Stories from Tuesday, July 29, 2008

MEXICO CITY -- The head of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo SAB, which is half-owned by Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., said the company has been talking with InBev SA about its contractual rights regarding the Belgian brewer's buyout of Anheuser-Busch. Carlos Fernandez, chief executive of the maker of Corona and Negra Modelo, said Modelo has rights to be able to choose whether it enters a partnership with InBev, since it will become Anheuser-Busch's new owner...

NEWPORT, N.H. — When "spastic ball" starts, it's better to duck first and ask questions later. This is Old School P.E., a two-hour exercise program strictly for adults, built around grown-up versions of gym class staples. Participants say getting in shape is a bonus to the main attraction — a Friday night out with friends, away from the children...

Thursday n Understanding Related Dementias: 10 a.m. to noon at the Alzheimer's Association Chapter Southeast Missouri Office at 2411 Abbey Road, Cape Girardeau. Reviews the specifics and characteristics of different types of dementia. Registration is required. Call 800-980-9080...

Emergency personnel responded around 10 a.m. Monday to a report of a vehicle flipped on its side at the intersection of Kingshighway and Broadway, said Cpl. Jason Selzer, spokesman for the Cape Girardeau Police Department. The two female occupants of the Chevrolet Blazer didn't report any serious injuries, but required extrication from the vehicle, Selzer said...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Paul E. Hamilton Sr., 73, of Perryville died Friday, July 25, 2008, in Perryville. He was born June 29, 1935, in Cape Girardeau, son of Roy Wallace and Viola Lenard Hamilton. He and Arlene Smith were married Dec. 3, 1976, in Delhi, Calif...

NEW YORK — Patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease who performed better on a treadmill test had less atrophy in the areas of the brain that control memory, according to a study released Sunday. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed less shrinkage in the hippocampus region of patients' brains in the Alzheimer's patients with higher fitness scores. In Alzheimer's the hippocampus is one of the first parts of the brain to suffer damage...

Garland Dean McKinney, 59, of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, July 28, 2008, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete with Lorberg Memorial Funeral Chapel.

ST. LOUIS -- AmerenUE applied Monday to federal nuclear regulators for a license to build and operate a potential new nuclear power plant in Callaway County. The St. Louis-based utility filed an 8,000-page license application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a reactor adjacent to Ameren's existing nuclear facility, the Callaway Plant, outside of Fulton...

To the editor: At about this time each summer, area gardeners reach a pivotal point in the gardening season. The joy of discovering new buds on zucchini plants and that incredible taste of a tomato picked fresh off the vine is quickly being replaced by the challenge of finding someone who can use the produce that is ripening almost more rapidly than it can be picked. ...

MEQUON, Wis. -- Steven Jackson missed his fourth day of St. Louis Rams training camp Monday. The holdout running back is keeping in touch, though. Coach Scott Linehan hasn't spoken with Jackson since Wednesday, when he was informed there would be an empty seat on the team charter flight north. Instead, he's been text messaging with a player apparently eager for updates while making a stand for a new contract...

MARIPOSA, Calif. (AP) — Little relief from hot weather is expected this week as crews fight to contain a wildfire near Yosemite National Park that has destroyed 12 homes and forced the evacuation of about 200 others. The blaze has charred more than 26,000 acres — over 40 square miles — since Friday as wooded slopes ignited. Besides homes, the fire has engulfed 27 other buildings...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The University of Florida can raise a glass to another national title — best party school in the country. The Gators, known for wild celebrations following national championships in football and basketball, wrested the party title away from West Virginia University and beat out the University of Mississippi and Penn State University, in the Princeton Review survey of 120,000 students released Monday...

The Cape Girardeau County Commission unanimously agreed to provide Sunshine Law handbooks to each of the county's advisory board members and department heads. At least 90 people serve in volunteer capacities on county boards, according to commission assistant Donna Oldham...

Reports for other candidates will be available later today. The fundraising leaders in Cape Girardeau County's two most closely contested primary races sustained their advantage during the first three weeks of July, new reports filed Monday revealed...

MOJAVE, Calif. -- The space tourism race marked a milestone Monday as British mogul Sir Richard Branson and American aerospace designer Burt Rutan waved to a crowd from inside the cabin of an exotic jet that will carry a passenger spaceship to launch altitude...

