Stories from Sunday, December 23, 2007

Husband-and-wife journalists Bob Miller and Callie Clark Miller share the same small house (still), work in the same office (again) and somehow manage to cling to their sanity (barely). Older and wiser (she's wiser, he's just older), the Southeast Missourian sweethearts offer their views on everyday issues, told from two different perspectives....

Cape Girardeau officials say no airport jobs will be cut despite the loss of passenger service. Big Sky Airlines announced Wednesday it would cease operations Jan. 7 at its eastern United States connections, as well as at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. The company, which is expected to fold in 60 days, had started providing commercial passenger service to Cincinnati, Ohio, on Nov. 18...

Three days before Christmas, area stores still had plenty of one item: last-minute shoppers. Some simply procrastinated. Others have been tied up at work. And for some, looking for Christmas gifts as the clock is ticking down is a tradition. Emily Jones of Cape Girardeau was out shopping Saturday for two of those reasons -- she's been swamped at work and admits she's a little bit of a procrastinator...

A Cape Girardeau man was charged with attempted rape and second-degree felony assault Saturday. According to a statement issued by the Cape Girardeau County prosecutor's office, Ronnie Whitby Preyer, 26, and a 31-year-old woman went for a drive Friday night. He took the woman to a trailer in Jackson and attacked her in the car, punching her in the face when she resisted him, according to the probable-cause statement...

PATTON, Mo. -- They buried Ethan Butler in the southwest corner of the family cemetery Nov. 15, his mother Jennifer's birthday. In family tradition, Jennifer's brothers dug Ethan's grave just as they dug their father's five years earlier. Ethan's family was already struggling before his death at not quite 3 years old left them in mourning...

KELSO, Mo. -- Norman and Dorothy Essner of Kelso announce the engagement of their daughter, Leeanna Frances Essner, to Chad Patrick Seiler. He is the son of Bill and Karen Seiler of Benton, Mo. Essner is a 2000 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School. She received a degree in agribusiness from Southeast Missouri State University in 2004. She is a program technician with USDA Farm Service Agency in Benton...

PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. -- Allen and Brenda Wrather of Portageville, formerly of Oran, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Julia Lee Wrather of Columbia, Mo., to Mark Jonathan Baker of Jefferson City, Mo. He is the son of Ronnie and Bonnie Baker of Linn, Mo...

The Southeast Missourian announce it will be starting a new service tomorrow: Soundoff; a special telephone line will be open for callers to state questions or comments; publication of them, together with answers where appropriate, will begin Dec. 30...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Donnie and Donna Johnson of Sikeston, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Mandy Johnson, to Darren Roper, both of Advance. He is the son of Larry and Phoebie Roper of Advance. Johnson is a registered nurse at Cottonwood Treatment Center in Cape Girardeau...

Weldon Crook of Scott City announces the engagement of his daughter, Angela Sue Crook, to Michael Glen Strawn. He is the son of Becky Strawn of Benton, Mo., and the late Raymond Strawn. Crook is also the daughter of the late Janice Crook. Crook is a 1997 graduate of Scott City High School. She is employed by Dr. Byron Glenn...

Matt and Susan Jenkins of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Katie Ann Jenkins, to David Andrew Roach of Maryland Heights, Mo. He is the son of Teri Yant and David Roach of Morehouse, Mo. Jenkins is a 2004 graduate of Jackson High School, and a 2007 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Holly Renee Jansen and Dustin Lee Hoesli were married July 7, 2007, at St. John's Catholic Church in Leopold. The Rev. Freddie Byrd of Owensboro, Ky., performed the ceremony. Readers were Heather Cassidy of Topanga, Calif., cousin of the groom, and Sheila Irvin of Leopold, aunt of the bride...

Julie Ann Mier and Jamey Louis Heisserer were married June 16, 2007, at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Kelso, Mo. The Rev. Oliver Clavin performed the ceremony. Lector was Ruth Ann Mier of Jackson. Organist was Betty Vandeven of Chaffee, Mo., and vocalists were Amanda Morrow of Jackson and Kevin Mier of Scott City...

