Stories from Tuesday, March 4, 2008

NIANGUA, Mo. (AP) -- A small-town city clerk in southwest Missouri is charged with forgery and fraud for allegedly taking more than $8,000 from the town. Webster county prosecutors charged 58-year-old Joyce Thornhill with multiple felony counts of check and credit card fraud...

ROBERTSVILLE, Mo. (AP) -- Experts believe a black bear may be responsible for a series of attacks on dogs in eastern Missouri. Three dogs have been apparently attacked recently in Franklin County. One dog's injuries were so bad it had to be euthanized...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A federal judge rules that the co-founder of Savvis Communications Corp. must remain jailed until his trial on charges of extortion and making threats. U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber ruled Monday that Andrew Gladney poses a danger to the community. The Internet entrepreneur is accused of trying to extort $100,000 from a brother-in-law in Virginia...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Kansas City man is sentenced to life in prison for beating his mother to death with a hammer. After pleading guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action Monday, Ward McDonald received the sentence for the Oct. 21, 2006, killing of his mother, Gwendolyn Fuller. McDonald told the judge that he was high on PCP at the time of the attack and remembers little about it...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- Snow snarled roads in the Springfield area and closed schools after an overnight storm dumped up to 8 inches in parts of southwest Missouri. The Tuesday morning commute was slowed to a crawl in the state's third-largest city...

LA PLATA, Mo. (AP) -- Developers are planning a resort in rural northeast Missouri with a railroad theme. Plans call for the Silver Rails Resort to break ground by late summer or early fall and open in 2011 at La Plata, a small community near Kirksville, not far from the Iowa border...

Three out of seven businesses sold alcohol to minors during an alcohol compliance check in Jackson last month. According to a news release sent out by the Jackson Police Department, clerks from "Kidd's II, Jackson BP and Rhodes 101" have been cited to municipal court for selling alcohol to an undercover youth...

CRESTWOOD, Mo. (AP) -- A 53-year-old man who tried to stop thieves at a St. Louis County Starbucks is in critical condition after being run over by the getaway car. The victim is hospitalized in critical condition. The incident happened Monday in Crestwood. Police tell STLtoday.com, the Web site for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that a young man and woman walked into Starbucks. The woman bought a drink, then walked outside. The man grabbed the tip jar and ran...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Some city leaders, including the mayor, are suggesting that the city hand over financially troubled Liberty Memorial, the nation's World War I monument, to the federal government. "I would be thrilled to have the federal government take over Liberty Memorial, add it to the national park system," Mayor Mark Funkhouser said...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes files as a candidate for the congressional seat held by four-term Republican Sam Graves. Barnes filed official paperwork Tuesday at the Missouri Secretary of State's Office, nearly 10 months after announcing her candidacy. The Democrat is a St. Joseph native who served two terms as Kansas City's mayor...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Two days after Missourians played outdoors in shorts and flip-flops, much of the state on Tuesday was digging out after yet another winter storm brought up to 8 inches of snow. The latest batch of frigid, slippery weather hit first in southwest Missouri and made its way northeast through the St. Louis area. But just a few counties north of St. Louis, in places like Bowling Green and Hannibal, little or no snow was expected...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A state appeals court on Tuesday again sided with residents near Peculiar in their almost 3-year-old drive to get an Aquila Inc. power plant torn down. The Missouri Court of Appeals for the Western District upheld the decision of a Cass County Circuit Court judge, determining that the Missouri Public Service Commission exceeded its authority when it approved the plant almost a year after it had been built without local approval...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Senators are considering a bill that would let drug convicts get food stamps. The federal government currently bars food stamps from going to drug convicts but allows states to enact laws providing them benefits. The legislation by Democratic Sen. ...

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) -- The mother of a 3-year-old boy who was left alone at the St. Louis Mills shopping mall has been sentenced to five years in prison for unrelated crimes. Authorities found the boy the night of Feb. 9 at the suburban mall. His aunt recognized him from news accounts as Cortez Bass the next day. But his mother, Shameka Taylor, didn't go to a police station to talk to authorities until three days after the boy was found...

HAYTI, Mo. -- What began as an investigation of the stabbing of a 42-year-old Homestown, Mo., woman ended in a case of homicide in which state prosecutor Mike Hazel formerly charged Christopher Smith, 31, of Hayti with one count of murder in the second degree and armed criminal action...

