Stories from Friday, June 27, 2008

NEW YORK -- A barrage of bad news including yet another record high for oil drove stocks sharply lower Thursday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 360 points to their lowest level in almost two years. The market also worried about fresh signs of trouble in the financial, high-tech and automotive industries. Negative analyst comments sent shares of General Motors Corp. stock to their lowest point in more than three decades...

DALLAS -- American Airlines officials have told employees the carrier expects to cut about 8 percent of management and support jobs at the nation's biggest airline as it copes with record high jet fuel prices. The cuts will apply to "all levels of management" and probably be based on how critical the person's job is, Faye Wright, the managing director of flight services, told employees in an e-mail...

SCHOLARSHIPS n Addie Vaughn and Derek Gaines received the Scott County Women in Agriculture scholarship. Vaughn plans to attend Murray State University in Murray, Ky., and Gaines plans to attend Southeast Missouri State University...

BAD AROLSEN, Germany -- From prison brothels to slave labor camps, 15 scholars concluded a two-week probe Thursday of an untapped repository of millions of Nazi records, and hailed it as a rich vein of raw material that will deepen the study of the Holocaust...

SEOUL, South Korea -- The gray cooling tower stands 60 feet above North Korea's main nuclear reactor complex, the most visible symbol of its atomic weapons program. The communist nation's decision to blow it up today in front of diplomats and TV cameras is another dramatic gesture of its commitment to stop making plutonium for atomic weapons...

The ethanol ruse ETHANOL IS environmentally worse than gasoline. When you buy gasoline, you are not buying volume. You are buying miles traveled. Ethanol is only two-thirds as energy-rich as gasoline, so a gallon of ethanol equals two-thirds a gallon of gasoline. ...

HOUSTON -- Shawn Chacon was put on waivers Thursday by the Houston Astros, a day after he got into a physical altercation with general manager Ed Wade. If another team doesn't claim Chacon by Monday, the Astros say they will release the pitcher and terminate his contract for cause, which would set off a confrontation with the players' association over the nearly $1 million that would remain on Chacon's contract...

For the past year, when Jackson resident Susan Stroder has driven on East Main Street in Jackson to the interchange near mile marker 102 along Interstate 55, she said she has watched "history in the making." Her statement echoes the message Major Jay Knudson gave at a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for construction of La Salle Avenue, which will connect Route W in northern Cape Girardeau to East Main Street in Jackson. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- One year after the state stripped local control from the struggling St. Louis school system, the district's appointed leader said Thursday that it faces "a horrendous financial challenge" for the coming school year. Rick Sullivan, head of a three-person governing board, told state education officials that Missouri's largest public school district faces a $30 million gap between its projected expenditures and its $320 million in projected revenue for the 2008-2009 school year.. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- From a modest start in a living room, the Sikeston Little Theatre has certainly evolved. The group was founded in Earl Jarvis' living room in 1959, according to Sikeston Little Theatre President Mike Marsh. This year will mark the 50th season for the Sikeston Little Theatre...

Doris M. Miller, 86, of Jackson passed away Thursday, June 26, 2008, at Monticello House. She was born Feb. 27, 1922, in Cape Girardeau, to Clyde A. and Agnes Armstrong Trickey. Doris was a 1939 graduate of the former College High School in Cape Girardeau. She earned her teaching certificate at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, and then taught for a year near Gordonville. The family owned and operated Jackson Dressed Meat from 1957 to 1971...

DALLAS -- A Texas man who has spent more than 15 years in prison for kidnapping and robbery is expected to become the latest wrongly convicted person proved innocent by DNA testing, a prosecutor said Thursday. Patrick Waller, 38, was convicted of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery and cocaine possession in connection with a 1992 kidnapping and assault. ...

AUSTIN, Texas -- Ricky Williams needed just 11 yards for the record book when he ran for 60, taking a handoff, bouncing off a defender and bolting to the end zone. For Texas fans, it seems like yesterday that Williams' long run against rival Texas A&M broke the NCAA career record for rushing yards, propelling him to the Heisman Trophy. In reality, it was 10 years ago...

