Stories from Sunday, August 12, 2007

NEOSHO, Mo. -- A gunman opened fire in the sanctuary of a southwest Missouri church Sunday, killing three people and wounding several others, authorities said. One of the victims was the Rev. Kernal Rehobson, 44, who led the local congregation of predominantly Micronesian worshippers holding the service at the First Congregational Church, police said...

In 1937 a flood at Paducah, Ky., extended more than 2 miles inland. The floodwall completed in 1949 to protect Paducah from that kind of devastation also alienated the city from the river that led explorer William Clark to found it. The same happened in Cape Girardeau. The floodwall that kept the city's downtown safe when the Mississippi River rampaged also cut the city off from its roots...

In Christian heavy-metal band Sli-Linc's songs, lead singer Tim Schnieders testifies about the kind of life some members of the band lived until recent years. Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll were all bound up together for them. Spirituality went begging...

Low-bid surgery; Get to the bottom; Link to history; Focus on positive; Cutting crime; Life-changing; Roads in creeks; No signs, please; Call for pizza; Fallen Republican; Water for animals; Food concerns; Greed, dishonesty; Honesty first; Here's your chance; Part of the family

James and Jean Siebelts of St. Charles, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Amy Siebelts, to Joseph D. Hoffman Jr. He is the son of Joseph and Dollie Hoffman of Cape Girardeau. Siebelts is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. She is a first grade teacher with Wentzville School District...

Hannibal and Luz Herrera of Los Angeles, Calif., announce the engagement of their daughter, Josie Herrera, to Chris Drury. He is the son of Jerry and Kathleen Drury of Cape Girardeau. Herrera is a graduate of Notre Dame Academy High School in Los Angeles. ...

Lori Finnegan of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Mitch Bess of Republic, Mo., both formerly of Cape Girardeau, announce the engagement of their daughter, Sarah Michelle Bess, to Clint Anderson, both of Beaumont, Texas. He is the son of Mark and Connie Anderson of Willard, Mo...

Courtney Lynn Houston and Christopher Wayne Freeman exchanged vows June 15, 2007, at Living Lord Lutheran Church in Lake St. Louis, Mo. The Rev. Roy Christell performed the ceremony. Music was by Lexis Wilson of St. Charles, Mo. The bride is the daughter of Debbie Houston of St. Charles and Roger and Melinda Houston of Lake St. Louis. The groom is the son of Virgil and Mary Freeman of Oak Ridge and George and Penny Bruhl of St. Peters, Mo...

To the editor:I am a former resident of Grand Chain, Ill., and a former Southernmost Illinois Delta Empowerment Zone board member. I plan to return to Southern Illinois as soon as I sell my home here. I know that SIDEZ, Stacy and Angela have been working hard to accomplish bringing new business and prosperity to Alexander County. Let those who talk the talk, walk the walk. Otherwise, you have no legitimate gripe...

To the editor:I have had this letter simmering inside of me for a long time. I just couldn't keep it inside any longer. I am appalled by the conditions of some of the American flags flying in Cape Girardeau County. It is not proper for flags over government or memorial locations to be tattered. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Melinda Kay Richardet and Matthew Earhart Schoen were married Feb. 3, 2007, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. The Rev. Matthew Marks performed the ceremony. Music was by Allen Steffens and soloist was Christine Steffens. Parents of the couple are Edward and Linda Richardet of Perryville, and John and Teri Schoen of Jackson...

To the editor:There are some things I just don't understand. We have been hearing a lot recently about people being arrested for letting game chickens fight. Also, one of our star athletes was charged with letting pit bulldogs fight and is facing fines and jail time if convicted...

Brad and Brenda Smith of Jackson announce the engagement of their son, Ryan Travis Smith, to Ellen Leanne O'Brien. She is the daughter of Mike and Debbie O'Brien of St. Louis. O'Brien is a 1999 graduate of Oakville Senior High School. She received bachelor of science and master of arts degrees from Southeast Missouri State University. She is a speech/language pathologist with the Special School District of St. Louis County...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Kerry Ann Brashers-Beck of Jackson and Steven Paul Reisenbichler of Perryville announce their engagement. She is the daughter of Bill and Judy Brashers of Silva, Mo. Reisenbichler is the son of Ralph and Nancy Reisenbichler of Perryville...

Tim and Heather Cutright of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Cambry Lace Pierce-DuPerier, to William Andrew Newton, both of Anna, Ill. He is the son of David Sharp and Pennelope Newton of Cape Girardeau. Pierce-DuPerier is a 2006 graduate of Central High School. She is pursuing a bachelor of fine arts degree at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. She is a server at Bob Evans Restaurant in Marion, Ill...