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County Commissioners have set a budget for the courthouse security improvements they hope to implement, should they receive a grant. During Thursday's regular meeting, Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger suggested a total budget of $30,000 for the improvements. If approved, $15,000 would come from a grant through the Circuit Court Budget Committee through the Office of State Court Administrator. The other half would come from other county funds...

At an initial arraignment Monday, Steven R. Julian, a Missouri Department of Corrections officer accused of involuntary manslaughter, waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Julian allegedly shot and killed Zachary C. Snyder, 23, of Dexter, Mo., Feb. 14 at a Themis Street apartment complex while trying to arrest him for a parole violation...

The effort to promote the $25 million parks and storm-water tax initiative is expanding. Starting March 17, a 15-minute video reviewing how the tax will fund projects will begin airing on Charter cable Channel 11. Voters will decide April 8 whether to approve a half-cent retail sales tax. Three-fourths of the tax would expire after 10 years. The one-fourth remainder would be used to pay for operating costs...

Less than two weeks after a traffic stop for speeding led to Scott City police seizing nearly five pounds of marijuana, an illegal U-turn on the town's Main Street resulted in a bust of more than six times that amount. The mother lode came around 2:30 a.m. Monday, when an officer noticed the illegal turn on Main Street and pulled the car over, police chief Don Cobb said...

Jackson residents are being asked to help clean ice storm debris from City Park. "This is simple limb removal," said Shane Anderson, director of Jackson's parks and recreation department. "We plan to move limbs to the side of the road and chip it later. We don't plan on running any type of heavy equipment. All the people running chainsaws are city employees volunteering their time."...

To the editor:Reading the Southeast Missourian this last weekend nearly caused my death. Saturday, David Limbaugh wrote a column faintly sympathetic to Hillary Clinton. The next day, Gene Lyons wrote a column faintly sympathetic to John McCain. I am going to lie down in a dark room with a cool, damp rag on my head until after the election. I just can't stand any more shock...

To the editor:Hark, what is that? What is that sound? Could it be? Yes. Spring peepers. Spring has sprung. Praise the Lord. JOHN F. PRESTON, Patton, Mo.

Missouri, like other states, is having trouble finding teachers in certain subjects. U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings says the shortage could be alleviated by allowing individuals who are trained in their professions but who lack teaching credentials to take over public-school classrooms...

To the editor:Congress has completed its investigation of Roger Clemens and the performance enhancing drug issue. Am I supposed to get a warm, fuzzy feeling and congratulate Congress on its diligence in such an important national issue? I think not...

Hunting trophy?; Paying for memorials; Earlier warning; Offensive comment; Price of gasoline; Thanks for help; County inspectors; Read, then vote; Need dress code; Deer and development; Lunch guidelines

AMHERST, Mass. -- They're not the "Mona Lisa" or "Whistler's Mother," but images such as the Cat in the Hat, the Very Hungry Caterpillar and other icons of illustrated children's books are gaining respect in highbrow art circles. Once seen as fun but forgettable, the genre is now being featured in mainstream museums and dissected in college art courses...

Construction of a multipurpose building at Sprigg and Bertling streets would create no greater traffic problems than would be the case if the Westborough Mall site were chosen, Mayor Howard C. Tooke tells the audience at the First Friday Coffee. With Jewell Crawford hitting a couple of key baskets and the Southeast Missouri State Indians putting down some clutch free throws, the Tribe sank the Rivermen of Missouri-St. Louis 84-72 last night in the first round of the MIAA postseason tournament...

Saturday's church calendar should have read that the Rev. Ron Watts will give the Lenten Message Wednesday at Zion Methodist church in Gordonville. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.

Autism groups plan to recognize lawmakers Local and state autism groups will recognize lawmakers this week. At 9:30 a.m. Thursday, the Statewide Advisory Committee for the Missouri Autism Projects is sponsoring an autism rally in Jefferson City to express appreciation to lawmakers for helping bring more awareness to autism-related issues in Missouri. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state's business community is worried lawmakers' zeal to add new restrictions and penalties for illegal immigrants could spill over to those who hire them. Of particular concern is a federal database that allows employers to check whether a prospective employee is allowed to work in the United States...

