Stories from Monday, December 11, 2006

Third-grade student Bailey Sheehan sometimes feels rushed to eat lunch in the Franklin Elementary School cafeteria. "Sometimes we get held up at recess and then you don't get a lot of time to eat," he said as he ate lunch Thursday with fellow classmates...

Nate Prince's favorite subject in school is physical education, but after his watercolor painting won first place in the Children's Arts Festival, he might change his mind. Almost 250 drawings and paintings were on display Sunday at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri's Gallery in Cape Girardeau as part of the seventh annual Children's Arts Festival...

ORAN, Mo. -- Oran is peaceful enough that the small Scott County town may not even need its own police force, the way local resident Bill Hudgens sees it. Hudgens and other Oran residents are wondering where rumors of crime in the town are coming from...

There's a good reason Vernon "Pee Wee" Rhodes won the Triumph Award. Cape Girardeau businessman and founder of the Cape Girardeau-based Plaza Tire was recently honored with the award that recognizes marketing by the Tri-State Advertising and Marketing Professionals. And there's no question Rhodes knows marketing and advertising...

Cape Girardeau police are investigating a string of burglaries that targeted area churches this month. Police spokesman Jason Selzer said police think the burglaries are related, based on the similarities of the buildings, the method of entry and the items stolen. As of Friday, there were no leads or suspects, he said...

Divers Calvin Brennan of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Reserve and Robin Harris of the Missouri Department of Conservation went diving yesterday in the cold, muddy waters of the Mississippi River in search of a stolen car which had been dumped in the stream two days earlier...

Protect the children; Millions for Mars; License in Iraq; Walking on campus; Too young for pills; Fewer math classes; Tell us more; Cooking up a storm; Losing our freedoms; Focus on roads; Grabbing power; Police challenge; Voucher fairness; Emergency plans; Pertinent info

A survey conducted in June determined that the litter problem in this part of Southeast Missouri ranks no higher than 2.5 on a scale of 4, a finding that surprised the chairman of the Keep Southeast Missouri Beautiful technical committee. A push by Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau County, Jackson and Scott City to curtail litter during the past few years may have had an effect...

Two Jackson residents were seriously injured when the vehicle they were in overturned Sunday morning. Misty F. Inman, 20, and Chad M. Looman, 28, both sustained serious injuries and were taken to Saint Francis Medical Center by ambulance. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Looman was driving eastbound on Route FF near Fruitland when his vehicle ran off the roadway, struck an embankment and overturned. Neither passenger was wearing a seat belt, according to the patrol...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Inez T. Ranson, 91, of Benton, Mo., died Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006, at the Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee. She was born Jan. 24, 1915, in Ursa, Ill., daughter of Arthur Lee and Ermal Anderson Trent. She and Clement "Clem" Ranson were married on March 1, 1936, in Quincy, Ill. He died July 15, 1985...

Elfrieda Strickert, 81, of Jackson died Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born April 17, 1925, in Worland, Wyo., daughter of Rev. Hugo and Edna Neimeier Hoyer. She and Arnold Strickert were married May 7, 1947, in Fairmont, Okla...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Lois Faye Robertson, 66, of Perryville died Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006, at Perry County Nursing Home in Perryville. She was born Aug. 24, 1940, in Stuttgart, Ark., daughter of Clifton and Lydia Crank Leirer. Robertson was a member of the Church of Christ Faith...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. --James Howard Bobbitt of Perryville died Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006, at his home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Miller Family Funeral Home in Perryville.

Blake Slattery was thrust into the starting quarterback role during his sophomore season when Central's scheduled starter went down with an injury just weeks before the season opener. During the 2004 and 2005 seasons, Slattery shared the signal-calling duties with Garrett Stevens and gave the Tigers a more mobile option behind center...

ST. LOUIS -- A creature of habit, Brian Urlacher dislikes the trappings and the inconvenience of playing on Monday night. The Chicago Bears' standout middle linebacker would choose a matinee every time over the national television audience that'll be watching them play the St. Louis Rams...

Offense QB: Blake Slattery, sr., Central n Slattery threw for 1,636 yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior season, and he added 297 yards rushing with six touchdowns. RB: Kris Cottner, jr., Perryville n Cottner led the area with 1,225 yards rushing on 239 carries, also an area-high. The junior scored 10 touchdowns, and carried the load for the 5-5 Pirates with over 200 more carries than the next-leading back...