As a regional center for commerce, medical care and education, Cape Girardeau has a well-deserved reputation for getting things done. Many important projects have advanced after going through a vetting process that engages community discussion and review. That process has been underway for quite some time regarding the possibility of establishing a community college here in addition to Southeast Missouri State University...

Linda and Jerry Mowery of Dutchtown and David and Frances Leimer of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Caroline Leimer, to Robert Thornburgh, both of Jackson. He is the son of Richard and Deborah Thornburgh of Chaffee, Mo. Leimer is a 1998 graduate of Jackson High School. She is a 2003 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, and is pursuing a master's degree at Southeast. She is a mathematics teacher at Sikeston High School in Sikeston, Mo...

Tom and Vanita Jones of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Crystal Dawn Jones, to Gabriel Cain Montgomery. He is the son of Sherri Howard of Jackson and Tom Montgomery of Frisco, Texas. Jones is a 1996 graduate of Jackson High School. She is a 2001 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, and received a master's degree in social work at Washington University in St. Louis in 2006...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- James and Holly Smith of Sikeston, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Nicole Leanne Martindale, to Christopher George Horrell. He is the son of Harold and Rose Horrell of Leopold. Martindale is a 1996 graduate of Sikeston High School. ...

Sandy Michelle Behring and Alfred Edward Lowrey were married July 7, 2007, at Hanover Lutheran Church. The Rev. Daniel Hackney performed the ceremony. Organist was Keith Koenig of Burfordville, and soloist was Leslie Sutton of New Madrid, Mo. The bride is the daughter of Rich and Dotty Behring of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Sue Lowrey of New Madrid...

Elizabeth Anne Becker and Dr. Robert Michael Daugherty exchanged vows June 29, 2007, on the beach in Destin, Fla. The Rev. Paul W. Kummer performed the ceremony. Cello and violin music was played. The bride is the daughter of Gary and Christine Becker of Jackson. Robert and Ruth Daugherty of Frohna, Mo., are parents of the groom...

Saying "we are in unusual times," Presiding Circuit Judge A.J. Seier summons a second county grand jury, just four days after the previous jury adjourned. More than 380,000 gallons of water per month -- enough to supply 71 homes -- have been flowing through the memorial fountain in Common Pleas Courthouse, says Francis R. ...

The professor's frozen body hung from a high branch overlooking the school near Lake of the Ozarks, a thick stream of blood plastered to his cheek. The branch was so high, detectives had to use the ladder from a Canton County firetruck to reach it...

Whitney Clark Pierce and Gary Lynn Jones II were married April 27, 2007, in Wetumpka, Ala. The bride is the daughter of Bill and Jane Pierce of Jacksonville, Ala. The groom is the son of Barb and Greg Cagle of Jackson and Gary and Cindy Jones of Uniontown, Mo...

To the editor:A few weeks ago, Cape Girardeau lost a lady whom I admired very much: Elner Miller. God allowed Ms. Elner 96 years on this earth. Her entire life was lived in Cape Girardeau County and Cape Girardeau. She was born near Blomeyer, Mo. She attended a country school. Her family moved to Cape Girardeau where she continued her schooling. She was in one of the first classes to graduate from the John S. Cobb School...

Tosha Raquel Grady and Bryan Joseph Drury were united in marriage Oct. 14, 2006, at St. Vincent de Paul Church. The Rev. John F. Friedel performed the ceremony. Lectors were Zach Grady of Sikeston, Mo., brother of the bride, and Elisa Turnbull of Knoxville, Tenn., aunt of the bride. Servers were Jonathan Lynch, nephew of the groom, and Luke Crites, both of Cape Girardeau...

To the editor:Who were the idiots who accepted the plans and specifications for the new federal courthouse? And who were the inspectors and what were they doing while these mistakes were going on? This reeks of kickbacks and sounds like something out of the 1960s and 1970s when big jobs were going on in the area. The contractor would take work from one craft and give it to another to cause trouble. Of course, a dispute would follow, which was blamed on unions and cost overruns...

Cailin McGinnis would prefer a little more swimming and a little less biking in the Youth Triathlon. Even still, the Jackson teen repeated as champion of the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department's annual event, picking up her third overall win in the four years that she has competed in the event...

Understatement; To the Editor:; MIKE PAYNE; Cape Girardeau; MVP; To the editor:; RON CLIFTON

Best wishes; The real king; Entertaining ball; Hall update

A mother dog and her six puppies were left outside the Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary in Fruitland Saturday afternoon in 97-degree heat. They were left while no one was at the sanctuary from noon until 5 p.m. Alice Wybert, president of the organization, said the puppies look well fed, but the mother is thin, and her ears are fly-bitten. She appears to be a pit bull mix...