Appearances n Radio reporter and Cape Girardeau resident Vince Brown told the city council he looked forward to a long working relationship with city officials. n Cape Girardeau resident Don Howard told the city council he thought the public works department, during and after the ice storm, did a good job plowing streets and picking up limbs. He added that he thought the parks tax initiative was a luxury tax...

Anti-affirmative action measure draws protest ST. LOUIS -- Opponents of a proposal banning most affirmative action programs in Missouri are trying to discourage people from signing an initiative petition to get it on the 2008 ballot. The Missouri Civil Rights Initiative is collecting signatures to get a measure on the ballot that would "ban state and local government affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment in public contracting, employment or education based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin." Those opposed to the measure have organized in a group called Working to Empower Community Action Now, or We Can. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri government is among the nation's highest-performing states, according to a national report card released Monday by the Pew Center on the States. Missouri was one of five states that finished with a B-plus. It was the highest score among the state's eight neighbors and was behind only three states that earned A-minuses...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- A messy state budget picture and constant fighting at the state Capitol have earned Illinois poor marks for governmental management and performance from a public interest watchdog group. The Washington, D.C.-based Pew Center on the States put Illinois near the bottom of its rankings in the report released Monday covering how well the 50 states manage their money, people, information and infrastructure...

Pleaded guilty Age: 50 Address: Scott City, Mo. Charges: unlawful possession of firearms Summary: On Sept. 28, 2006, a report of a domestic dispute sent officers from Scott City to Fowler's residence, where witnesses informed them of a dispute over Fowler having two of his father's handguns. Fowler later admitted to having cleaned and loaded both guns. The loaded firearms were seized by police. Fowler's prior felony convictions prohibit him from possessing firearms...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Rising costs and an uncertain regulatory climate have combined to scuttle a proposed coal-fired power plant in rural Missouri. Although Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. of Springfield has received state approval to build a 780-megawatt coal-fired plant, the co-op's 12-member board voted Friday to delay the project indefinitely, board member Don McQuitty said...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Abortion opponents have revised a ballot proposal placing new requirements on doctors and nurses, prompting a renewed legal challenge from Planned Parenthood. A lawsuit Monday by a Planned Parenthood supporter contends the ballot summary prepared by the secretary of state understates the measure's "far-reaching legal changes" and "thus is likely to deceive and mislead voters."...

WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton reached for the finish line of contentious Ohio and Texas primary campaigns Monday as senior Democrats expressed concern the party could suffer this fall if their struggle goes much longer. "I'm just getting warmed up," said Clinton, looking beyond this week's contests and shrugging off 11 straight primary and caucus defeats as well as a three-digit deficit in delegates...

WASHINGTON -- The price of oil gushed to a record high Monday, spreading to factories, groceries, gas stations and every citizen's pocketbook. Builders are building less, the government reported. Manufacturers are cutting back, another report said. General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. said they would cut second-quarter production...

NEW YORK -- You know that Sharper Image gift card you got for Christmas? Right now, it's worthless. And other gift cards in your wallet could lose their value, too. As more retailers file for bankruptcy or go out of business, more than $75 million in gift cards are at risk of becoming worthless pieces of plastic this year...

WASHINGTON -- Construction spending took its biggest nosedive in 14 years and manufacturing activity decreased, fresh trouble signs for a struggling economy. The Commerce Department reported Monday that construction spending plunged by 1.7 percent in January. Builders slashed spending on residential projects, but the weakness spread beyond that ailing sector. There were cutbacks in spending on, among other things, hotels and motels, highways and various projects by state and local governments...

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- A woman accused of using a missing person's identity to get into an Ivy League school made her first court appearance Monday, and the victim's relatives said they just want the theft suspect punished. When Esther Elizabeth Reed was indicted last year, Brooke Henson's relatives said they hoped Reed could tell authorities where to find her...

DWI

n At 9:05 p.m., emergency medical service in the 1000 block of South Ellis Street. n At 6:18 a.m., emergency medical service in the 1700 block of Cape Meadows Drive. n At 7:57 a.m., emergency medical service in the 3100 block of Independence Street...