WASHINGTON -- Silent on central questions of gun control for two centuries, the Supreme Court found its voice Thursday in a decision affirming the right to have guns for self-defense in the home and addressing a constitutional riddle almost as old as the republic over what it means to say the people may keep and bear arms...

Shoot sparks from your mouth by biting down on Wint-O-Green LifeSavers. It's another experiment that might get you and your family "Hooked on Science." You need Instructions STEP 1: Go into a dark room and let your eyes adjust to the darkness...

Based on the 1960s television series, "Get Smart" is the big-screen reincarnation of the iconic show. Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is a formerly obese analyst for CONTROL, a spy agency, who has unsuccessfully tried to make the cut as a field agent. ...

Several blocks of downtown Cape Girardeau flooded with up to four feet of water Thursday evening after a lightning strike knocked out power to the pumps needed to keep the city dry. Rising water sent customers of Port Cape Girardeau scrambling to move their cars off Water Street before the vehicles sustained serious damage. Water was several inches deep in parts of the historic restaurant, but the inundation did not deter the on-stage band or close the kitchen...

Cape Girardeau County's first-ever scrap tire collection is being called "a tremendous success" by one county official. It's going to cost the county more than the $6,000 budgeted, but it's not clear by how much. "I don't have a number yet because we still have to calculate the equipment and the manpower costs for Saturday," Robb McClary, assistant to the county commissioners, said Thursday. ...

The financial squeeze at the end of the month is familiar to many people. For some, scraping up enough money to purchase groceries after all the other expenses have been met is a real hardship. For years, the Salvation Army in Cape Girardeau has made sure people who must choose between food and other expenses on a limited income have a place to eat a hot meal. For many of the participants, the "Meals With Friends" on the last five nights of each month are also a time for socialization...

The Men's Club of Maple United Methodist Church will hold a pancake supper from 4 to 7 p.m. today at the church fellowship hall, 2441 Jean Ann Drive. Proceeds will go to the church building fund.

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Mike Leggett, 51, of Chaffee died Thursday, June 26, 2008, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Home in Chaffee.

NEW YORK -- With a bruised forehead, Stephen Colbert has found a new cause celebre: fighting the glamorization of "face violence." As he did after breaking his wrist last year, Colbert has transformed a real-life injury into a mock crusade. Colbert was injured Saturday, and while he's been cagey about the cause, he's made no attempt to hide the scarring between his eyebrows this week on "The Colbert Report."...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Katelyn Mae Childers, 27 days, of Chaffee died Wednesday, June 25, 2008, at her home. She was born May 29, 2008, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Rickey M. and Rebekah Jo Basham Childers II. Survivors include her parents of Chaffee; a brother, Zachary Childers of Chaffee; maternal grandparents, Steve and Deborah Basham of Marble Hill, Mo.; paternal grandparents, Rickey and Laura Childers Sr. ...

U.S. Sen. Kit Bond announced $1.6 million in federal funding Thursday for three projects in Cape Girardeau. The announcements were included in news releases claiming credit for $14.5 million for Missouri projects. From $6 million Bond secured for Southeast Missouri transportation projects, $1.3 million will go for upgrades and expansion of Route AB in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties. ...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Steve Allen Simelton, 47, of Cairo died Saturday, June 21, 2008, from injuries sustained in an automobile-pedestrian accident in New Madrid County, Mo. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to service time Saturday at Christ Temple Church of God in Christ in Cairo...

GRAND BLANC, Mich. -- Rocco Mediate was told a story about how a father and his 3-year-old daughter were riveted to the U.S. Open, walking from "Dora the Explorer" to watch the 72nd hole when Tiger Woods made a putt to force a playoff. "I think that's so cool," Mediate said...

Of all the people who influenced my career in newspapering, Linn Brown had the biggest effect. Linn was brilliant, a stickler for journalistic excellence and one of the quirkiest editors I've ever known. Linn Brown hired me -- and fired me -- the same day, yet we were good friends more than 40 years, even during those long stretches when we lived so far apart we didn't get to share one of his gourmet meals...

Strong Midwestern downpours may force residents to wait even longer to return to homes they evacuated because of fears of flooding, emergency management officials said Thursday. Parts of northeast Missouri and west-central Illinois got as much as an inch of rainfall overnight Wednesday after powerful downpours the night before. Weather systems rolling across Iowa were expected to produce more rain Thursday and today, the National Weather Service said...