Slices from a spruce tree planted in 1939 were stacked against the Hirsch Community Room wall of the Cape Girardeau Public Library on Saturday for a presentation and hands-on workshop by Cape Girardeau resident Steve Lowes. The slices, referred to as "tree cookies," were more than a foot in diameter and came from a tree cut down in Lowes' yard...

Members of Cape Girardeau's parks and recreation advisory board meet Monday night with just one agenda item. The board will resume a discussion about how to get a parks and sewer tax on the ballot. The parks board meets at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 401 Independence St...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Rebecca Rutherford, who was appointed postmaster of the Dongola post office six months ago, was killed in a motorcycle accident early Friday morning. She was 34. According to the Illinois State Police, Rutherford was driving a motorcycle west on Front Street when it was struck by a pickup truck driven by Marietta Lingle, 72, of Dongola. The state police are investigating the 7:09 a.m. accident...

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. -- An Elvis Presley fan wants to give Graceland a run for the money by refurbishing the King's old desert home as a tourist attraction. Reno Fontana and his wife, Laura, bought the Palm Springs home site unseen in November. "I want this to be Elvis of California," he said...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Carmelita Little Rolwing, 90, of Charleston died Friday, Aug. 10, 2007, at Charleston Manor. She was born July 15, 1917, in Lincoln County, Mo., to the late Rupert and Catherine White Little. She moved to Mississippi County with her father and brother in 1932. On Aug. 9, 1941, she married Norbert Rolwing, who survives of the home in Charleston...

n At 5:50 p.m., an alarm in the 700 block of Morgan Oak Street. n At 7:24 p.m., an extrication at Bloomfield Road and Highway 74. n At 9:27 p.m., emergency medical service at 1625 N. Kingshighway. n At 1:32 a.m., emergency medical service in the unit block of North Spanish Street...

THEBES, Ill. -- Clifford R. "Sam" Work, 60, of Thebes, Ill. died Friday, Aug.10, 2007, at his home. He was born Dec. 15, 1946, in Bakersfield, Calif., son of Frances Sarah Berry Work. He and Charl Dean Stamp were married June 14, 1969, in Bakersfield...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- A fire broke out in a home early Saturday, killing six members of a family and injuring one person, according to the St. Joseph Fire Department. There were no smoke alarms in the home, which was destroyed, said fire inspector Steve Henrichson. The names of the victims, believed to be four children and two adults, weren't released Saturday. Autopsies were scheduled...

WASHINGTON, Mo. -- The Missouri River bridge at Washington was closed Saturday for repairs because of deterioration, the Missouri Department of Transportation said. The closure came after a weeklong inspection of the 73-year-old bridge, which is similar in design to the one that collapsed Aug. 1 in Minneapolis. Eight people were confirmed dead Saturday from that bridge collapse, and five people were still missing...

SEDALIA, Mo. -- State Fair worker Lin McDonald had a blunt message Saturday for those willing to defy the excessive heat warnings and attend the 105th annual celebration of rural Missouri. Let the buyer beware. "It's August in Missouri. What do you expect?" said McDonald, a state government worker from Springfield who takes paid vacation each summer to work at a fair information booth...

Marvin Kenneth Shinault, 79, of Scott City died Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born March 1, 1928, in Haverty Grass, Md., the son of Jesse and Georgia Cornett Shinault. He married Mary Kay Graham on Oct. 1, 1972, in Aurora, Ill. She survives...

Ellen E. Strange, 41, of Jackson died Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007, at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. She was born Dec. 17, 1965, in Nebraska City, Neb., daughter of I. Leland and Nancy Goff Strange. Strange worked at Tidewater Floors in Chesapeake, Va., as an accounts receivable clerk for 10 years. She was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Jackson...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- John G. Burke, 59, of Jonesboro died Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007, at his home. He was born Sept. 30, 1947, in Belvidere, Ill., son of George and Dolores Burke. He married Marsha Throgmorton on Aug. 16, 1975, in Carbondale, Ill. He retired after 24 years as a special education teacher for Tri-County Special Education District in Anna, Ill. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Anna...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Catherine M. Faherty, 96, of Perryville died Friday, Aug. 10, 2007, at Perry Oaks Manor. She was born Nov. 1, 1911, at Perry County, daughter of Frank and Clara Ragsdale Geile. She and Lynn Henry Faherty were married in April, 1934. He died Feb. 27, 1954...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A routine shuttle mission, highlighted by a teacher's first spaceflight and space station construction, is now overshadowed by a troubling gash in Endeavour's thermal shield. A detailed laser inspection on Sunday of the difficult-to-reach area on Endeavour's belly could send astronauts out to repair the 3-inch wound later in the week, although NASA said that prospect appeared less likely than it did a day earlier...

