Stories from Friday, August 27, 2010

Capaha Municipal Pool has closed to the public for the season, according to a news release issued Thursday, with only scheduled events to be held at the pool for the remainder of the summer.

For years, Roger Hudson's knees ached. The pain grew progressively worse. "I couldn't stand for five minutes without pain," he recalls. "It takes a lot of effort to walk when your knees are bad," notes Hudson, who serves as Cape Girardeau County treasurer...

BENTON, Mo. -- Few people remember it, but there is a cemetery off Old Highway 61 outside of Benton. Dating back to the 1800s, it is the final resting place for many well-known people, such as the first settler of Benton and politicians. With the last burial in 1993, the 2.3 acre cemetery -- although mowed regularly by the City of Benton -- has been neglected over the years. ...

Members of the Cape Girardeau Partnership for Higher Education advisory board want to change the name of their organization to the Great River College Center. The 16-member advisory board met Thursday at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center and unanimously approved the new name recommended by its marketing committee, headed by Mike Smythe...

Butterfly picture, taken along the road near Lake Girardeau

The Cape Girardeau City Council voted Thursday night to throw its weight behind Isle of Capri's effort to build a $125 million casino downtown, with officials afterward saying it has the potential to become "one of the largest economic development projects" in the city's history.

Hummingbird resting on the feeder.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- People say to find a job that makes you smile. And that's what Mike Marshall has been doing since May, when he was appointed as alternate co-chair of the Delta Regional Authority by President Barack Obama...

A well-rounded life is not spent in one place, confined to either a cubicle or a classroom. A full life includes outings, meals with friends and a soundtrack to the nights and weekends. FUN Between work, school and other responsibilities, Cape Girardeau has several opportunities to have some fun, get outside or get moving...

The 2010 Major League Baseball season keeps being referred to as the "Year of the Pitcher." The 2010 high school girls softball season may adopt the opposite slogan -- "Year of the Hitter -- after the National Federation of State High School Associations moved the pitching rubber from 40 feet back to 43 feet...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Everything Kenny Chesney needed to know about dominating country music he learned from football. Whether he's firing up the tour bus or heading into the studio, he uses the principles he learned while playing at Gibbs High School outside Knoxville, Tenn. This epiphany came to Chesney while he was recording for his latest album, "Hemingway's Whiskey," and eventually grew into the documentary film "Boys of Fall," which airs on ESPN this Sunday...

Arts and entertainment briefs

The Tone Def All-Stars will be throwing a benefit concert for the Cape Girardeau Roller Girls at 9 p.m. Aug. 27 at Breakaway's Bar and Billiards, 15 N. Main St. Tone Def plays music ranging from Wu-Tang Clan covers to reggae to rock, and has been touring the Main Street music scene for 10 years. ...

LOS ANGELES -- Lance Armstrong, Robin Roberts and Michael C. Hall are among the celebrities affected by cancer who will take part in a TV fundraiser next month. "Stand Up to Cancer" announced last week appearances by other actors, athletes and musicians who have faced the disease, including Maura Tierney, Christina Applegate and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar...

In the week since the death of Wally Lage, so many good people of Cape Girardeau and from around the nation have found wonderful ways to share their best memories of a singular man. Perhaps even Wally would have been surprised to learn how far his sphere of influence reached in his life...

I'M wondering why people wear their hair looking like they haven't combed it for a week or two. Some of them have it spiked, and they think this is cool. I can't understand how they can program their brains to look that way. They sure don't know how other people see them...

Turn our frowns into smiles, O God, and help us to find goodness and cheer. Amen.

SAN DIEGO -- The speedboat is about three miles offshore when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent cuts the engine to drift on the current in quiet darkness, hoping for the telltale signs of immigrant smuggling -- a motor's whir or sulfur exhaust fumes...

NEW YORK -- Michael Enright once volunteered with an interfaith group that has supported a proposal for a mosque near ground zero -- a background distinctly at odds with what authorities say happened inside a city taxi. The college student was charged Wednesday with using a folding knife to slash the neck and face of the taxi's Bangladeshi driver after the driver said he was Muslim. ...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Eight Afghan police gunned down at a checkpoint. Campaign workers kidnapped. Spanish trainers shot dead on their base. A spurt of violence this week in provinces far from the Taliban's main southern strongholds suggests the insurgency is spreading, even as the top U.S. commander insists the coalition has reversed the militants' momentum in key areas of the ethnic Pashtun south where the Islamist movement was born...

MIR ALI, Pakistan -- The Taliban hinted Thursday they may launch attacks against foreigners helping Pakistan respond to the worst floods in the country's history, saying their presence was "unacceptable." The U.N. said it would not be deterred by violent threats...

JILIN, China -- North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il has turned up in China in a strangely timed visit for the reclusive leader while former U.S. president Jimmy Carter is in North Korea trying to win the release of an imprisoned American. It marked Kim's second trip to China in three months -- unusual for a man who never flies and travels only by armored train...

WASHINGTON -- Glenn Beck's rally on the anniversary and at the site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech is drawing criticism, protests and questions about his intentions. Beck insists the event Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial is not about politics, even though Beck and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, a potential 2012 presidential candidate, will attend. ...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Sam Bradford passed his first test as a starting quarterback in the NFL. And the player who ended the game at that position for the Rams, Keith Null, directed a drive that set up Josh Brown's 37-yard field goal on the final play that gave St. Louis a 36-35 exhibition win over the New England Patriots on Thursday night...