BELL CITY, Mo. -- Carman "Ray" Jackman, 79, of Bell City died Thursday, June 26, 2008, at Clearview Nursing Center in Sikeston, Mo. He was born April 5, 1929, in Cape Girardeau, son of Otis and Lillian Warren Jackman. He and Betty Ann Congleton were married June 29, 1955, in Hernando, Miss. She died Nov. 25, 1999...

ST. LOUIS -- Anheuser-Busch Cos. rejected an unsolicited $46 billion purchase offer from InBev Thursday, just hours after the Belgian brewer appeared to set the stage for a hostile takeover bid. Anheuser-Busch chief executive August Busch IV sent a letter to InBev chief executive Carlos Brito saying the offer greatly undervalued the largest U.S. brewer, calling the $65-a-share price "financially inadequate" and not in the best interests of its shareholders...

To the editor: Special thanks to Missouri's senior U.S. senator, Kit Bond, for making a stop in Cape Girardeau on June 23. Bond spoke about viable solutions to solve the energy crisis. The senator is advocating a comprehensive energy package to include further investing in alternative forms of energy while opening up domestic locations for oil exploration...

NEW YORK — Umpire Brian Runge was suspended for one game Thursday for bumping into New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel before ejecting him earlier in the week. Manuel and center fielder Carlos Beltran also were fined by Major League Baseball for arguing with Runge in the fourth inning of the Mets' game against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday...

To the editor: Seldom do I ever agree with David Limbaugh's column. However, the one on Barack Obama was right on the money. Just exactly why is the news media so enamored of him? During the campaign for the Democratic nomination, he got full and favorable coverage, while Hillary Clinton got very little. ...

GRAND BLANC, Mich. -- Corey Pavin, Bo Van Pelt and Dudley Hart shared the opening-round lead at the Buick Open, shooting 8-under 64s on Thursday at Warwick Hills. They were a shot ahead of Briny Baird and Daniel Chopra. Woody Austin was in a group at 66. Bubba Watson was in a pack another stroke back with Charles Warren, whose had six straight birdies to tie the longest birdie-eagle streak this year on the PGA Tour...

DETROIT -- Albert Pujols' triumphant return was spoiled by a rookie. Clete Thomas drew a bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning to give the Detroit Tigers a 3-2 win Thursday over St. Louis, ruining Pujols' return from injury for the Cardinals. St. Louis reliever Mike Parisi (0-4) gave up a leadoff single to Curtis Granderson and intentionally walked Carlos Guillen and Miguel Cabrera before Thomas drew his second run-scoring walk of the day...

DEXTER, Mo. -- A 150-year-old red oak came down with a crash Wednesday morning in Dexter's West City Park, the Daily Statesman reported. Although the tree appeared healthy, it was decided to cut it down for safety reasons. "The tree has begun to lean toward the playground equipment at the park, which of course presents a dangerous situation and so we elected to go ahead and take it out," Dexter City Park director Lawson Metcalf said. ...

Friday n New movies "Son of Rambow" Rated PG-13, running time 1 hour 36 mins @ Cape West 14 Cine "Wall-E" Rated G, running time 1 hour 37 mins @ Town Plaza Cinema "Wanted" Rated R, running time 1 hour 50 mins @ Town Plaza Cinema...

TAMPA, Fla. -- Steven Stamkos welcomes the expectations that come with being the first pick in the NHL draft. The speedy 18-year-old forward knows comparisons to others selected first overall, including Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and Patrick Kane, are inevitable. At the same time, he and the Lightning are confident he'll be able to handle the scrutiny...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Adam B. Grimes, 39, and Christopher L. Hitch, 43, both of 215 Mason St., were arrested on suspicion of having a disorderly house...

NEOSHO, Mo. -- A Missouri hatchery is donating 10,000 rainbow trout to help replace fish lost from Iowa hatcheries hit by flooding. Neosho National Fish Hatchery manager David Hendrix said Wednesday that each fish will be up to 4 inches long and about 4 months old. The donated trout constitute the Neosho hatchery's surplus of that size rainbow trout for this year...