Amanda Rae Hutteger and Randol LeRoy Morris Jr. were united in marriage Sept. 29, 2007, at St. Mary's Cathedral. The Rev. Tom Kiefer performed the ceremony. Organist was Dottie Meyr of Cape Girardeau, and vocalists were Kristen Boos of Columbia, Mo., and Aaron Walker of Campbell, Mo...

Jaime Leigh Bollinger and Matthew Thomas Ludwig exchanged vows Oct. 13, 2007, at Francine's Gardens in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. David Boswell performed the ceremony. Music was by Trio Girardeaux. Parents of the couple are Ken and Cindy Bollinger of Benton, Mo., and Tom and Chris Ludwig of Jackson...

Angela Shaw and Shawn D. Williams were married Oct. 27, 2007, on a mountain top in Gatlinburg, Tenn. The bride is the daughter of John and Janet Bradshaw of Warrenton, Mo., and Donnie and Yolanda Shaw of Lake Port, Calif. The groom is the son of Cornelia Williams and Hubert Rutherford of Cape Girardeau...

Cathryn Renee Watkins and Christopher Lee Jones were married Nov. 17, 2007, at the Rose Ben Inn in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Denny Lumos performed the ceremony. Parents of the couple are Vernon and Linda Watkins of Jackson and Donald and Deborah Jones of Oak Ridge...

Large areas of Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas were smacked by one of those ice storms we all fear and dread. Power lines were snapped, leaving some affected areas without power for more than a week of subfreezing temperatures. Roads and city streets were blocked by downed tree limbs. Customers couldn't get out to finish their holiday shopping -- and many stores weren't open anyway because they didn't have electricity. Shelters were opened to take in the cold and the hungry...

Green churches; Escaping addiction; Long-range issue; Religious politics; Thanks, holiday workers

By Rod Jetton When I ran for state representative in 2000, one of the main issues I ran on was improving our roads. I was upset about the broken promises of the 15-year plan. The condition of our roads was quite poor back then. ... I'm happy to report that things have changed at the Missouri Department of Transportation, which is making a huge difference on our roads. .....

To the editor:I am writing in response to the Dec. 19 letter "Wilderness deserves protection." I disagree with Adam Gohn's criticism of U.S. Rep Jo Ann Emerson's opposition to designating 49,323 additional acres of wilderness in the Mark Twain National Forest. ...

By Carl Todt Jr. As a farmer who produces corn, wheat and soybeans, I need to respond to the article "Missouri corn boom threatens to expand 'dead zone' in Gulf of Mexico." Yes, nitrogen fertilizer is used to grow corn. Nitrogen also is required for the production of soybeans and alfalfa. The difference is that soybeans and alfalfa produce their own nitrogen, some of which can also go into stream and rivers if erosion occurs...

BENTON, Mo. -- Angela Louise Heisserer and Kyle Michael Koepp were married Oct. 27, 2007, at Guardian Angel Catholic Church in Oran, Mo. The Rev. John Harth performed the ceremony. Reader was Rhonda Ratledge of Scott City. Eucharistic ministers were Jamie Burger, Diane Urhahn and Carla Robert...

TULSA, Okla. -- Southeast Missouri State entered as a decided underdog as it finished a grueling, weeklong road trip and faced a team from a much higher-rated league. Throw in that the Redhawks were short-handed, and the task appeared even more insurmountable...

It would be an understatement to say Central was focused on Vienna (Ill.) center Brett Thompson. Listed at 6 foot 11 or 7-0, the Saint Louis University-bound center was hard to miss on the floor Saturday afternoon in the Pepsi Showcase boys basketball event at the Show Me Center...

Lane takes first place in Jingle Bell run Ryan Lane covered the 5-kilometer course in 16 minutes, 22 seconds to win the Saint Francis Fitness Plus Jingle Bell run recently. Tara Propst was the top female finisher, covering the course in 25:50. Results...

Admittedly, Gateway Tech isn't the best shooting basketball team in the state of Missouri. But with a front line featuring 6 foot 8 Jessie Perry, 6-6 Kenneth Harris, 6-5 Corey Breeding and 6-4 Sheldon Richardson, the Jaguars will be able to convert a few of those misses into baskets...

n At 8:11 p.m., emergency medical service at 24 Village Drive. n At 4:42 a.m., emergency medical service in the 600 block of Themis Street. n At 5:04 a.m., emergency medical service at 2852 Independence St. n At 5:23 a.m., a smoke scare at 3049 William St...

