Stories from Wednesday, May 7, 2008

ST. LOUIS -- Monsanto Co. is on track to double its gross profit by 2012, the agribusiness' chief financial officer said Tuesday. Terry Crews will speak to investors today as part of a presentation at a conference in New York. The St. Louis-based maker of Roundup herbicides and biotech products said Crews will discuss Monsanto's strong operating cash position...

NEW YORK -- Wall Street reversed early losses to close higher Tuesday, as investors monitored the movements of record high oil prices but still laid bets that the economy and companies are in recovery mode. Crude oil climbed to a record near $123 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as traders, who have nearly doubled the price of oil over the past year, reacted to the weakening U.S. ...

April showers have brought May flowers to my neck of the woods. And what do May flowers bring? The need for lovely planters that will do them justice. It's a dilemma I face every year. Clay pots and urns from the big-box store simply won't do. We need something more punchy, something more individual. Something less expensive...

Through 13 holes Tuesday in the SEMO Conference golf tournament at Dalhousie Golf Club, Notre Dame senior John Oliver was having the round of his life. "I had the best mental focus I've had," Oliver said. "I hit everything within 10 feet, I hit 11 greens in regulation, and everything was going for me those first 13 holes. Nothing went wrong at all; everything I did was perfect."...

Jayden Pobst pitched a one-hitter and Caleb Seyer had a triumphant return from an injury as the Oran baseball team snapped a two-game losing streak Tuesday with a 13-1 five-inning home romp over Bell City. Pobst struck out 13 and walked two. The only run he allowed was unearned...

Notre Dame golf coach Jerry Grim said senior Emily Matthews has taken a fair share of good-natured ribbing as the lone girl on the boys team. But Matthews played a big role in Notre Dame's team finish at the SEMO Conference tournament on Tuesday, one day after she selected Missouri State for her college choice...

The way Jayson Santos sees things, there was good news and bad news regarding Southeast Missouri State's Academic Progress Report, released by the NCAA on Tuesday. Santos, Southeast's assistant athletic director for compliance, believes the good far outweigh the bad...

Shawn Kinder, who recently resigned as Delta boys basektball coach, has accepted the Leopold boys basketball coaching position. "It was just a career move from my standpoint," Kinder said. "I felt like for my coaching career it was the best move for me."...

INDIANAPOLIS -- NCAA president Myles Brand wants college teams concerned as much about academic scores as final scores. If they aren't, they might be barred from NCAA tournaments. Brand warned the underachievers Tuesday they could get hit with the NCAA's harshest sanctions -- fewer scholarships, reductions in practice and even a postseason ban. Nearly 150 teams face potential scholarship losses and another 26 are on the brink of a postseason ban because of poor academics...

Two arrested for allegedly selling drugs to police PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Two people were arrested Monday in Perry County after allegedly selling a quarter-pound of marijuana to undercover operatives, according to a news release from the Perry County Sheriff's Department. ...

Janice Marie Meyer, loving mother of Nick and his wife Pamela Meyer, grams to her grandson Gabriel Meyer, passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends Sunday, May 4, 2008. Ms. Janie, as she was affectionally called by students and parents of her Cape Montessori School, was born March 17, 1946, to Thomas L. and Helen Meyer...

Loris B. Robbins, 80, of Cape Girardeau went to be with Jesus on Tuesday, May 6, 2008, after a battle with Alzheimer's. She was born April 23, 1928, in Flat River, Mo., daughter of Simon Harrison and Ada Alice Huffman Benton. She married Craig Jeffrey Priest. She later married Harlan Hubert Spinks. He preceded her in death Nov. 11, 1969. She then married Basil Harold Robbins, who preceded her in death July 15, 2001...

Ida M. Lindsey, 83, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, May 4, 2008, at Heartland Care and Rehab. She was born July 11, 1924, in Helena, Ark., daughter of Everett and Alma Fitzgerald. She married John Lindsey. Survivors include three sons, Tommy Kimmel of Egypt Mills, Monty Baylor of Jackson and Jimmy Baylor of Cape Girardeau...