Water covered but did not close Highway 177 at the northern city limits to Cape Girardeau Thursday, the first of a possibly increasing number of problems the Mississippi River could create as it rises toward its highest crest of the year. The prediction for a crest of 43 feet on Wednesday remained unchanged even as additional rains fell in Iowa and northern Missouri. If the predicted crest is reached, it would be the highest river level since 2002...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: n At 6 p.m., emergency medical service in the 900 block of North Sprigg Street. n At 7:10 p.m., emergency medical service at Cape Rock Park. n At 7:39 p.m., emergency medical service in the 300 block of North Sprigg Street...

NEW YORK -- Derrick Rose is going home, and a record crowd of freshmen are following him to the NBA. The Chicago Bulls selected Rose, who grew up on the city's South Side, with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Thursday night, choosing the Memphis guard over Kansas State forward Michael Beasley...

Sievers Son to Dustin Lynn and Melinda Sue Sievers of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:46 p.m. Monday, June 2, 2008. Name, Seth Michael. Weight, 8 pounds, 15 ounces. Second child, first son. Mrs. Sievers is the former Melinda Sorbello, daughter of Vicki and Rodger Amelunke of Jackson. She is a patient sitter at Saint Francis Medical Center. Sievers is the son of Randy and Vickie Sievers of Jackson. He is employed by Greenfield Turf Farms...

DETROIT -- Gary Sheffield's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth gave the Detroit Tigers an 8-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night in a game that included a nearly 2 1/2-hour rain delay. Sheffield, who came off the disabled list Tuesday, and Carlos Guillen each had four hits for Detroit...

25 years ago: June 27, 1983 The Cape Girardeau County Court agrees to swap a 3.7-acre section of land at the county park with a Drury corporation in return for a similarly-sized adjacent piece of land and some landscaping work. Selection of a site for the proposed Cape Girardeau multipurpose building won't be made until after the General Assembly makes a decision on state bond issue funding for the project in an October special session, says Mayor Howard C. ...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The former president of Three Rivers Community College, Dr. John Cooper, was widely regarded as being conservative with the day-to-day operations of the college, but critics viewed that type of leadership from him as a contradiction...

WIMBLEDON, England -- Former champion Maria Sharapova and two-time runner-up Andy Roddick were upset in the second round in a day of big surprises at Wimbledon on Thursday. Sharapova was ousted by a 154th-ranked Russian, marking her earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament since her first full season on tour in 2003...

Josephine Mary Bax, 91, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, June 25, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born March 17, 1917, in Leopold, Mo., daughter of Jacob J. and Lucy M. Vandeven Elfrink. She and Edmund F. Bax were married July 30, 1940. He died June 9, 2002...

LOS ANGELES -- The Phoenix lander's first taste test of soil near Mars' north pole reveals a briny environment similar to what can be found in yards on Earth, scientists said Thursday. The finding raises hope the Martian arctic plains could have conditions favorable for primitive life. Phoenix landed a month ago to study the habitability of Mars' northern latitudes...

EDINA, Minn. -- The gallery around the ninth green at Interlachen grew quickly late Thursday afternoon as the fans anticipated the arrival of Annika Sorenstam in her final U.S. Women's Open. They arrived in time to see Pat Hurst cap off quite a turnaround...

Rebecca Cox School: Delta High School Hometown: Delta, Mo. Parents: George and Mary Nelle Cox Post-graduation plans: Attend University of Missouri-Columbia, major in physical therapy. Activities while in high school: Basketball, band, color guard, FFA, FTA, FCCLA, Science Club...

For many people, canoeing in the summer means a gentle float trip down a lazy Ozark river or an afternoon on a small lake with a fishing pole in hand. But for three women with Southeast Missouri roots, this summer's canoe trip will be different. For up to 100 hours beginning July 15, two sisters from Chaffee and another woman from Cape Girardeau plan to race from Kansas City, Mo. to St. Charles, Mo., in the Missouri River 340...