ATLANTA — St. Louis manager Tony La Russa took no great pleasure in watching his team chase Atlanta Braves rookie Charlie Morton in the fourth inning. "They had to go with an emergency starter, and that gave us an edge," La Russa said. "We got to him early. We have to enjoy the moment."...

The Cape Girardeau School District will dip into its reserves to balance its budget, dropping its fund balance below the amount the Missouri School Boards' Association recommends but higher than the state requires. The board approved a $46.5 million preliminary budget for the 2008 to 2009 school year Monday night...

LOS ANGELES -- Just months before he died, George Carlin was looking into the face of death -- and making it the butt of his jokes. "You know what I've been doing? Going through my address book and crossing out the dead people. It gives you a feeling of power, of superiority, to have outlasted another old friend," Carlin says on what turned out to be his final comedy album. The recording, "It's Bad For Ya," comes out today on Eardrum Records...

Paul E. Seckel, 76, of Scott City died Friday, July 25, 2008, at the home of his daughter in Scott City. He was born April 21, 1932, in St. Louis, son of William C. and Anna Marie Voss-Klostermeyer Seckel Sr. He and Carla Jean Gaines were married July 25, 1970, in Cuba, Mo. She died Aug. 31, 2006...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A House committee will spend the summer studying some of Missouri's thorniest agriculture issues, starting with ethanol. Republican House member Charlie Schlottach said his interim committee wants ideas for keeping the biofuels industry sustainable. The panel is also expected to study regulation of large animal feeding operations...

BAGHDAD -- Four suicide bombers believed to be women struck a Shiite pilgrimage in Baghdad and a Kurdish protest rally in northern Iraq on Monday, killing at least 57 people and wounding nearly 300 in one of this year's deadliest attacks, police said...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An unemployed man accused of opening fire with a shotgun and killing two people at a Unitarian Universalist church apparently targeted the congregation out of hatred for its support of liberal social policies, police said Monday...

MOUNDS, Ill. — Erma Lea Owen, 80, of Mounds died Sunday, July 27, 2008, at Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill. She was born May 20, 1928, in Belknap, Ill., daughter of Oscar and Myrtle Shourd Davault. She married Lozeno Owen, who preceded her in death...

By Rex Murphy Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus. That may turn out to be a problem. Barack Obama was touring the geopolitical capitals of the Middle East and Europe all last week. He traveled less as a mere nominee for the U.S. presidency (even that is not yet officially secured) than as some combination of emperor and rock star...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Attorney General Jay Nixon has filed seven lawsuits targeting what he describes as mortgage fraud. The attorney general's office said Monday that the lawsuits, filed in several different counties, are aimed at individuals and businesses that defrauded consumers through refinancing, advanced fees and foreclosure consulting scams. In some cases, Nixon said, residents lost their homes and ended up in a bigger financial hole...

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- With the Brett Favre standoff still simmering, Aaron Rodgers took his place Monday as the Packers' new starting quarterback. Rodgers is trying to ignore what has become a daily soap opera involving the three-time MVP. Favre is considering filing for reinstatement with the NFL and reporting to camp this week, a move likely intended to pressure Green Bay to grant him his release -- something the Packers refuse to do -- or trade him...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration and federal banking regulators joined with the nation's four largest banks Monday to endorse a new way to pump money into the battered U.S. mortgage market. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson unveiled a set of best practices designed to encourage banks to issue a debt instrument known as a covered bond. ...

The Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to a wreck that occurred over the weekend on Interstate 55 near Jackson, and left two injured. The accident involved a 1996 Ford, driven by Kenneth M. McKinney, 59, of Holly Springs, Miss. The car was traveling northbound on the Interstate when it swerved off the road and struck an embankment about a mile north of Jackson, around 11 a.m. Sunday...

NEW YORK -- If the New York Yankees are going to earn a 14th consecutive playoff berth, they'll have to do it without Jorge Posada. The five-time All-Star catcher will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder, ending his attempt to return to the lineup for New York's postseason push...

To the editor: Thank you so much, Sam Blackwell, for your comments on Rick Procter. You are so right on about him and his quirky personality. I remember him saying to me so many times, "Joice Ann, pay attention!" when I kept interrupting him to "get to the point" in one of his narratives. ...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests n Patrick M. Christian, 22, 1733 Luce St., was arrested on suspicion of domestic assault. n Titus D. Brockman, 19, 3001 Themis St., was arrested on two Cape Girardeau warrants for contempt of court for failure to pay fine and failure to appear for no operator's license...