In light of last week's winter storm which has left several thousand people across Missouri and Illinois without power, do you want a white Christmas this year? Due to rounding, percentages may not add up to 100. (494 votes) ? Yes: 62 percent ? No: 34 percent...

NEW YORK -- Dennis Haysbert makes no secret of the satisfaction he gets from his role on "The Unit." As Jonas Blane, leader of a covert team of Special Forces operatives, he gets to play a man of fierce conviction and unyielding courage. Also, a man of action...

ST. LOUIS -- Ameren Corp. executives have said two massive power outages in the last four months could not have been prevented. But an Illinois commission warned last year that cuts in tree-trimming might lead to just such problems. The separate power outages left more than 500,000 homes and businesses without power in Missouri and Illinois. ...

n At 2:37 p.m., alarm sounding at 1000 Towers Circle. n At 8:20 p.m., illegal burn at 1830 Dumais St. n At 11:07 p.m., emergency medical service at 829 S. Kingshighway. n At 8:21 a.m., emergency medical service in the unit block of South Sprigg Street...

SANTIAGO, Chile -- Gen. Augusto Pinochet, who terrorized his opponents for 17 years after taking power in a bloody coup, died Sunday, putting an end to a decade of intensifying efforts to bring him to trial for human rights abuses blamed on his regime. He was 91...

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Economist Muhammad Yunus accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on Sunday for his breakthrough program to lift the poor through tiny loans, saying he hoped the award would inspire "bold initiatives" to eradicate a problem at the root of terrorism...

WASHINGTON -- In the same year that public furor derailed a Dubai-owned company's plans to buy and run operations at major American ports, the number of foreign business deals reviewed by the Bush administration for U.S. security risks surged to nearly 100, up from 65 reviews last year...

HAMBURG, Germany -- Traces of the rare radioactive substance polonium-210 were found at a German apartment visited by a contact of fatally poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko -- before the two men met in London, authorities said Sunday. The polonium traces were found on a couch where Russian businessman Dmitry Kovtun is believed to have slept at his ex-wife's Hamburg apartment the night before he headed to London for a meeting with Litvinenko last month, German investigators said...

WEST NEW YORK, N.J. -- An excommunicated Roman Catholic archbishop continued his defiance of the Vatican on Sunday when he ordained two married men as priests. In front of a congregation that included nearly two dozen members of the media at the Trinity Reformed Church, Raymond A. Grosswirth of Rochester, N.Y., and Dominic Riccio, of Newark were installed by Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo...

HOUSTON -- Space shuttle Discovery's heat shield looks to be in good health so far, NASA managers said Sunday, although it will be at least two days before engineers can rule out any possible damage from the program's first night launch in four years...

NEW YORK -- In the year since a 7-year-old was found beaten to death in a rodent-infested room in her family's apartment, the city's child welfare agency has improved staffing, case tracking and coordination with other city agencies. At the same time, however, it has seen an extraordinary increase in the number of child abuse and neglect reports, the agency says in a progress report due for release today. ...

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Hundreds of thousands of Hezbollah members and their allies flooded central Beirut on Sunday demanding changes in the government's makeup as soldiers strung more barbed wire around the offices of the Western-backed premier. Buoyed by the big turnout after a week of street protests, the pro-Syria opposition gave Prime Minister Fuad Saniora an ultimatum of a "few days" to accept its demand to form a national unity government with a big role for Hezbollah or face an escalating campaign to oust him.. ...

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Sen. Barack Obama sparked an early frenzy Sunday during his initial visit to the nation's first presidential primary state, but said he still hasn't decided whether to run and questioned whether all the hype was just part of his "15 minutes of fame."...

Haitian leader says his cancer may have returned PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- President Rene Preval, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer five years ago, said Sunday the disease may have come back and that he would soon leave the country for treatment and more tests. Speaking to reporters after returning from a four-day trip to Cuba for medical exams, a fit-looking Preval said blood tests in Havana showed possible signs of cancer...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The Iraqi president on Sunday sharply criticized the bipartisan U.S. report calling for a new approach to the war, saying it contained dangerous recommendations that would undermine his country's sovereignty and were "an insult to the people of Iraq."...

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- Mary Ann Thompson, 82, believes she has to dance. The Independence woman says, "every time I hear music I gotta move." She is one of about 30 women kicking up their heels line dancing at Fairmount Community Center in Independence most Tuesday mornings. This group, the Fairmount Dancing Queens, will travel almost anywhere to perform...