PEKIN, Ill. — Alfred E. Graham, 67, of Pekin died Saturday, April 5, 2008, at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Ill. He was born June 21, 1940, in Cape Girardeau, son of William E. and Agnes Stallings Graham. He married Shirley Behr in October 1960 in Cape Girardeau. He later married Frances L. Glasford Nov. 26, 1980, in Manito, Ill...

An NCAA ruling has left the eligibility of Southeast Missouri State men's basketball signee Martino Brock in question. The NCAA on Monday added Nashville Christian Advancement Academy to a list of 51 schools from which it will not recognize diplomas...

JACKSON, Ga. -- A Georgia man who killed his live-in girlfriend was executed Tuesday, the first inmate put to death since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of lethal injections. William Earl Lynd was pronounced dead at 7:51 p.m. EDT, Georgia Department of Corrections spokeswoman Mallie McCord said. It came less than an hour after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected efforts to block it...

TOKYO -- President Hu Jintao, on the first visit to Japan by a Chinese leader in 10 years, called Tuesday for the Asian giants to improve their often strained relations and -- as a show of goodwill -- reportedly offered to lend Tokyo a pair of pandas...

DENVER -- Braden Looper pitched into the ninth inning in the longest outing of his career and went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and the St. Louis Cardinals hung on for a 6-5 win over the slumping Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night. Rick Ankiel hit his sixth homer of the season and Ryan Ludwick finished 4-for-4 with two doubles as the Cardinals won for the eighth time in 10 games...

CHARLESTON, Mo. — Harry Pittman, 86, of Charleston, formerly of Cairo, Ill., died Saturday, May 3, 2008, at his home. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to noon Thursday at Massie Funeral Home in Mounds, Ill. A graveside service will be held at 12:30 p.m. Thursday at Mound City National Cemetery. Larry Barnett will officiate. Military honors will be provided by Pulaski County VFW Post 8891...

The Cape Girardeau School District has settled out of court a case involving a suspended senior fighting to be reinstated. Ryan Driskell, 18, was suspended for the remainder of the school year after police said they found marijuana remnants in his car on Jan. 11. No criminal charges were filed. His mother, Jennifer Eudy, sued the district to get her son back in school, saying proper procedure was not followed during an appeal hearing...

Flooding will cost the Ozark National Scenic Riverways almost $1 million. The park has applied for $944,000 in federal aid to complete flood and storm damage repairs. It is not known when a decision will be made on the request. In a single March day, 11 inches of rain fell over the four counties that encompass the Riverways, according to park personnel, adding to already full waterways. Severe flooding damaged and destroyed campsites, boat ramps and 12 to 15 park buildings...

To the editor: The self-styled commander in chief of Operation Chaos, comedian Rush Limbaugh, has asked dittohead conservative Republicans to sabotage the Democratic primaries in Indiana and North Carolina by voting for Hillary Clinton. Any dittohead obeying his order should know that he is indulging in anti-democratic and immoral behavior. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Sarah Steelman proposed a $171 million tax break Tuesday that she said would affect most Missouri taxpayers. Steelman, the current state treasurer, would cut taxes by increasing the personal and dependent child tax deductions...

Homeless shelter I WISH Cape Girardeau could face reality like Sikeston and construct a homeless shelter. Forced message? IN A story published in the Southeast Missourian, President Bush was said to have been "nostalgic" and "reflective" in a lengthy question-and-answer session in St. ...

The Cape Girardeau School Board will consider approving a salary schedule tonight that would raise the starting annual pay of new teachers by $220. Teachers would see an average increase of about 2 percent, according to information compiled for a board packet. Administrators' salaries would increase "slightly less" than 2 percent...

YANGON, Myanmar -- The cyclone death toll soared above 22,000 Tuesday and more than 41,000 others were missing as foreign countries mobilized to rush in aid after the country's deadliest storm on record, state radio reported. Up to 1 million people may be homeless after Cyclone Nargis hit the Southeast Asian nation, also known as Burma, early Saturday. Some villages have been almost totally eradicated and vast rice-growing areas are wiped out, the World Food Program said...