Naeter; Simmons; Byrd; Crowden; Bomar; Mason; Cox

Edwin Earl Brunke, 86, of Scott City died Monday, March 3, 2008, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 11, 1921, in Arriba, Colo., son of Herman Henry and Maggie McCallum Brunke. On April 4, 1948, in Paragould, Ark., he married Margie Marie Fornkohl. She passed away Jan. 18, 1968. He then married Marilyn Heidbreder July 14, 1979. She died Oct. 27, 1990...

Ronald E. Farrow, 65, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, March 1, 2008, at Landmark Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 12, 1943, in Cape Girardeau, son of Pearl and Mamie Gray Farrow. He and Glenda Wilkinson were married July 2, 1967, in Cape Girardeau...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Dennis R. Ponder, 68, of Sikeston died Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008, in Cape Girardeau. He was born Oct. 21, 1939, in St. Louis. Ponder previously lived in Kansas City, Mo., and Muncie, Kan. He worked 22 years as a credit manager, and 17 years in the cable business. He was a member of Stoney Point Christian Church in Muncie...

Jerry D. Williamson, 64, of Millersville died Monday, March 3, 2008, at his home. He was born July 10, 1943, in Essex, Mo., son of Jacob Ledford and Edna Grubbs Williamson Sr. He and Saundra Clark were married Sept. 3, 1966. Williamson was a sheet metal fabricator 17 years. He retired from the former Marquette Cement Co. in January 1999, after more than 20 years of service. He was a member of Jackson Excelsior Lodge No. 441...

ORAN, Mo. -- Thelma Berlene Cook, 83, of Oran died Monday, March 3, 2008, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Oran is in charge of arrangements.

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Virginia McConnell, 77, of Chaffee died Monday, March 3, 2008, at Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee is in charge of arrangements.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Irene B. Wingerter, 77, of Perryville died Monday, March 3, 2008, at Independence Care Center. She was born March 6, 1930, at Longtown, Mo., daughter of Leo J. and Adella Hennemann Buchheit. She and Elmer H. Wingerter were married May 20, 1950. He died Nov. 8, 1995...

Betty "Virginia" Woell, 99, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, March 3, 2008, at Chateau Girardeau. She was born Aug. 27, 1908, in Chicago, daughter of Marshall E. and Charlotte H. Horlock Hill. She and James L. Woell were married Nov. 23, 1929. He died Oct. 7, 1990...

WOODINVILLE, Wash. -- Three seven-figure dream homes went up in flames early Monday in a Seattle suburb, apparently set by eco-terrorists who left a sign mocking the builders' claims that the 4,000-plus-square-foot houses were environmentally friendly...

ATHENS, Greece -- NATO's chief voiced hope Monday that neighbors Greece and Macedonia can resolve a long-running dispute over Macedonia's name that is threatening to stall alliance plans to expand in the Balkans. NATO member Greece claims the name for one of its provinces and has vowed to block the Balkan nation's bid to join the alliance unless the country alters its name...

EMORY, Texas -- A high school couple forced to break up spent a month plotting to kill the girl's parents before her mother and two younger brothers were fatally shot and stabbed in a weekend ambush, according to records released Monday. Charlie James Wilkinson, who had been dating Penny and Terry Caffey's 16-year-old daughter, told police his girlfriend wanted her parents dead because they forbade their relationship, according to Rains County Sheriff Department investigators...

MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin fast-tracked the transfer of power to his newly elected protege Monday and signaled the Kremlin won't back down from its pull-no-punches anti-U.S. foreign policy or ease up on its critics at home. President-elect Dmitry Medvedev credited his overwhelming election victory Sunday to Putin's policies that have "so effectively been pursued in recent years."'...

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Venezuela and Ecuador sought Monday to make Colombia pay a high diplomatic and economic price for killing a leftist rebel leader in the Ecuadorean jungle -- expelling its diplomats, ordering troops to the border and largely halting trade at key points along the frontier...

You're overweight. They're words that some doctors have a hard time saying to their pregnant patients -- the ones, in fact, who need to hear it most. Women already overweight tend to gain too many pounds during pregnancy, increasing their risk of complications. But data from 2000 to 2006 in Utah shows that overweight and obese women were significantly less likely than normal-weight women to be counseled by their physician about weight gain during pregnancy...

