Stories from Friday, July 24, 2009

The execution of a search warrant Friday morning led to the arrest of a 27-year-old man and the seizure of one ounce of cocaine, five grams of crack cocaine, and seven ounces of marijuana, said Cpl. Adam Glueck, spokesman for the Cape Girardeau Police Department...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- By the time she retired in 2006, former Bollinger County Recorder Winonah "Sissy" Ossig had finished her career where she started -- in the office of the Recorder of Deeds. She had spent her 44-year career in the Bollinger County Courthouse...

A Bertrand man accused of swindling customers at an area business for the second time in two years waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon. Cape Girardeau County Associate Circuit Judge Gary A. Kamp upheld the charges of three counts of felony stealing and three misdemeanor counts of theft against Aaron A. Evans, 48, and set the case for arraignment on Aug. 3 before Cape Girardeau County Circuit Judge William L. Syler...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Sgt. Darrin J. Davis of East Prairie, Mo., has been hired as a human resources technician in the Missouri National Guard's Recruit Sustainment Program. Davis, 40, will oversee administrative duties for the program's Company E, which is based in Cape Girardeau. ...

The Jackson 11-year-old All-Star team recently took second place in the state Cal Ripken Tournament held in Farmington, Mo. Jackson went 4-2 during the state tournament, falling to Mineral Area 16-7 on Monday, July 20. Jackson won the district tournament played in Bell City, Mo. and Advance, Mo., defeating SEMO North for the title 8-7...

FROM MY WINDOW Fly Swatter Effective Pest Control "Hey, look at that!" I turned to look out the window to see where my husband was pointing. He probably wanted me to see how nice the newly weeded flower beds looked from inside the house. Promises of a July cool front had kept me postponing my yard work, but sure enough I stepped outside one morning to fine the anomaly had arrived. ...

PERRYVILLE -- The Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons Post 63 American Legion baseball team had little trouble in its first zone tournament game since 2003. Cape rolled past outmanned Herbert Hoover from St. Louis 12-5 Thursday as the five-team, double-elimination Zone 4 tournament got under way at Perryville City Park...

Supporters outnumbered dissenters Thursday during the Cape Girardeau County Commission's public opinion session on the old federal building. About 15 people attended the meeting, many of them leaders from Cape Girardeau. Chamber of Commerce president John Mehner said the commissioners' combined experience in engineering, business and real estate makes them qualified to decide whether to buy the building. ...

Neil & Beverly Prater on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. Celebrating a vacation and also their 30 year wedding anniversary.

In May 2006, Shannon Aldridge and his 12-year-old daughter Sahara were watching "Celebrity Fit Club" on television at their home in Cape Girardeau. When Shannon got up and caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror, he didn't like what he saw. "I thought, 'My God, what happened to me? I'm fat,'" Aldridge said. "And that was it."...

The Tour of Missouri announced the start times for each stage of the cross-state bicycle race as well as expected finish times. The second stage of the race, which concludes in Cape Girardeau, will begin at 11 a.m. ...

The Jackson Babe Ruth baseball team endured an half-hour weather delay and pulled out a 5-3 win against Mineral Area on Thursday in the opening round of the Missouri Babe Ruth Championship tournament. The players were pulled from the field during the fifth inning because of lightning in the area...

The city of Jackson, the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Jackson School District have entered into an agreement to relieve traffic congestion at South Elementary School.

Small Town Boyz go on stage at 8:00 p.m. Saturday (July 25th, 2009) at Jackson Homecomers.... Monster Energy & River Eagle Distributing have loaded down the Small Town Boyz truck with free giveaways and all the Monster Energy stage decor a band could every want. Come down close to the stage and support THE BOYZ and get a hold of some cool Monster Energy merchandise & drinks!!!...