LOS ANGELES -- Finally, an MVP award for Kobe Bryant. Regarded as the NBA's best player for several years but never its most valuable, Bryant earned the honor Tuesday after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference...

LOS ANGELES -- Britney Spears will have expanded visits with her sons following a child-custody hearing that went off without a hitch Tuesday. The longer visits are "recognition of the progress that has been made, a progress in structure and stability," said Mark Vincent Kaplan, attorney for Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline. ...

INDIANAPOLIS — Barack Obama swept to victory in the North Carolina primary Tuesday night and declared he was closing in on the Democratic presidential nomination. Hillary Rodham Clinton clung to a narrow Indiana lead, struggling to halt her rival's march into history...

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Tiger Woods was waiting on the sixth hole at Southern Hills last year during a practice round at the PGA Championship when he walked over to the side of the tee box and asked a question no one saw coming. "What do you think of Anthony Kim?"...

MANILA, Philippines -- More than 200 million children worldwide under age 5 do not get basic health care, leading to nearly 10 million deaths annually from treatable ailments like diarrhea and pneumonia, a U.S.-based charity said Wednesday. Nearly all of the deaths occur in the developing world, with poor children facing twice the risk of dying compared to richer children, according to Save the Children's global report...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Matt Blunt's administration is forging ahead with a plan to archive state e-mails -- even though lawmakers have not approved the money needed to run it. Blunt tapped into existing state money in January while ordering the installation of a $1.6 million computerized system to permanently retain government e-mails...

CASSVILLE, Mo. -- Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty for two men charged in the rape and murder of a 9-year-old southwest Missouri girl. Barry County prosecutor Johnnie Cox filed notice with the court Monday, saying that he plans to seek the death penalty for Rowan Ford's stepfather, David Spears, and Chris Collings, a friend of Spears...

WASHINGTON -- Further evidence that times are tough: It now costs more than a penny to make a penny. And the cost of a nickel is more than 7 1/2 cents. Surging prices for copper, zinc and nickel have some in Congress trying to bring back the steel-made pennies of World War II, and maybe using steel for nickels, as well...

25 years ago: May 7, 1983 Floodwaters in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois begin receding, leaving behind damage to crops, homes and business, estimated at more than $40 million by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the river crested yesterday at 45.05 feet in Cape Girardeau, slightly under the 1973 record flood crest of 45.5 feet...

This past week marked the best of times and the worst of times on the Missouri political front. OK, so the preceding bit of literary theft has a tad too much hyperbole, so let's just say there was some good news and some bad news -- in my opinion -- for Missourians...

BENTON, Mo. -- Voters in Oran re-elected Mayor Tom Urhahn Tuesday in a special election forced by a tie vote in the regular election April 8. By a vote of 253-220, Urhahn defeated challenger Ron Diebold in a race where nearly one-third more people cast ballots than voted in the April race...

BAGHDAD -- A rocket slammed into Baghdad's city hall and another hit a downtown park Tuesday as civilians fled a Shiite militia stronghold where U.S.-led forces are locked in fierce street battles. The American push in the Sadr City district -- launched after an Iraqi government crackdown on armed Shiite groups began in late March -- is trying to weaken the militia grip in a corner of Baghdad and disrupt rocket and mortar strikes on the U.S.-protected Green Zone...

McLEAN, Va. -- Washington-area sniper John Allen Muhammad is asking prosecutors in a letter to help him end legal appeals of his conviction and death sentence "so that you can murder this innocent black man." In a two-page letter obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Muhammad said he has tried without success to stop his defense attorneys from pursuing the appeals, and that he was counting on the state attorney general to assist him...

WASHINGTON -- Just months ago, ethanol was the Holy Grail to energy independence as a fuel farmers could grow within the U.S. Democrats and Republicans cheered its benefits as Congress directed a fivefold increase in ethanol use as a motor fuel. President Bush called it key to his strategy to cut gasoline use by 20 percent by 2010...