A national assembly of Evangelical Lutherans urged its bishops Saturday to refrain from defrocking gay and lesbian ministers who violate a celibacy rule, but rejected measures that would have permitted ordaining gays churchwide. Still, advocates for full inclusion of gays were encouraged, calling the resolution a powerful statement in support of clergy with same-gender partners. The conservative group Lutheran CORE, however, said bishops will now feel more secure in ignoring denomination policy...

PATRICK, Nev. -- Since its inception, the Mustang Ranch has played a key role in legalized prostitution in Nevada. It's also been shut down by the IRS, burned down, rebuilt and sold on eBay for the price of a small home. Now it's back. Like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes, the gaudy pink stucco buildings used to house a stable of prostitutes are in a new location, under new management and looking better than ever...

TECATE, Mexico -- Mexican shelters, usually the last stop for northbound migrants, are filling with southbound deportees. Fewer migrants are crossing in the wind-swept deserts along an increasingly fortified border. Far to the north, fields are empty at harvest time as workplace raids become more common...

HUNTINGTON, Utah -- A video camera lowered into a mine where six workers have been missing for more than five days shows "survivable space," a federal official said Saturday, but attempts to signal the miners were met by silence. The void found by a camera lowered into a new hole showed an intact ceiling over 2 feet of rubble mixed with water, said Richard Stickler, head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration...

Mercury's fuel-sipping gasoline-electric hybrid, the Mariner sport utility vehicle, doesn't get the publicity that other hybrids do. But it should, especially now that the compact, 2008 model is refreshed inside and out, has more safety features and is offered in a new, lower-priced version that starts nearly $2,000 less than the 2007 Mariner Hybrid...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Mary Katherine "Kathy" Newman Obptande, 55, of Jonesboro died Friday, Aug. 10, 2007, at her home. She was born April 21, 1952, at Anna, Ill., daughter of James Hubert and Lenora Coleman Turner. Survivors include a daughter, April Cunningham of Pennsville, N.J.; a son, Richard Newman Jr. ...

PADUCAH, Ky. The redevelopment of Paducah's downtown began in 1992. Since then the city's innovative Artist Relocation Program has brought national acclaim while turning the blighted Lowertown area into a neighborhood of showcase homes and galleries. The downtown commercial district, nearly abandoned when the Kentucky Oaks Mall opened along Interstate 24 in 1982, has rebounded to a current occupancy rate of 90 percent. Condominiums, a new housing phenomenon for Paducah, are mushrooming...

GHAZNI, Afghanistan -- A Taliban spokesman said Saturday that two sick, female South Korean hostages would be released "soon" for the sake of good relations between the Taliban and South Korea. Neither the international Red Cross or the Afghan government could immediately confirm the claim...

There are now nearly as many private contractors in Iraq as there are U.S. soldiers -- and a large percentage of them are private security guards equipped with automatic weapons, helicopters and bullet-proof trucks. They operate with little or no supervision, accountable only to the firms employing them. ...

BEIJING -- A dozen Chinese teenagers have been caught in a failed plot to sneak into Canada by masquerading as kung fu masters from the famous Shaolin Temple, state media reported Friday. The 12 had no martial arts experience but joined a team of genuine kung fu performers from a school in Henan province, also home to the 1,500-year-old temple, that was leaving for a tour of Canada, the official Xinhua News Agency said...

PERRYVILLE, Mo.--Ted J. Ballman Jr., 65, of Perryville died Friday, Aug. 10, 2007, at his home. He was born Nov. 7, 1941, at St. Louis, son of Theodore Joseph and Anna M. Hogenmiller Ballman Sr. He and Donna L Ernst were married Sept. 15, 1962, in Perryville...

BAGHDAD -- A Muslim imam dropped his cloak to the sidewalk. It was a signal for the gunmen to move. They surrounded the top Iraqi security official in a north Baghdad district. Iraqi military vehicles -- commandeered by other Shiite militiamen -- screeched into a cordon, blocking his exit. A gun was put to his head...