WASHINGTON -- Former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had a plan to suspend the rules against illegal detention and arrest up to 12,000 Americans he suspected of being disloyal, according to a newly declassified document. Hoover sent his plan to the White House on July 7, 1950, less than two weeks after the Korean War began. ...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Charles H. Huffman, 73, of Jonesboro, formerly of Kankakee, Ill., died Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home of Anna-Jonesboro.

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's Shiite-led government declared Saturday that after restive areas are calmed it will disband Sunni groups battling Islamic extremists because it does not want them to become a separate military force. In Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkish warplanes bombed Kurdish rebel targets, the military said, in the third confirmed cross-border offensive by Turkish forces in less than a week...

ORAN, Mo. -- Cleaophas Miller Manker, 93, of Oran died Friday, Dec. 21, 2007, at Chaffee Nursing Center. She was born Oct. 27, 1914, in Steele, Mo., daughter of Jim and Laura Johnson Miller. She and Clarence A. Manker were married May 2, 1931. He died April 30, 1983...

CHICAGO -- A Salvation Army shelter in a well-to-do Kansas county has an unprecedented waiting list that includes families who've lost their homes to foreclosure. In Florida, a real estate agent who said she was having a tough time making it this year sought assistance from a food bank for herself and her children. ...

HORN LAKE, Miss. -- Margaret McFall, 76, of Horn Lake, Miss., formerly of Scott City, died Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007, at home. She was born July 31, 1931, at Oakdale, La., daughter of Weaver Ora and Mary Elizabeth Catron Woolsey. She and George McFall were married Sept. 9, 1949, at Piggott, Ark...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A man is in custody in connection with a shooting that left three injured. At 11:56 p.m. Friday, an officer on routine patrol reported hearing gunshots from the 100 block of Luther Street and found a man lying in the street with a gunshot wound to the upper body...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Dozens of vehicles were involved in pileups on Interstate 29 in Missouri and Interstate 70 in Kansas that resulted in at least one death during a snowstorm Saturday, authorities said. In Kansas, authorities reported a 30-car pileup on Interstate 70 near McFarland, about 30 miles west of Topeka, that happened shortly after noon. At least one person was killed in the accident, according to the highway patrol, which did not have additional details...

Tilsit 4-H The Tilsit 4-H Club met Dec. 1 at the University of Missouri Extension Center in Jackson for a Christmas party and meal. Adam Kirchdoerfer presided over the meeting. There were 29 members and 31 others present. The group sang songs and played games...

August H. "Gus" Buchheit died Friday, Dec. 21, 2007, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 6, 1919, in Apple Creek, Mo., son of Henry W. and Theresa Anna Baer Buchheit. He and Mabel Warren were married Nov. 6, 1944. He worked for Robinson and Schumer Heating and Plumbing. He was a World War II veteran and member of the American Legion Post 133. He belonged to St. Joseph Catholic Church in Apple Creek and was a third-degree member of the Knights of Columbus...

Arrests

Rains; Brown; Winborne; Hackworth; Bonner; Greenley; Murakami

CAIRO, Egypt -- Months after Egypt boldly announced that archaeologists had identified a mummy as the most powerful queen of her time, scientists in a museum basement are still analyzing DNA from the bald, 3,500-year-old corpse to try to back up the claim aired on TV...

Jackson's board of aldermen has delayed a decision to extend its contract with an economic development corporation during Monday's meeting. Cape Girardeau Area Magnet wanted to extend its contract to three years, according to Mayor Barbara Lohr. Last year, the board agreed to a one-year extension. But the three-year clause in this year's contract seemed to surprise city officials...