A botched roof job on Jackson High School's new Event Center has pushed the project back months and left the school district and contractor arguing over who will pay the half-million dollars to replace it. Penzel Construction, the general contractor, blames heavy and persistent rains throughout the winter and spring for causing an acoustical roof panel to deteriorate. The school district maintains the workers should have better protected the roof...

The teen responsible for the June 17 accident at Wib's Drive-In has come forward and admitted to the crash that caused considerable damage to the Jackson restaurant. He approached Judy and A.D. Hoffman, owners of the restaurant, with his parents Saturday, Judy Hoffman said...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Archbishop Raymond Burke, whose nearly five years at the helm of the St. Louis archdiocese has divided worshippers here, is leaving St. Louis for a high Vatican post. Burke, a church law expert, was named Friday to head the Vatican's supreme court. He is viewed as one of the most conservative bishops in the U.S...

WINFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- A corner of an earthen levee broke Friday, releasing Mississippi River waters that officials predicted will "ultimately inundate" part of a Lincoln County town. The National Weather Service said in a flash flood warning issued shortly before 6 a.m. CDT that it didn't know how fast the water was moving...

The Stoddard County Commissioners met Monday morning with the architect who is designing the new county building that will soon be constructed on the courthouse square in Bloomfield. Dale A. Rogers, President of Robert Stearnes and Associates, visited with the Commissioners and showed plans for what is expected to be a rather large new facility...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The state Supreme Court has set a July 30 execution date for a man convicted of killing people to hide his northern Missouri methamphetamine operation. Forty-eight-year-old John Middleton was convicted of killing Randy Hamilton and Stacey Hodge in 1995 in rural Mercer County. Middleton was also given the death penalty for the 1995 killing of Iowa resident Alfred Pinegar...

Nordenia will pay off its bond a year early, which will have an effect on Nell Holcomb School District. With the end of a tax increment financing program this year, the taxes must go directly to the school district's coffers; state law dictates how that money must be used...

WINFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- The levee at Winfield was lost Friday, but emergency workers still hoped to save about 100 homes in harm's way. The dawn breach at the Pin Oak levee at a spot just south of Winfield slowly began to flood about 3,000 acres. Army Corps of Engineers dam safety chief Travis Tutka said muskrat holes caused the breach...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A judge considers a legal challenge to a proposed ballot measure affecting Missouri's casino industry. The casino-backed initiative would repeal Missouri's $500 gamblers' loss limit, cap the number of casinos in the state and raise their taxes slightly...

"Hancock" demonstrates why Will Smith gets paid the big bucks. The guy has owned Fourth of July weekends with huge debuts for some passable but not-so-great movies ("Independence Day," "Men in Black II"), and he'll likely do it again with this foul-mouthed-misanthrope-as-superhero flick...

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Authorities say the father of a 2-year-old boy found dead in Columbia is arrested on a parole violation as the investigation into the child's death continues. Columbia police said federal marshals arrested 25-year-old Horace C. Johnson on Thursday night in East St. Louis, Ill. He remains in the St. Clair County jail in Cahokia without bond...

ARBYRD, Mo. -- It's that time of year again! The City of Arbyrd is gearing up for its Annual Watermelon Festival. Friday, July 11, 2008, has been selected as the day for this year's watermelon festival. Although the city is fumbling a bit with its line-up of entertainment this year, it has decided, the show will go on...

Penzel Construction says its construction work at Jackson High School and that of a subcontractor, Drury Construction, exceeded specifications while installing a roof deck on the district's new Events Center. The weather-damaged roof deck is being removed and replaced at a cost of about half a million dollars. Exposure to moisture during construction caused structural problems. But who is to blame and who should have to pay to replace the decking is still being debated...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Gov. Matt Blunt signs a $22.4 billion operating budget for Missouri. The new state budget is to take effect Tuesday. It includes spending increases for public schools, college scholarships and medical providers who treat low-income patients...

NEW YORK (AP) — Anheuser-Busch Cos. on Friday detailed its plan to make the company more valuable than the $65 per share offer it rejected from InBev, and gave 2008 and 2009 profit guidance above analyst expectations. In a conference call with investors, Anheuser-Busch executives reiterated that InBev’s proposal, which it rejected on Thursday, undervalued the St. Louis, Mo.-based company and its future growth prospects...