CHICAGO — Gavin Floyd's no-hit bid lasted until the ninth this time. Joe Mauer doubled with one out off Chicago's young right-hander for the Minnesota Twins' only hit and Floyd had to settle for a 7-1 victory Tuesday night as the White Sox ended a six-game losing streak...

I can grill up a burger, hot dog or even a swordfish steak with the best. But truth be told, perfecting the chicken breast -- juicy in the middle, caramelized exterior -- is a nerve-racking experience. But it can be done with a little grill sense. First, forget the image of Tony Soprano standing at the gas grill, lid open, a stogie in one hand and the other constantly poking at the meat with an oversized fork. Other than the cigar, he's breaking all the rules...

SIKESTON, Mo. — Vandalism to Sikeston R-6 school buses over the weekend forced the district to delay and rearrange bus routes Monday morning. Sikeston R-6 Superintendent Steve Borgsmiller said whoever disabled the buses at the school's transportation department at 214 S. ...

Jackson The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Miscellaneous n Property damage was reported in the area of North Union Avenue. n A disturbance was reported in the 100 block of West Adams Street. Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt...

ST. LOUIS -- Wesley Falker was supposed to have gone with his wife to visit a niece's new baby Monday night. Instead, he stayed home to finish mowing the lawn. He almost left his grass clippings in a pile overnight until morning, but, remembering the forecast called for rain, decided to dump them in the yard waste bin in the alley behind his house...

WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. -- In a repair shop packed with Cadillacs -- the classic kind with fins, whitewall tires, curvy chrome bumpers and V-8 engines that get miles per gallon you can count on your fingers -- Elsa Nicodemus showed off a favorite. It's a 1956 Series 62 convertible with an obsessively polished aqua paint job, rocket cones poking out from the front grill and an engine that runs with a hushed chug...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Two people were arrested Monday in Perry County after allegedly selling a quarter-pound of marijuana to undercover operatives, according to a news release from the Perry County Sheriff's Department. Brian K. Mims, 47, of Potosi, Mo., and Miriam K. Mendoza, 31, of St. Louis, were arrested in the sting operation, a cooperative effort between the SEMO Drug Task Force, the sheriff's department and the Perryville Police Department...

Last week I told you about the cookbook I pulled off of my shelf to share recipes with you. As I mentioned, I am continuing this week from the same book, "The Dinner Doctor," by Anne Byrn. There are several books in the doctor series, but this is one of my favorites. The recipes are helpful to me as a busy mom, running here and there, yet still trying to cook and put meals on the table...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday: n At 6:25 p.m., emergency medical service in the 600 block of South West End Boulevard. n At 6:34 p.m., emergency medical service in the 2100 block of William Street. n At 8:30 p.m., a motor vehicle accident at William Street and Saint Francis Drive...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Velma Liszewski, 75, of Albuquerque died Sunday, May 4, 2008, at her home. She was born Feb. 7, 1933, in Enid, Okla., daughter of William Knapp and Cassie Calhoun Knapp. She was a hairdresser and a church volunteer. Survivors include three sons, Roger Petot of Albuquerque, Bob Petot of Ballwin, Mo., Roland Petot of St. ...

Leola Frances Davis, 91, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, May 5, 2008, at Fountainbleau Lodge. She was born April 22, 1917, in Murphysboro, Ill., daughter of George L. and Velma Leola Lingle Miller. She and Dr. Thomas Woodrow Davis were married July 25, 1947, in Jackson, Tenn. He died Feb. 1, 1970...

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- The state that pioneered the quickie divorce is witnessing a potentially ugly breakup that has the governor of Nevada fighting to get back into his own mansion. Republican Gov. Jim Gibbons filed for divorce last week after moving out of the 23-room official residence. With his wife, Dawn, now ensconced in the Governor's Mansion, he has gone to court to have her evicted so that he can move back...

There have been many occasions this year -- too many, some might say -- to check your homeowner's and renter's insurance policy to see what's covered -- and what's not. There was the ice storm, then the flooding and then the earthquake. Over and over, comments have been heard to this effect: "When I called about my coverage, I found I wasn't covered."...