Friday "Cherie," rated R @ Cape West 14 Cine "G-Force," rated PG @ Cape West 14 Cine "Orphan," rated R @ Cape West 14 Cine "The Ugly Truth," rated R @ Cape West 14 Cine Saturday Sunday Next Week "Marvel vs. Capcom 2," Xbox360...

After months of legal wrangling and thousands of dollars in legal fees on both sides, a lawsuit filed by Jay Purcell, 2nd District Cape Girardeau County commissioner, has decided one issue: County commissions aren't legal entities and can't be sued...

Self-destruction; Don't buy it; Sharing the road; Bad cartoon

Give us, O God, the wisdom to confess our errors and seek the right path. Amen.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A former stiltwalker and fire-eater stole NASA's show Thursday, saying he'll be "like a kid in a candy store" experimenting with zero-gravity tricks on his upcoming tourist trip to the international space station. Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte is shelling out a reported $35 million for his round-trip ticket aboard a Russian spacecraft. ...

WASHINGTON -- The housing market is finally emerging from the three-year crisis that pushed the nation into the longest recession since the Great Depression. For the first time in five years, sales of previously occupied homes rose for the third consecutive month in June, while foreclosure sales and the glut of homes on the market both declined...

DEARBORN, Mich. -- Ford Motor Co.'s return to profitability last quarter won't last long unless it can boost sales of cars and trucks and continue to grab market share from rivals. On Thursday, Ford cemented its position as the healthiest U.S.-based automaker by reporting a surprise $2.3 billion net profit in the second quarter, mainly due to $10.1 billion in debt reductions that cut annual interest payments. ...

VIENNA -- The International Mozarteum Foundation said Thursday it has discovered two more works composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The previously unknown works are piano pieces composed by a young Mozart, the Salzburg-based foundation said in a brief e-mail statement...

OTTAWA -- Canada's central bank is declaring the recession essentially over, saying Canada's economy will begin growing this summer after nine months of stagnation and lead most of the industrialized world next year. The bank has dropped its call for a 1 percent contraction this quarter and says the economy will instead expand by 1.3 percent on an annualized basis...

WASHINGTON -- Slow down, Senate Democrats told President Obama on Thursday, dashing hopes of rushing his sweeping health-care overhaul to a summertime vote and adding to the troubles the plan could face as the year wears on. "That's OK," the president replied. "Just keep working."...

MANAGUA, Nicaragua -- Honduras' deposed president headed toward his nation's border Thursday to prepare a risky return home, an attempt to reverse an ouster that is testing the vitality of democracy in Latin America. The interim government that sent Manuel Zelaya into exile vows to arrest the president if he sets foot in Honduras. Zelaya said he would make a second attempt to return home Saturday, saying U.S.-backed attempts at mediation had broken down...

WASHINGTON -- Crumbling sidewalks near the Jefferson Memorial are sinking into the Tidal Basin. Reflecting pools are filled with green, smelly water. And millions of visitors have trampled the soil into virtual concrete where grass can't grow. The National Mall is in danger of becoming a national disgrace...

Scholarships Honors -- From staff reports ...

If a racquetball is placed on top of a basketball and dropped at the same time and height, which will bounce higher? Will they bounce at the same height? Materials Instructions STEP 1: Holding the basketball in the palm of your hand place the racquetball on top of the basketball using your other hand...

"G-Force" has been billed as producer Jerry Bruckheimer's first foray into animation, which suggests his live-action films contain something resembling "reality" and "humans." Shrinking Bruckheimer's usual visual-effects mayhem down to rodent size, "G-Force" is centered on an elite squad of guinea pigs who resemble small(er) versions of Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible."...

In 1972, my wife and I moved from Idaho to Nevada, Mo., a county-seat town in an agricultural county on the Kansas border. Our son's grandparents were in Missouri, and we decided we wanted to live near enough to them that they could see us more than once a year and spoil their grandson properly...