CASSVILLE, Mo. -- One of the men accused of raping and killing a 9-year-old southwest Missouri girl last month has been bound over for trial. Chris Collings, 32, of Wheaton, was bound over for trial Friday after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing. He is charged with first-degree murder, forcible rape and statutory rape in the slaying of Rowan Ford of Stella...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Jackie Lester Swinford, 53, of Chaffee died Friday, Dec. 21, 2007, at Heartland Care and Rehab. He was born Feb. 6, 1954, in Cape Girardeau, son of Lester S. and Blanch Lee Mandrel Swinford. Swinford was employed as a trucker. He was of the Methodist faith. Swinford was a member of Chaffee VFW No. 3127, Chaffee Elks No. 1810 and Cape Girardeau Eagles Aerie No. 3775...

OVERTON, Texas -- Opal Cady, 83, of Overton, formerly of St. Peters, Mo., died Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007, at Overton Health Care in Overton. She was born Oct. 12, 1924, in Bell City, Mo., daughter of Vernie and Stella Pearl Howell Hubbard. She and William Cady were married in Waterloo, Ill., in 1957. He died Nov. 20, 1997...

Santa crucified to protest commercialism BREMERTON, Wash. -- Art Conrad has an issue with the commercialism of Christmas, and his protest has gone way beyond just shunning the malls or turning off his television. The Bremerton resident nailed Santa Claus to a 15-foot crucifix in front of his house. ...

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- A judge released 14 suspected Islamic extremists Saturday for lack of evidence of their involvement in a plot to break free an al-Qaida prisoner convicted of planning an attack on U.S. air base personnel. Prosecutors said the investigation would continue and that heightened security measures imposed across the country after Friday's arrests would remain in place into the new year. ...

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Wendy Derkits stood in front of the camera to deliver a holiday message thousands of miles away. She wanted to tell her husband at war that she loved him and wish him a Merry Christmas, but with the camera running and people watching, her words were replaced by tears...

Virginia Roseline Richardson, 87, of Scott City died Friday, Dec. 21, 2007, at Auburn Creek Assisted Living in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 9, 1920, in Fornfelt, Mo., daughter of George Frederick and Sophia Louise Eggimann Hanschen. She and Billy Bernard Richardson were married March 28, 1942. He preceded her in death on April 18, 1981...

WILTON, Conn. -- When Sister Kathleen Treanor's soul ascends to heaven, her brain will go to a less ethereal realm: a medical lab in Kentucky. Two decades ago, Sister Treanor and 677 other members of the School Sisters of Notre Dame granted a young researcher's request to test them each year in order to track the progression of Alzheimer's disease and other age-related brain disorders...

Identifying a gifted child can be a contentious issue. Most districts use a combination of assessments. In general, most districts require a student score in the 95th percentile on a group achievement test, such as the TerraNova, a score of at least a 125 on an IQ test, and parent and teacher referrals. Some districts, like Nell Holcomb, use a series of creativity tests as well...

Marie Genevieve Willis, 80, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Dec. 21, 2007, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 8, 1927, in Thebes, Ill., the daughter of John Logan and Milbry Dyer Thompson. She was preceded in death by her children's father, Claude E. Willis. Feb. 2, 2002...

Ida E. Robert, 87, of Cape Gir-ardeau died Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007, at her home. She was born Feb. 27, 1920, in Pocahontas, daughter of Martin and Nina Summers Hellwege. She and Carroll Joseph Robert were married Nov. 24, 1938, in Cape Girardeau. He died March 5, 1990...

Second-grader Drake Mills doesn't know about the politics behind his education. He's just excited to come to the Explore program every Monday, one afternoon a week he can join like-minded students who enjoy a challenge. Larger districts, like Cape Girardeau and Jackson, can afford gifted pullout programs, where talented students attend a half-day session once a week...

MINNEAPOLIS -- The parent company of Big Sky Airlines will liquidate itself and transfer the western routes of its Big Sky Airlines subsidiary to another carrier, the president and chief executive officer of MAIR Holdings Inc. said. CEO Paul Foley made the announcement in a conference call with analysts Thursday, a day after Billings, Mont.-based Big Sky said it would shut down its East Coast operations as of Jan. 7 due to poor revenue, bad weather and high fuel prices...

Third-year Bell City coach Brian Brandtner says one of the finest moments he has experienced while leading the Cubs came when his team won last year's Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. "Growing up in the area and being around the Christmas tournament as a small child on up, my whole life, the teams you watch only win it so often," he said. "So it's such a great honor to win it. That was absolutely a special moment."...