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Republican John McCain criticized Democratic rival Barack Obama for voting against John Roberts as U.S. chief justice, reaching out to the Christian right on one of their chief concerns: the proper role of judges in government...

SAN DIEGO -- Dozens of San Diego State University students were arrested and six fraternities were suspended after a sweeping drug investigation found that some fraternity members openly dealt drugs and one even sent a mass text message advertising cocaine, authorities said Tuesday...

Novak Son to Jason Dwight and Rachael Dawn Novak of Marble Hill, Mo., Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville, Mo., 3:44 a.m. Tuesday, April 8, 2008. Name, Kaleb Anthony. Weight, 7 pounds, 14 ounces. Mrs. Novak is the former Rachael Welker, daughter of John and Vickie Welker of Patton, Mo. Novak is the son of Rick Brummer and Jennie Novak of Fredericktown, Mo. He is employed at Advance Logistics LLC...

PEKIN, Ill. -- Ebony is unimpressed with her lustrous black coat and her statuesque good looks. Her passion is mycology. Ebony is a mold detection dog. For her, each job has special challenges. Some have surprising revelations. The giant schnauzer graduated from Florida Canine Academy, where she learned to hone her natural gifts for olfactory perception. She can detect the presence of mold in parts per trillion and communicate the location of the mother lode...

A reception will be held Friday for three teachers retiring from the Center for Child Studies at Southeast Missouri State University. Debbie Landgraf, Linda Gosche and Kathy Brown will be honored from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday in room 226 of Scully Hall. According to a news release, the three teachers have a combined 84 years of teaching experience together...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A leading House Republican said Tuesday he will try before the legislative session ends next week to reverse a Department of Revenue decision to increase fees charged to access driver's license records. Insurance companies and database operators such as one that maintains online records for used-car histories said the higher fees could force them out of business, drive up car insurance premiums and make it more difficult to administer vehicle recalls in Missouri...

When Shery Varney first saw Contraband, her 6-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse, he was skin and bones, missing chunks of hair and standing knee-deep in feces on hooves that were painfully overgrown. A month later, Contraband looks almost like a different horse...

DEXTER, Mo. — A 47-year-old Licking man faces several charges following a one-vehicle wreck Sunday on U.S. 60, about five miles east of Dexter. Terry D. Longrie was driving a 2000 Chevrolet van eastbound shortly after 2 p.m. on Sunday when he lost control of the vehicle and overturned, coming to rest in the median. He had been traveling at a high rate of speed, the patrol report states, before skidding off the left side of the highway...

Mittens is a one-year-old spayed female cat. This beautiful girl is looking for a new home. The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri (573)334-5837.

Wayne Maupin is among a half-dozen Jackson residents who asked the city to revisit an ordinance banning parking on East Main Street. "Right now, if you have several guests at your home and you don't have an adequate driveway, you park up on the side street or contact a neighbor and park there. It works out, but it's an inconvenience," he said...

Property tax breaks for senior citizens and better state support for veterans are the themes U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof emphasized Tuesday in a campaign visit to Cape Girardeau. Hulshof, a Republican from Columbia, is seeking the GOP nomination to replace Gov. Matt Blunt, who is not seeking a second term. He faces State Treasurer Sarah Steelman and two other contenders in the Aug. 5 primary...

SIKESTON, Mo. — A Sikeston police officer discovered a house fire while on patrol early this morning, just in time to wake a family of six and get them out of the home safely, according to a news release from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety.Police said Sikeston Police Officer Chris Griggs was on patrol near Hardin Street when he saw a vehicle on fire in a carport, which subsequently ignited the house at 322 Hardin St. ...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The effort to stop methamphetamine is working, but is far from over, Attorney General Michael Mukasey and Drug Czar John Walters said Wednesday during an international conference in St. Louis. Mukasey and Walters were joined at the National Methamphetamine Chemicals Initiative by federal, state and local officials and representatives from Mexico, Canada, Germany, China and India. The location was appropriate: Missouri continues to lead the nation in meth lab seizures...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Lawmakers give final approval to legislation lowering taxes on college savings plans. Investors in the Missouri Higher Education Savings Program already don't pay taxes on earnings. The bill expands the tax exemption to any 529 college savings plan -- including those in other states...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Ward Stare will serve as resident conductor for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and music director of the symphony's youth orchestra. He will join the symphony's conducting staff in September for an initial two-year term in the newly created position of resident conductor...