ST. LOUIS -- The U.S. Commerce Assistant Secretary is in St. Louis to launch a tour of manufacturers that use environmentally sound practices. William Sutton is spotlighting the national effort at Sunnen Products in St. Louis County. The government says sustainable manufacturing seeks to produce goods while reducing the process' effect on the environment...

ST. LOUIS -- Talk radio host Rush Limbaugh has a hankering to become an NFL team owner and said if the St. Louis Rams came up for sale, he might be interested in buying them. The Cape Girardeau native told KMOX radio in St. Louis that NFL ownership is a "billionaire's club." He said he's not part of that club, but is in good financial shape...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Yes, the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a debacle. No point in denying it. But don't be so quick to castigate NASCAR, which was faced with the unenviable task of trying to salvage a race that was destined to look like stalled, rush-hour traffic...

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — An al-Qaida commander who escaped from a U.S. prison in Afghanistan has posted a Web video urging Muslims to kill the Saudi king for leading an interfaith conference. Abu Yahia al-Libi, who escaped from Bagram prison in 2005, said "bringing religions together ... means renouncing Islam."...

Singers and dancers performed in two nights of competition for the Jackson Homecomers talent show Thursday and Friday. Contestants ranged in ages from 6 to 18. Each of the winners was invited to the Mid South Fair in Memphis, Tenn., in late September...

The Cape Girardeau School Board took the following action Monday night: n Approved a resolution for board president Kyle McDonald to sign the old Schultz School property deed on behalf of the district. A closing date on the property is set for Aug. 4. Sale price is $1.7 million, or $1.61 million after agent and closing fees. The property previously housed the Alternative Education Center, which is being moved to available space in the district's administrative offices...

SIKESTON, Mo. — Timothy Eual Heacox Jaynes, 38, of Sikeston died Sunday, July 27, 2008, in the Emergency Room at Missouri Delta Medical Center, following an acute heart attack. He was born April 3, 1970, in Sikeston, son of Eual "Butch" Heacox and Betty Newton Jaynes. He and Christy Brown were married Nov. 24, 1994, in Las Vegas...

Sport: Tennis Favorite part of tennis: Winning. Actually we're not that great, so putting backspin on the ball Least favorite part: Serving. It's hard to get it in and get it accurate and get it fast all at the same time Most embarrassing moment on the court: We just had like 10 of them. I guess losing to my roommate...

MEQUON, Wis. -- St. Louis Rams defensive end Victor Adeyanju might have to get used to playing with a cast again. The third-year player will be sidelined two to four weeks after breaking his right middle finger in practice Sunday. He broke his right forearm during his rookie season in 2006 and returned with the injury protected...

MACAU, China -- Loaded with star power but wary of complacency, the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team arrived in China on Monday with a word of caution from coach Mike Krzyzewski. "We haven't accomplished anything yet," he said. The team is taking its Olympic preparations to this southern Chinese casino enclave. LeBron James joined the squad's first practice in Macau with his right ankle taped. He sat out the Americans' first tuneup Friday against Canada with a sprain...

Route N in Scott County will be reduced to one lane today while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace drainage pipe and perform ditch work. The work will take place at the intersection of Route N and Route NN from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, weather permitting. For more information, call MoDOT at 888-275-6636...

Rick Farmer remembers a time when a steady stream of traffic passed by his auto repair shop at 1601 Independence St. But since the city began a one-year improvement project to widen Independence Street from Pacific Street to Kingshighway, he said he has seen less traffic and about a 50 percent decrease in business...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Standard Democrat photographer Tim Jaynes, 38, died suddenly at his home Sunday. Jaynes, who had been a photographer for the Standard Democrat since 1989, was also an active member with the Sikeston Jaycees. He leaves behind a wife, two young children and many family and friends...

ATLANTA -- Tim Hudson thought the Atlanta Braves' medical staff was joking about ligament damage in his pitching elbow. "I was floored," Hudson said. "I didn't understand." Hudson's injury, the latest in a series of devastating injuries to Atlanta's pitching staff, likely assures the Braves will approach the trade deadline with no more thoughts of contending this season...

