adopting a phrase that President Bush and many other news organizations have avoided. Matt Lauer said on the "Today" show that "after careful consideration, NBC News has decided that a change in terminology is warranted, that the situation is Iraq with armed militarized factions fighting for their own political agendas can now be characterized as civil war."...

A Honor Roll 4th grade -- Amy Banda, Tyler Barks, Andrew Bell, Kirsten Halter, Bobby Jansen, Olivia Jansen, Brock Kasten, Sydney Mike-Mayer, Christina Niedbalski, Carter Nenninger 5th grade -- Miranda Craft, Brock Hammers...

NEW YORK -- For one glorious summer, Mark McGwire was bigger than baseball itself. America stopped to watch each time he came to the plate, and cheered every time he sent a ball into orbit. He could do no wrong, it seemed. Surely he would be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame someday...

ST. LOUIS -- Rams coach Scott Linehan decided to delegate play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Greg Olson with St. Louis mired in a five-game losing streak. A day after the Rams stopped the skid with a 20-17 victory over the 49ers, Linehan said it definitely was the right decision. The change was so well received that it likely will last the rest of the season, and perhaps beyond that...

Before Central's contingent began wrestling at the state meet last year, Tigers coach Josh Crowell said simply qualifying for the meet would not be enough for his team any more. Central came back with two all-state finishes. Now the Tigers can dream bigger for the 2006-07 season, which begins for them Saturday at the Fort Zumwalt North tournament...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Marshall Brown tied a career high Monday by scoring 21 points and Missouri (7-0) shot 50 percent from 3-point range in the second half in a 98-77 win over Coppin State. Brown hadn't scored 20 points in a game since he had 21 against Oklahoma in January. His previous high this season was 15 points in an 89-69 win over Lipscomb on Nov. 16...

An autism support group will meet with parents of autistic children at 6:30 p.m. today in Cape Girardeau to address how to better coordinate services for such students in the public schools. "We are trying to concentrate some efforts on what is working, isn't working and what we can do to better coordinate services and understand issues our families face," said Janis Traughber with MPACT, a statewide parent training and information organization that seeks to improve schooling for all children with disabilities.. ...

The much-anticipated meeting between Bell City and Scott County Central will take place sooner than later, as wins from No. 2 Bell City and No. 3 Scott County Central on Monday at the Oran Invitational set up a semifinal matchup between the two teams...

Editor's note: In an effort to provide high school students with helpful college information, the Southeast Missourian will begin publishing different scholarships each week. Missouri Teacher Education Scholarship n Who it's for: Students planning on majoring in education...

Adam Lofton and Linnea Woldtvedt were the male and female champions in the annual Toy Box 1-mile Run which took place Sunday in Cape Girardeau. Lofton paced the men with a time of 4 minutes, 54 seconds. Woldtvedt topped the women in 5 minutes, 44 seconds...

A photo Southeast Missouri State University student Brad Chamness took capturing of a fellow student walking several feet above the ground on a piece of webbing stretched between two trees brought him national publicity. Chamness, 24, a technical graphics major, had a photo of the club sport slacklining published in the New York Times. His photo was displayed in the Trendspotting section of the newspaper, which featured student photographers shooting trends at their college campuses...

Family and friends are questioning the killing by police of a former Cape Girardeau man, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq. Earlier this month, Derek Hale was fatally shot by police in Wilmington, Del., after being stunned multiple times by Tasers. Eyewitnesses say Hale, 25, a Central High School graduate, posed no threat to police at the time of the shooting. Hale's widow Elaine is planning a wrongful-death lawsuit...

Landewee; Haynes; Reagan; Willis; Unterreiner; Olivas

Scott City will pay its annual $1,500 lease payment to Union Pacific Railroad for a municipal parking lot on Main Street. However, the city will remain in negotiations to purchase the lot. At its last regular meeting on Nov. 20, the city council learned that Union Pacific would hold the lease agreement in default if the $1,500 payment wasn't received by Friday. ...

BEIJING -- North Korea's nuclear envoy flew into Beijing today as his counterparts from the United States, China, South Korea and Japan gathered to hammer out plans to restart talks on dismantling the reclusive nation's nuclear weapons program. The arrival of North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan has heightened expectations he may meet U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, although no plans have been announced...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will discuss a speedier hand-over of security control to Iraqi forces as a prelude to the start of a U.S. withdrawal when they meet in Jordan this week, top Iraqi government officials said Monday...

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let stand a ruling that dismissed a $10.1 billion verdict against Philip Morris USA, ending a case that became a windfall for the county where it originated but helped feed its reputation as a "judicial hellhole."...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Sony Entertainment Inc. is giving a southeast Missouri couple a new camcorder, after they bought one at Best Buy and said they found a jar of pasta sauce inside the box where the camera should have been. Melisa Rittenberg, 36, of Perryville, said Tuesday she was contacted by Sony on Monday, after talking to The Associated Press about the incident...