LEBANON, Mo. (AP) -- A central Missouri farmer has found bones and clothes that police say could be from a 43-year-old woman missing for more than a year. The man was spreading fertilizer Tuesday when he discovered a shoe and human bones. Laclede County Sheriff Richard Wrinkle says he believes the bones are the remains of Tracy Wahwassuck, who went missing April 13, 2007...

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) -- The St. Charles County sheriff's department says it is investigating the death of a person shocked with a stun gun. They say the person was in the custody of the sheriff's department at the time. The department planned a news conference at 2 p.m. Wednesday at its headquarters in O'Fallon in eastern Missouri to release additional details...

PACIFIC, Mo. (AP) --The city of Pacific says it wants to move forward with a voluntary buyout program for residents with flood-prone property along the Meramec River. The city received 117 responses to a survey asking residents if they want to pursue buyouts through a federal program. Only 11 people said they weren't interested...

GERALD, Mo. (AP) -- A pharmacist in the eastern Missouri town of Gerald is arrested on suspicion of manufacturing methamphetamine. Gerald Police Chief Ryan McCrary did not release the pharmacist's name, saying he would be charged in a few days. The pharmacist was arrested Monday in the Franklin County community 70 miles southwest of St. Louis. Gerald Discount Pharmacy says it remains open and is filling prescriptions...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri lawmakers give final approval to $240 million of incentives for a Canadian airplane maker to open an assembly plant in Kansas City. The enticements for Bombardier Aerospace cleared the House on Wednesday with little opposition. They passed the Senate last week and now need only the signature of Gov. Matt Blunt...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Kansas City School District will remain provisionally accredited but has to make significant improvement to gain full accreditation by 2010, its chief state reviewer said Tuesday. More than 200 administrators, teachers and other educators from across Missouri inspected every school and most classrooms in the district last week. The state gathered records and reports and interviewed students, teachers, administrators and board members...

A contractor for MoDOT will start shoulder work on Highway 72 starting Friday, weather permitting. Traffic will be reduced to one lane from the Highway 72/Route OO intersection in Madison County to the Highway 72/51 intersection in Bollinger County. Work is expected to continue into August...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke is named to two major Vatican offices. Burke was appointed to the posts by Pope Benedict XVI. The Archdiocese of St. Louis confirms that Burke will sit on the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts to interpret laws of the church...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A 14-year-old brings hunting ammunition to his St. Louis public high school, prompting a lockdown at the school. A search Wednesday morning at Beaumont High School did not turn up any weapons, and normal activity resumed at the school. District spokeswoman Deborah Sistrunk says the student was not arrested, but will be sent to an alternative school...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, a trained church lawyer who's worked in Rome, has been named by Pope Benedict XVI to two groups that advise the Vatican. The Archdiocese of St. Louis on Wednesday confirmed that Burke was appointed this week to the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and the Congregation for the Clergy...

This 30-minute short film by soon-to-be Southeast graduate can be viewed at 8 p.m., Thursday, May 8. ...

The Wachowski brothers have tumbled into a matrix of their own with "Speed Racer," one which has rendered them completely out of touch with the outside world. In adapting the 1960s Japanese anime television series, writer-directors Larry and Andy Wachowski have created a noisy, overlong, mind-numbing extravaganza that seems tailor-made for nobody but themselves and their twisted sensibilities...

NEOSHO, Mo. (AP) -- A bullet was found in a skull that was among the skeletal remains found in Newton County and the cause of death has been ruled a homicide. Sheriff Ken Copeland said in a statement Wednesday that the bullet showed up in X-rays taken during an autopsy in Springfield...