Stories from Monday, July 27, 2009

The Charleston and Jackson Senior Babe Ruth baseball teams both emerged as winners Sunday. Charleston captured its third consecutive state title with a 10-7 victory over host Jackson. The Fighting Squirrels (27-18) went 4-0 in the six-team, double-elimination state tournament at Legion Field...

ADVANCE, Mo. - A Sunday evening motorcycle accident left an Advance teen with moderate injuries. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a 14-year-old male from Advance was driving his 1980 Honda 185 motorcycle westbound on County Road 310 .5 miles north of Route O when it hit a hole. The 13-year-old male passenger was then thrown from the vehicle around 5:40 p.m...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- July weather, usually hot as a firecracker, is on the way to setting new cool records. In Columbia, temperatures the first 22 days of July averaged 72.2 Fahrenheit, putting the month so far in a tie with 1924 as the coolest July in 121 years of weather records...

VAN BUREN, Mo. -- A pickup truck driver said he saw what he initially thought was a pile of clothes on a road in Carter County at 4:29 a.m. Friday. The pile of clothes was actually a person, who was killed when the truck ran over him. Bearle H. Deal, 58, of Van Buren, who was pulling a trailer, swerved in an attempt to avoid hitting a pedestrian laying on the road, but the trailer wheels ran over the young man, according to Carter County Coroner Dennis McSpadden...

A two-car early morning accident near Dalhousie Golf Club sent an Oran woman to the hospital. The accident occurred around 7:46 a.m. on Highway 74 when a 2000 Ford driven by Raymond E. Tucker, 30, of McClure, Ill., swerved to avoid another vehicle and traveled into an oncoming lane, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. The Ford then struck a 2001 Chevrolet driven by Emma K. Anthony, 63, of Oran...

Cape Girardeau police are searching for three males suspected of robbing an 18-year-old male Sunday morning. Cpl. Adam Glueck of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said that shortly before 3 a.m. near the corner of Frederick Street and Washington Avenue the victim was walking to his Cape Girardeau residence when he was approached by three males. The victim told police that one male with dreadlocks and no shirt grabbed him from behind, forcing him to the ground...

A Cape Girardeau man was sentenced to 102 months in prison on federal methamphetamine charges Monday, according to a news release from acting Federal Prosecutor Michael W. Reap. Phillip Edwin Thomas, 39, was sentenced on one felony count of conspiracy to manufacture five grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of pseudoephedrine with intent to manufacture methamphetamine...

MOREHOUSE, Mo. -- A number of stray dogs have been found in Morehouse. Dogs are usually kept at the pound about two weeks then taken to the Humane Society, but those kennels are full.

Educating people about how to keep children safe from predators who use the Internet to find victims can be a challenge for law enforcement.

Sing Out For Hunger concert to benefit the Jackson Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry Sunday, August 2nd beginning at 6PM at Crossroads Fellowship in Jackson, Missouri. Scheduled performances by Awakening, Christy Shinn, Beth St. John, Jeff Hankins, Jeremy Verhines, and Jordan Cox. Free will love offering/can food will be accepted to benefit the Jackson Ministerial Alliance food pantry...

Southeast Missouri has its fair share of radio stations, one of which is KRCU, a National Public Radio station on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. General manager Dan Woods, born in Neelyville, Mo., in the Bootheel, grew up with a keen interest in communications and learning. ...

Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle said he hopes the next hearing in the state's case against Max Ellison for the 1979 murder of Debbie Martin will result in a trial date.

I was injured and have sciatic nerve damage to compare the pain I feel each and every day to a aching tooth. I have been a pain management patent since 2002. I take over 150 hydrocodone 10/350 that is three times the dose you get when you have a surgery a month. After all these years it is no longer working for my pain my options are limited I can not take more powerful pain pills like morphine patches but am afraid with all the deaths related to pain medications to take any thing like that...

Micheala Pair 3yrs old of Jackson, went fishing at her Great Grandparents (Eugene and Ruth Kester) fishing club. Her dad (Jeromy Pair) held her Shrek Pole and she was just a reelin!

Cheyenne went fishin with her uncle, Jeromy Pair at a private fishing club. She caught this "catch of the day".

Carson Bollinger (left) and Bailey Rees (right) sit outside after a wedding and share a little snack.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- For the new recruits of Company E, the training they underwent at their most recent drill could be filed under the category "you never know." The roughly 100 new Citizen-Soldiers learned how to make their Army combat uniform trousers work as flotation devices -- a skill that they admitted was more difficult than they initially thought, but one that could prove life-saving in the right circumstances...

Arkansas river - Buena Vista, Colorado

Kim Hogan & Virginia Wiedefeld -- White water Rafting -- Arkansas River near Buena Vista, Colorado

National Guard work at Brookside Park in Jackson will include preliminary grading for an expansion of the veterans memorial.

It's no secret that there are illegal immigrants, many from Mexico, living in Southeast Missouri. For the most part, these relative newcomers find work, obey the law and send money to families in the home countries. They have been rarely sought by local law enforcement or immigration officials. They were usually apprehended only when they committed other crimes...

Open our eyes and ears, O God, to see and hear the wisdom of your ways. Amen.

PHILADELPHIA -- Chase Utley hit the first two-run shot. Ryan Howard nearly cleared two center field walls with his mammoth blast. Jimmy Rollins joined the fun when he went deep, and Raul Ibanez capped the four-homer outburst with a two-run blast...

The Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons Post 63 American Legion baseball team came up short in its bid for a trip to this week's state tournament. But as somebody who has covered the tradition-rich program often during the past 25 years, it was great to see the squad have such a bounceback season...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Jimmie Johnson grabbed an improbable third victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when a speeding penalty to Juan Pablo Montoya blew Sunday's race wide open. Montoya led 116 laps and had a 5-second lead when he headed to pit road for a routine stop with 35 laps remaining. NASCAR flagged him for speeding on his way in, and the penalty knocked him out of contention...