Four days after his heart-rending playoff defeat to Stewart Cink at Turnberry, Tom Watson shot a 3-under 67 Thursday in Sunningdale, England, to begin his pursuit of a fourth Senior British Open title. The 59-year-old Watson, who almost became the oldest major champion at the British Open last weekend, was three shots behind leader Fred Funk...

ANNECY, France -- Lance Armstrong and RadioShack are forming a new cycling team that will compete in next year's Tour de France. The seven-time Tour winner, who returned to cycling after 3 1/2 years of retirement, also said Thursday he expects to take part in running and triathlon events for Team RadioShack beginning in 2010...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Republican state Sen. Chuck Purgason declared his candidacy Thursday for the seat being vacated by longtime U.S. Sen. Kit Bond and pledged to fight against spending earmarks and budget deficits. Purgason's announcement sets up a potential August 2010 GOP primary against U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, who already has amassed almost $1.8 million and the endorsements of numerous Republican officials. The lone Democratic candidate is Secretary of State Robin Carnahan...

WASHINGTON -- Adam Wainwright pitched six strong innings, Rick Ankiel broke a five-week homer drought and the St. Louis Cardinals snapped a three-game losing skid with a rain-shortened 4-1 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday night...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: Jackson Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday:...

Bailey; Vaughn; Myers; Speakman; Sievers; Niedbalski; Boitnott; Hendershott

NEW ORLEANS -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency took too long to respond to initial reports of dangerous levels of formaldehyde in trailers delivered to victims of the 2005 hurricanes, exposing people to possible health risks, a report of the Homeland Security Department inspector general said Thursday...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Thefts Burglary Property damage Miscellaneous...

25 years ago: July 24, 1984 An early morning fire yesterday in a Cape Girardeau lumberyard is believed to be a result of arson; firefighters arrived at the M.E. Leming Lumber Co. to find a pile of lumber estimated to be worth $1,500 burning in the yard...

Karen Byrum CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Karen Barber Byrum, 48, of Charleston, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, July 20, 2009, at her home. There is no visitation. Graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. Monday at IOOF Cemetery in Charleston, with Kerry Stokes officiating...

As far as Matt Miller was concerned, 40 holes of golf Thursday at Dalhousie Golf Club might have been one hole too many. After playing 36 holes on the final day of the Missouri Amateur Stroke Play Championship, Miller needed three playoff holes to turn back Brad Nurski for his first Missouri Golf Association title...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri judge has temporarily blocked the certification of a union election for in-home care providers after a company filed a lawsuit alleging election flaws and violations of the state's open-government laws. Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem issued the restraining order Tuesday. ...

WASHINGTON -- States and school districts will soon be able to compete for more federal money to undertake school reforms sought by President Barack Obama. Part of the economic stimulus law enacted earlier this year, the $5 billion education fund is Obama's big shot at overhauling schools over the next couple of years...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is likening overhaul of the nation's health care system to one of the government's greatest triumphs: the NASA program that landed astronauts on the moon 40 years ago. If Obama's initiative is to be anywhere near as successful, it will be by small steps taken in a divided Congress right now. No giant leaps are in sight...

ST. LOUIS -- Missouri and Illinois transportation agencies will hold two meetings in August for businesses that want to help build a new Mississippi River bridge at St. Louis. Work on the $640 million project is scheduled to go out to bid in the fall. Four companies have already qualified to bid for the main work on the new span. Eight others have expressed interest in bidding to work on the approaches to the bridge...

HANNIBAL, Mo. -- The city of Hannibal's plan to use an old landfill as an alternative energy source appears to be dead. A two-month study determined that the amount of methane gas that could be obtained from the old landfill wasn't enough to generate electricity...

Eight students from Chaffee High School are taking what they learned during the Show-Me Team Spirit workshop at Drury Lodge this week and turning it into ways to teach other students about the dangers of drunken driving. The Team Spirit program model was originally used in Dallas in 1989. It was brought to Southeast Missouri by Sharee Galnore and Lynn Ware after they had attended a similar conference in Columbia, Mo...