The train tracks running from Gordonville to Delta are probably going to be sold as scrap metal, said Danny Davis, who attended a meeting Thursday at Lowes & Drusch law office in Cape Girardeau, where the issue was discussed. Davis is a master mechanic with The St. ...

BEIJING -- Just over a week before the Beijing Olympics, a militant Islamic group's claims of responsibility for bombings in China have fueled unease about security. The government has assured its people and the Olympic community that heavy security will ensure a secure games. But its clampdown has smothered a broad array of groups, many with grievances against the government but without a history of violence...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- About 50 candidates met the Friday deadline to receive full consideration for the position as president of Three Rivers Community College. Next the search committee will begin narrowing down the presidential hopefuls and then turn over the best three or four qualified individuals to the college's board of trustees for final approval in early September...

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister backed away Monday from a target date — announced with great fanfare at a U.S.-hosted Mideast peace conference last November — for reaching a deal with the Palestinians by year's end. Ehud Olmert said the sides will need more time to bridge differences over Jerusalem, long the toughest sticking point in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking...

A year from now, James Wente ("Jim" to his friends and "Mr. Wente" to many hospital associates) will be winding down the special send-off events befitting the retirement of someone who has devoted most of his professional career to the betterment and expansion of one of Cape Girardeau's major institutions, Southeast Missouri Hospital...

WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama plans at least three stops Wednesday while touring rural areas of Missouri. In Springfield, the Illinois senator will hold a town hall meeting at 10 a.m. at Glendale High School. A similar session follows at 3 p.m. at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla...

Luker Son to Michael Lynn and Regan Nicole Luker of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 5:32 a.m. Tuesday, July 22, 2008. Name, Karson Drew. Weight, 6 pounds, 13 ounces. Second son. Mrs. Luker is the former Regan Williams, daughter of Brian and Mae Ann Keene of Advance, Mo., and Michael Williams of Columbia, Mo. She is a senior beauty adviser with Walgreens. Luker is the son of Sandy Luker of Bridgeton, Mo. He is employed at West Park Lanes...

Carter's legacy REGARDING JIMMY Carter: We all grow nostalgic for the old days of the peanut man from Georgia. His response to the energy crisis was to tell Americans to put on a sweater. What an insightful man. He was weak when it came to our defense. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Republican budget leaders asserted Monday that a government-run health care plan backed by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Nixon would prove too costly for the state to afford. Nixon has proposed to reverse the 2005 Medicaid cuts that eliminated health coverage for tens of thousands of low-income Missourians and reduced benefits for numerous others. ...

David Ludwig will return to work next week, according to his attorney. And the woman who worked a few feet from his desk is considering a lawsuit if he does. Deputy auditor Virgie Koeppel said she is weighing her options, which now include litigation...

ST. LOUIS -- The family of a St. Louis firefighter who died while battling a blaze is trying to reopen a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging a company that makes safety gear withheld complaints about the equipment in the case. Firefighter Rob Morrison's family settled its wrongful death suit against Survivair for between $2 million and $5 million in 2006. The deal was reached as the jury was deliberating about whether malfunctions with Survivair gear led to Morrison's death...

LONDON -- Raise a pint to the old British pub: Dark-paneled, fixed on the English landscape -- and, more than ever these days, empty. Beer sales in British pubs have slumped to their lowest level since the Great Depression, including a 10 percent drop in pints drawn in just the past year, an industry group said Monday...

BOSTON (AP) — Conservative political commentator Robert Novak announced Monday he has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, less than a week after he struck a pedestrian with his Corvette and drove away. Novak, 77, fell ill on Cape Cod this weekend while visiting his daughter and was rushed to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he said he was diagnosed Sunday with the tumor...

ORAN, Mo. — W.O. Turnage, 89, of Oran died Monday, July 28, 2008, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Oran is in charge of arrangements.

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: n At 4:58 p.m., emergency medical service in the 200 block of Minnesota Street. n At 7:25 p.m., emergency medical service in the 600 block of South West End Boulevard. Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday:...

AUSTIN, Texas -- A state law enforcement official says five indicted members of a polygamist sect in West Texas have turned themselves in to authorities. The official, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, was not authorized to talk on the record until after a news conference by Attorney General Greg Abbott later Monday...