TEHRAN, Iran -- The Revolutionary Guard tightened its already powerful hold over Iran during the post-election turmoil, raising alarm among some Iranians that it is transforming the Islamic Republic into a military state. The elite force and an affiliated volunteer militia, the Basij, led the crackdown against street protesters who claim mass fraud in the June 12 election after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner in a landslide. ...

PORTLAND, Maine -- She was sociable and happy in high school. But in college that changed abruptly: Depressed and withdrawn, some days she couldn't get out of bed. And that wasn't all. "I had really odd thoughts," recalled the woman, now 21, who asked that her name not be used...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: Jackson Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday:...

Cape Girardeau The Cape Girardeau Police Department released following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Arrests Assault Thefts Burglary Miscellaneous Jackson The Jackson Police Department released the following items....

Vandeven; Robinson; Trankler; Cummins; Sanford

25 years ago: July 27, 1984 Cape Girardeau City Council members say they are "shocked and disappointed" over the decision yesterday by the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents to abandon plans for a joint city/university multipurpose building...

Marvels & Legends in Cape Girardeau has relocated. Formerly at 1030 Broadway, the store moved to 1029 Broadway on July 15. Jack Huskey, who owns the store with his wife, Jennifer, said the move allowed him to double the size of his storefront and expand his selection of posters from three to 12 and T-shirts from 60 to hundreds...

ATLANTA (AP) -- Vernon Forrest, a former three-time champion who gained stardom when he became the first boxer to defeat "Sugar" Shane Mosley, was shot to death during an apparent robbery in Atlanta, police said Sunday. Sgt. Lisa Keyes said in an e-mail Sunday that Forrest, 38, was shot several times in the back Saturday night, which an autopsy confirmed. Keyes said there are no suspects...

Hency completes national certification program Christy Hency, Court Clerk V and office manager of the Scott County Circuit Clerk's Office, recently completed the nationally recognized court management program sponsored by the National Center for State Courts' Institute for Court Management. ...

Deloma Mae Pace, 87, of Scott City died Saturday, July 25, 2009, at Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the chapel, with Dr. Robert Herring officiating. Burial will follow in Lightner Memorial Cemetery in Scott City...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Thelma Jane Underwood, 97, of Marble Hill died Saturday, July 25, 2009, at Eldercare of Marble Hill. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Liley Funeral Home in Marble Hill. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home chapel, with Dr. John Englehart officiating. Burial will be in the Glenallen Cemetery in Glenallen, Mo...

n In the Soap Box Derby story in Sunday's edition, Zachary McHughs' father's name should have read Cory McHughs. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.

They're criminals; Government control; Saving a life; Smoking and health; Health care waste; It's all about money; Slow process; Time for change; Good deal; Parking manners; Party of slow; No GOP plan; Impact on doctors; Visiting Iraq; MOSERS bonuses; Cycling laws; Medical care

NEW YORK -- Verizon Communications Inc., the nation's largest wireless carrier, said today its second-quarter profit fell 21 percent as cost-cutting in its wireline business failed to keep pace with falling revenues. The earnings narrowly beat Wall Street expectations, and Verizon said demand for cell phones and its new home TV service were holding up well in the recession...

WASHINGTON -- New U.S. home sales rose by the largest amount in more than eight years last month, in another sign the housing market is finally bouncing back from the worst downturn in decades. The Commerce Department said today that sales rose 11 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 384,000, from an upwardly revised May rate of 346,000...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Changes to how Missouri casinos do business may make it easier for problem gamblers who have banned themselves from casinos to gamble. State voters did away with a $500 loss limit last year, meaning casinos no longer require identification from patrons to track how much money they're spending. Gambling counselors say if ID isn't being checked, it's easier for those who have banned themselves from casinos to get through if they change their minds and decide to gamble...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state insurance department wants to clear up any consumer confusion about getting earthquake insurance in Missouri. Insurance director John Huff says he was asked during a recent conference of the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents about the availability and cost of earthquake insurance, especially in the New Madrid seismic zone...

WASHINGTON -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Sunday that he had to "hold my nose" over last year's taxpayer-financed bailouts of big financial companies but argued that the action had to be taken to avoid a major meltdown of the U.S. financial system and the broader economy...

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been corrected to reflect the fact that trash collection serves 11,000 households, instead of 22,000. A proposal from the Cape Girardeau Public Works Department could send garbage trucks with automated arms to collect trash in residential neighborhoods.

ST. LOUIS -- Officials at St. Louis-based Emerson Electric say a new $50 million data center will be about one-third more energy efficient than traditional data centers. The 35,000-square-foot center opened Monday at a ceremony that included Gov. Jay Nixon and U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo...

WASHINGTON -- A new government health insurance plan sought by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats could coexist with private insurers without driving them out of business, an analysis by nonpartisan budget experts suggests. The estimate by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office -- seen as good news by Democrats -- comes as leaders pushed Monday to make progress on health care overhaul before lawmakers go home for their August recess...

NEW YORK -- Verizon is giving some of its home broadband customers free access to thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots in airports and other public places, taking a page from competitors that already offer wireless Internet access. The offer excludes Verizon Communications Inc. customers on the cheapest DSL and FiOS Internet plans...

TULSA, Okla. -- Tulsa-based QuikTrip Corp. has agreed to pay nearly $750,000 in overtime back wages to thousands of employees in nine states. More than 3,800 current and former employees are affected. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor found that the company failed to pay the additional overtime premium due on performance-related bonuses...