LONDON -- Big Ben's bongs fell silent Saturday as workers rappelled down Parliament's iconic clock tower, beginning a month of maintenance work on the clock and its world-famous bell. Time briefly stood still as the clock's hands were frozen shortly after 8 a.m. They then were wound to 12 o'clock as a team of specialist "industrial rope-access technicians" descended to clean the clock's four latticework faces, part of maintenance ahead of its 150th anniversary in 2009...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has blacklisted as a "foreign terrorist organization" a Lebanese Islamist group blamed for major fighting at a refugee camp. The State Department is expected to announce the designation against al-Qaida-inspired Fatah al-Islam, which is suspected of having links with Syria, on Monday...

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone -- Sierra Leone held its first presidential elections Saturday since U.N. peacekeepers withdrew two years ago, a historic poll that many hope will show this country can transfer power peacefully after being ravaged by coups and a long, diamond-fueled civil war...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- First, Hamas militiamen were filmed beating guests at a bachelor party. Then, the deposed Hamas prime minister claimed Fatah forces had tortured a Hamas activist to death, only to have the prisoner, very much alive, presented in a TV broadcast...

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine -- President Bush welcomed French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Saturday for a "heart-to-heart" talk on world issues and to repair relations with France. "We have had disagreements on Iraq in particular," Bush said as the French president arrived at the seaside vacation home of Bush's parents. "But I've never allowed disagreements to not find other ways to work together."...

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Two prominent Somali journalists were assassinated Saturday, one outside his office and the other as he returned from his fallen colleague's funeral, authorities said. The victims were Ali Iman Sharmarke, owner of the Horn-Afrik Media Company, and Mahad Ahmed Elmi, who hosts a popular radio talk show for the same company. ...

LONDON -- Livestock on an English farm that were tested after showing signs of possible foot-and-mouth disease do not have it, Britain's chief veterinarian said Saturday. The result strengthens indications that the highly contagious livestock ailment has not spread beyond the small area where it was first discovered last week...

AMES, Iowa -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won an easy and expected victory in a high-profile Iowa Republican Party Straw Poll on Saturday, claiming nearly twice as many votes as his nearest rival. Romney had been expected to win the test because he spent millions of dollars and months of effort on an event that was skipped by two of his major rivals...

WASHINGTON -- Americans are living longer than ever, but not as long as people in 41 other countries. For decades, the United States has been slipping in international rankings of life expectancy, as other countries improve health care, nutrition and lifestyles...

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -- On the day her husband left for Iraq on his third tour in six years, Jennifer James slipped into the shower to cry, thinking no one would hear her. She was wrong. "Mom, it's OK. We've been through this before," her then 8-year-old son Bradley said through the door...

Divers looking for five people still missing since the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minnesota were hampered Saturday because heavy rain had strengthened the current in the Mississippi River. Overnight thunderstorms dropped as much as 2 inches of rain on the region, making the river dangerous for divers around the bridge wreckage, a Navy spokesman said. ...

Dear Tom and Ray: I just wanted to know if there is any long-term benefit to regularly opening the front hood of your car right after you park it. Is this a quick method to cool off the engine that will prolong its life somehow? You see, I have a neighbor who insists on keeping his hood open whenever he gets home. ...

Vincent Anderson made a couple outstanding catches during Southeast Missouri State's scrimmage Saturday afternoon at Houck Stadium. Those nice grabs helped solidify Anderson atop the depth chart at wide receiver, a position where the Redhawks saw plenty of turnover. Southeast lost its top four wide receivers from last year's team, and Anderson has stepped in nicely to help fill the void...

Drew Hosp spent plenty of time on the golf course this summer to get his game ready for the next level -- high school. Hosp, a 14-year-old Jackson resident, still is a couple years away from testing his skills at that level. On a hot Saturday afternoon at the Cape Jaycee Municipal Golf Course, Hosp showcased his skills with a victory in the fifth annual Cape Elks Junior Championship. ...

HONOLULU -- Hurricane Flossie strengthened to a Category 4 storm Saturday as it spun more than 1,000 miles south of Hawaii. The hurricane could pass by Hawaii late Tuesday or early Wednesday, forecasters said, but by then cooler waters should weaken Flossie considerably to a tropical storm...

State Rep. Nathan Cooper loved being on the inside. In his three years in the Missouri House, Cooper hadn't amassed too much power, but the way he approached the job showed he was happy to be in the room when the big issues were discussed. He approached questions about legislative issues in a helpful, but cautious way. ...

SHE SAID: You wouldn't think the words "we could make millions!" could prompt spontaneous eye-rolling. But coming out of my husband's mouth, believe me, they can. Every so often, which is to say, every few weeks, Bob begins a sentence with those very words. "Honey, we could make millions!"...