TOKYO -- It's the hottest season of the year in Japan, and that means it's eel season. So, bottom's up! A canned drink called "Unagi Nobori," or "Surging Eel," made by Japan Tobacco Inc., hit the nation's stores this month ahead of Japan's annual eel-eating season, company spokesman Kazunori Hayashi said Monday...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Monday approved the execution of an Army private, the first time in more than a half-century a president has affirmed a death sentence for a member of the U.S. military. With his signature from the Oval Office, Bush said yes to the military's request to execute Ronald A. ...

25 years ago: July 29, 1983 Officers for Southeast Missouri's new Private Industry Council, which will oversee the implementation of the new federal Job Training Partnership Act, were chosen at a meeting in Cape Girardeau yesterday; Ron Miller of the Procter & Gamble plant here was elected chairman of the PIC; other officers elected were Tim Lambert, vice chairman; Al Sullivan, secretary, and Jerry James, treasurer...

AUSTIN, Texas -- Five indicted members of a West Texas polygamist sect turned themselves in to authorities Monday to face charges related to allegations of child sexual abuse. The five men were indicted last week with Warren Jeffs, the already-jailed leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The charges stem from a state investigation into allegations that the sect forced underage girls into marriage and motherhood with much older men...

Here is a photo of Cape's own DRIvIN' RAIN on stage at South Texas Rock Fest (July 12 2008) photo: Skully Shemwell, Geep Clark, Timexx Nasty, Michael Stewart

With high humidity and temperatures climbing into the mid-90s, the National Weather Service reported the heat index reached 105 degrees or more today in Southeast Missouri and the surrounding region.The temperature at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport was 94 degrees at 2:53 p.m., with a heat index already at 106 degrees...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- An appeals court on Tuesday ordered a federal judge to go back and review whether Missouri's chief election officer met her legal obligations to keep voter registration rolls current. The U.S. Justice Department sued the state and Secretary of State Robin Carnahan's office in November 2005 for alleged violations of the 1993 National Voter Registration Act, which requires states to "conduct a general program that makes a reasonable effort to remove the names of ineligible voters from the official lists of eligible voters by reason of (death or change in residency).". ...

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) -- A six-year-old girl from Jefferson County has drowned in a motel swimming pool in Branson. Police say the girl from Festus was vacationing with her grandparents and a few young relatives at the Branson Econo Lodge. The girl apparently drowned Monday night while trying to save a younger child who had lost a floatation device. Police say the children had entered the pool on their own...

VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — An Illinois man apparently drowned while swimming at a nudist colony just west of Valparaiso, Indiana. James Spurgeon of Lisle, Illinois, was pronounced dead Sunday. Witnesses say the 48-year-old man was swimming to a raft when he began to struggle and went under water...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Recent, heavy rains mean flooding woes aren't over yet in parts of northeast Missouri, with scattered reports of newly water-logged homes, damaged bridges and impassable roads. On Tuesday, Mary Treat and her family were waiting for the Salt River to go down, so they could salvage belongings from their flooded home, just outside of the community of Paris in Monroe County...

Police haven't yet released details on a car accident reported shortly after 4 p.m. on Interestate 55 in the area of the Kingshighway exit. We have no details to report at this time, other than the approximate time of the accident and the presence of injuries at the scene which were reported over police radio...

Voice over artist Matthew Piazzi will join tenor Neal E. Boyd in Las Vegas. Piazzi appeared on NBC's talent competition show "America's Got Talent" briefly tonight, but it was long enough to make it clear that he's moving on to the next round of the competition, the Las Vegas callbacks...

If you watched "America's Got Talent" on NBC tonight, and you're pulling for Sikeston, Mo., native Neal E. Boyd to win it all, you've got to be excited about what you saw. The night was the last of the initial audition shows, this one featuring acts who auditioned via the social networking and entertainment Web site MySpace. As usual, there were some extremely talented acts, some extremely strange acts and some simply awful acts. Boyd will have some tough competition...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Home prices tumbled by the steepest rate ever in May, according to a closely watched housing index released Tuesday, as the housing slump deepened nationwide. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city index dropped by 15.8 percent in May compared with a year ago, a record decline since its inception in 2000. The 10-city index plunged 16.9 percent, its biggest decline in its 21-year history...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Police say an 18-month-old boy who was taken from his crib in suburban Kansas City home is safe. Police say Kenyon Brock was found and his alleged abductors were in custody in Jefferson City Tuesday. Four hours earlier he was allegedly taken by his noncustodial mother and two other people from the Independence home of his grandmother...