We all know by now that exercise is good. But I have noticed that those who act on this fact fall into one of two camps: Those who love to exercise and those who drag their tired old butts to the gym just because they know they are supposed to. I fall squarely into the second camp...

Today Preparation for Childbirth Class: 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Saint Francis Medical Center. Comprehensive guide to expected bodily changes, labor signs and stages, pain control techniques and basic infant care. Tips on relaxing, positioning and breathing will also be discussed. Refreshments will be provided. Bring the "Pregnancy, Childbirth and Parenting Kit" provided by your physician's office. Free. Call 877-231-BABY to register...

JERUSALEM -- Israeli troops withdrew from northern Gaza on Monday, but Israel's leaders warned that a broad offensive against Islamic militants would continue as Israeli airstrikes and Palestinian rocket attacks persisted into the night. Hamas proclaimed the Israeli pullback a victory for its fighters. Yet, while defiant in public, the movement's leaders signaled they were trying to work out a truce after nearly a week of escalating combat...

CHICAGO -- Drew Barrymore said Monday she is donating $1 million to help fight hunger. She made the announcement on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," saying she would give the money to the World Food Program, a U.N. body that delivers millions of tons of food aid to more than 70 million people in about 80 countries...

Rivals Bell City and Scott County Central will meet today in a Class 1 sectional contest for the fifth straight year. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. at Poplar Bluff High School. The Cubs (25-3) have won all four previous sectional meetings against the Braves (23-2), and then have gone on to appear in the state final four each time...

Don't worry say members of the Southeast Missouri State women's basketball team. The Redhawks will have no problem taking Jacksonville State seriously, not even after beating the Gamecocks by 43 points at home three days ago. Not with so much at stake...

It hasn't taken Justin Wheeler and Tyrell Cummings long to make their mark with the Southeast Missouri State baseball team. The junior college transfers have been the Redhawks' top all-around hitters during the early part of the season, while also providing stellar defense at several positions...

BOSTON -- Randy Moss is staying with the New England Patriots. The defending AFC champions re-signed the All-Pro receiver to a three-year deal that's reportedly worth $27 million. The deal was confirmed by the team Monday shortly after Moss posted a message to fans on his Web site...

ST. LOUIS -- After 122 years in St. Louis, Sporting News magazine is heading south. The publication once known as the "Bible of Baseball" for its devotion to box scores and statistics is moving to Charlotte, N.C., home to its parent company, American City Business Journals. Last summer, online operations for SportingNews.com, previously housed in both New York and St. Louis, were consolidated in Charlotte...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams filled a pressing offseason need Monday night, signing free agent guard Jacob Bell to a six-year contract. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound Bell played for the Titans the last four seasons after being a fourth-round draft pick of the Titans in 2004. He has started 31 games the last two seasons, settling in at left guard last season, and has made 46 career starts and played in 55 games in four seasons...

VIERA, Fla. -- Tim Redding doesn't feel old at all. "I turned 30 three weeks ago -- maybe 30 is the new 20," Redding said Monday after pitching three scoreless innings in the Washington Nationals' 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. "I feel really good. My arm feels good; there are no aches, no pains."...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Big 12 has an RPI rating that's second in the country, nine teams already boasting at least 16 wins, and the nation's best winning percentage against ranked outsiders. So what would be a realistic number of NCAA bids for the Big 12?...

The winter storm that continues to dump ice on the Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois region this morning has caused some power outages for AmerenUE customers, but so far the utility's outages aren't as widespread as those associated with the early February storm...

ROBERTSVILLE, Mo. (AP) -- Experts believe a black bear may be responsible for a series of attacks on dogs in eastern Missouri. Three dogs have been apparently attacked recently in Franklin County. One dog's injuries were so bad it had to be euthanized...

Nearly all Southeast Missouri schools were closed today for inclement weather, but so far roads are mostly just wet. As of 8:45 a.m., all Jackson public utility customers had power, city administrator Jim Roach said. Jackson police reported no car wrecks...

As new houses or subdivisions pop up around Cape Girardeau County, schools are feeling the benefit: Generally, tax revenue is increasing but enrollment is not. The assessed value of property in the Jackson School District, for example, increased 38.2 percent over the last five years. New construction accounted for 43 percent of the increase...

School closings Delta R5 schools are closed Perry County schools are closed