WASHINGTON -- Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke are squaring off in a public dispute over who should become the top consumer watchdog in the U.S. Geithner wants to strip the Fed of its consumer protection duties and create a new federal agency designated solely to such a mission. Bernanke says those responsibilities should stay with the central bank and has suggested he is up to the task by outlining new rules for mortgage lenders...

KENNETT, Mo. -- An individual fled from Kennett police Thursday, exceeding speeds of 60 mph down city streets. According to Maj. Steve Williams, officer Brian Long initiated the contact with the driver while trying to pull the vehicle over for speeding in the 25 mph speed zone. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A Perry County subdivision near Perryville is under a boil-water order through Friday morning after a water line broke Thursday morning. The order affects the Tanglewood subdivision, with about 30 customers, said Ken Taylor with the SK&M Water Department. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Rudolph C. "Rudy" Lohmann, 97, of Perry County, Mo., died Wednesday, July 22, 2009, at Independence Care Center of Perry County. He was born May 24, 1912, in Perry County, son of Henry F. and Lena Detjen Lohmann, and stepmother Bertha Roth Lohmann. He was married June 4, 1939, to Ida L. Bangert, who preceded him in death July 19, 1992...

Cynthia Rochelle Moore, 44, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, July 19, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital Emergency Room. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to service time Saturday at Bowden Civic Center in Charleston, Mo. The funeral will be at noon Saturday at the center, with the Rev. Lavern Frazier officiating. Burial will be in Oak Grove Cemetery in Charleston...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Stella Louise Harris Baxter, 74, of Marble Hill died Thursday, July 23, 2009, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Hutchings Funeral Chapel in Marble Hill...

DETROIT (AP) -- Former Detroit Red Wings star Sergei Fedorov says a man entrusted to manage his money during the past 11 years swindled him out of $43 million. In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Wayne County Circuit Court, Fedorov says Joseph Zada of Grosse Pointe Shores also broke a promise to repay him $60 million by April 20...

WASHINGTON -- Shortstop Julio Lugo has joined the St. Louis Cardinals and was available for Thursday's makeup game against the Washington Nationals. Lugo was acquired Wednesday from the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Chris Duncan and a player to be named or cash. Lugo was hitting .284 with a home run and eight RBIs in 37 games with Boston, which designated him for assignment July 17...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's minimum wage workers are getting a pay increase. The federal minimum wage rises today to $7.25 an hour, meaning it will take precedent over Missouri's minimum wage of $7.05 an hour. The state will follow the federal minimum wage at least until January...

South Kingshighway, also known as U.S. 61, will be reduced to one lane of traffic Tuesday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews work on bridge maintenance. The work, which will take place from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, will be on a bridge one-eighth of a mile south of Silver Springs Road. Motorists are asked to use caution while in the area...

KANSAS CITY, Kansas -- The Environmental Protection Agency is sending Missouri remodelers reminders about a federal rule aimed at protecting children from exposure to lead dust. The dust can be generated during renovations, repairs and painting projects and is harmful to children...

WASHINGTON -- A powerful House committee chairman threatened Friday to force a floor vote to break the impasse within Democratic ranks over U.S. health care overhaul, an issue that has become pivotal for Barack Obama's young presidency. Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman said negotiations with fiscally conservative Democrats on his panel cannot continue indefinitely. ...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The California Senate on Friday approved a plan to close the state's $26 billion budget deficit, providing a glimmer of hope after weeks of fiscal gloom. But work on the complex legislative package of 31 bills dragged on as the Assembly -- struggling to secure enough votes to pass several measures -- took a three-hour break just after dawn, then got back to work...

ATLANTA -- U.S. health officials say swine flu could strike up to 40 percent of Americans over the next two years and as many as several hundred thousand could die if a vaccine campaign and other measures aren't successful. Those estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mean about twice the number of people who usually get sick in a normal flu season would be struck by swine flu. ...