The River Eagle Distribution Company presented a van to the Jackson Senior Center for delivering noon meals to homebound seniors and disabled adults living in Jackson and northern Cape Girardeau County. River Eagle Distributing Company general manager Tom Anderson recently presented the keys to Jackson Senior Center board president Lester Maevers and administrator Debbie Stockton...

It has become an annual tradition of the Bernie High School Beta Club to brighten the holidays for area families. A donation of 32 stuffed bears to Saint Francis Medical Center's Family Birthplace and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was recently made by the club...

Jaguars 44, Colts 17 Rookie Maurice Drew ran for a career-high 166 yards and two touchdowns, had a 93-yard kickoff return for a score, and the Jaguars (8-5) literally ran the Colts (10-3) out of town and maybe out of contention for home-field advantage in the AFC...

Scott County Central was not exactly a rebounding juggernaut last year, but the Braves took advantage of some injuries to dominate the boards in an 81-32 victory at Gideon on Friday night. Gideon was without leading scorer Jordan Boone and had some other injuries as well...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- There will be a brief opportunity in a few weeks for lawmakers and statewide officials -- or hopefuls -- to begin using a new campaign finance law that allows unlimited contributions to candidates. So far no one is admitting to it, but there's a possibility of a two-day "fund-raising frenzy," as Gov. Matt Blunt put it...

Mr. G is 82. His 13-year-old companion is a dog named Bear who has been there for him since he became a widower six years ago. Keeping Bear's needs on hand gives Mr. G a sense of security, especially during the winter months. Even though he has a son in the area, he works on the river, so Mr. G. rarely sees him...

Charleston, which won the SEMO Conference Tournament earlier in the weekend, was awarded the top seed Sunday in the 62nd annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament that begins on Dec. 26. The Bluejays, who ran their record to 6-0 with a victory over Sikeston in the conference final, have won the Christmas Tournament 14 times...

EL PASO, Texas -- A Sun Bowl matchup between Oregon State and Missouri seemed unlikely in the middle of the season. The No. 24 Beavers started slowly, with big losses to BCS qualifier Boise State and Pac-10 rivals California and Washington State. The Tigers, meanwhile, were off to one of the best starts in school history, peaking at 6-0...

Take a holiday tour at the Glenn House The historic Victorian home on South Spanish Street will have Saturday and Sunday tours in December from 1 to 4 p.m., except Christmas Eve. Candlelight tour is from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday. New Year's Day tour is from 1 to 4 p.m...

It's steady as she goes for the Cape Girardeau area, while the rest of the United States will see a slight slodown. That's the conventional wisdom of some local community and busines leaders who broke out their crystal balls to make their annual predictions for what the economy will do in 2007...

DWI; Arrests; Assaults; Thefts; Property damage; Miscellaneous

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- When cable television subscribers tune into "Campfire Cafe" for the first time Dec. 18, they won't get to see exactly the same outdoor cooking show that has been airing for five years on satellite -- there are two new co-hosts who bring their own unique perspectives to cooking under the stars...

Old Town Cape's Design Committee is seeking nominations for its annual John Boardman Excellence in Rehabilitation Award. The award honors preservation projects within the 130-square-block district known as Old Town Cape, expanding from Water Street to West End Boulevard and from Highway 74 to North Street in downtown Cape Girardeau...

SAN DIEGO -- LaDainian Tomlinson broke Shaun Alexander's NFL single-season touchdown record of 28 when he scored three times Sunday in the San Diego Chargers' game against the Denver Broncos. With the fans chanting for Tomlinson, the star running back took a handoff from Philip Rivers and scored on a 6-yard run with 3:57 left to tie it. After Denver fumbled, Tomlinson got No. 29 on a 7-yard run just 47 seconds later...

ST. LOUIS -- Winter months are quiet on the farm, but it's crunch time for seed companies Monsanto Co. and Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. While farmers place their orders for next year's crop, the companies are fighting for market share in the multibillion-dollar market for genetically engineered seeds...

PHILADELPHIA -- Here's what an NBA team in the market for a former MVP would get with Allen Iverson:~ The star will provide points and headaches. One night, Iverson scores 45 points in 48 minutes against Miami, the second time he tops 40 points in three games. Two nights after scorching the Heat, Iverson is whacked with a heavy fine for blowing off a Philadelphia 76ers' bowling event for season-ticket holders and corporate sponsors...