WASHINGTON -- Ian Desmond singled home Nyjer Morgan in the bottom of the 13th inning and the Washington Nationals overcame Albert Pujols' 400th home run Thursday night in an 11-10 roller-coaster win over the St. Louis Cardinals. "It's a special milestone," Pujols said of No. 400, "but I don't play for numbers."...

SOMERSET, Mass. -- A practical joker in Massachusetts has taken advantage of recent shark sightings and caused a scare with a fake fin. Police said about 50 people were drawn to a Somerset, Mass., cove Wednesday night after someone reported seeing a shark fin in the water...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A JetBlue airplane blew its tires Thursday while landing in Sacramento, causing minor injuries to 15 passengers and sending dozens of others down emergency slides to evacuate the aircraft, airport officials said. A person waiting inside the terminal said he heard an announcement on an intercom that the wheels had caught fire during the landing...

FLINT, Mich. -- Elias Abuelazam arrived back in Michigan on Thursday shackled, surrounded by a more than a dozen police and wrapped for his own safety in a bulletproof vest to face the first of what likely will be numerous charges related to more than a dozen stabbing attacks...

Tristan Lee Pearson Ford, infant son of Miranda Ford and Monteal Pearson of Cape Girardeau, was stillborn Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He is survived by his parents; maternal grandparents, Cleties and Penny Ford of Cape Girardeau; paternal grandmother, Regina Hunt of Cape Girardeau; special friend and cousin, Samantha Kinder of East Cape Girardeau, Ill.; numerous aunts, uncles and other relatives...

Opal Elizabeth Adams, 96, of Dallas, formerly of Cape Girardeau, passed away Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010, at The Forum at Park Lane in Dallas. She was born Sept. 18, 1913, in Jackson, to Oliver and Lena Voges Ruppel. She and John A. "Ox" Adams were married Sept. 11, 1942...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Flavel C. Westfall, 94, died Thursday, Aug. 26, 2010, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 18, 1916, in Kennett, Mo., son of Frank and Bessie Tilkenton Westfall. He and Ettilee Holder were married Feb. 19, 1922. She preceded him in death Jan. 11, 2008...

Cape Girardeau postmaster Herman W. Marshall has taken an administrative leave because of what a postal official calls "an internal problem." The former dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Science at Southeast Missouri State University has officially assumed a new role in teacher education; Dr. Milford O. Holt, new associate provost for teacher education at Southeast, began his new duties Aug. 19 in quarters at Washington School on North Fountain Street...

All the local scores from Thursday that were reported to the Southeast Missourian.

Malden (0-0) at Scott City (0-0) Last year: Malden 50, Scott City 14 Outlook: Scott City's loss to Malden last season was part of an 0-4 start to a 2-8 season. Last year's game was notable from the standpoint that Malden scored 42 points in the second quarter...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- After having Wednesday's scheduled season opener canceled, the Scott City softball team was excited to take the field Thursday. Especially sophomore pitcher Alexis Spriggs. "This is the game I wanted bad," Spriggs said. That's because the Rams were facing arch rival Chaffee, a squad featuring several players Spriggs is very familiar with...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Three Rivers Community College has reached an attendance record this semester, with 3,719 students taking 41,903 credit hours. "I'm proud to say we busted the 3,700 mark this week," Three Rivers president Dr. Devin Stephenson said during the board meeting Wednesday. He added that the goal next fall is to enroll at least 4,000 students...

NEW YORK -- Stocks fell Thursday after early gains from a better report on jobless claims ebbed. The Dow Jones industrial average closed below 10,000 for the first time since early July. The Dow lost 74 points, having been up as much as 45 earlier. The market has struggled to hold on to gains in recent trading as many investors remain unconvinced that the economic recovery will hold...

Central Tigers Final game of 2009: Lost to Farmington 3-2 in 12 innings in a Class 4 District 1 semifinal Returning starters: Bailey Kratochvil, so., P/INF; Brooke Baugher, jr., C/OF; Lexi Smith, jr., INF; Tatiana Reagan, so., INF; Chelsea Willett, jr., INF; Chelsea Sterling, sr., OF...

NEW YORK -- Toyota recalled 1.33 million Corolla sedans and Matrix hatchbacks in the U.S. and Canada Thursday because their engines may stall, the latest in a string of quality problems at the Japanese automaker. The recall covers vehicles from the 2005 to 2008 model years sold in the U.S. and Canada. Three accidents and one minor injury have been reported, though Toyota said a link to the engine issue has not been confirmed...

Leaders of the Missouri Arts Council addressed nearly 30 art enthusiasts Thursday in downtown Cape Girardeau, where they asked for input on how to help arts thrive in the state. The meeting at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri was the second stop on an eight-city listening tour that serves as a brainstorming session for what the Missouri Arts Council could focus on in the next year...

WAPPAPELLO, MO. -- A 1-year-old child was airlifted to a Memphis, Tenn., hospital Wednesday afternoon after being struck by a vehicle in a driveway at Piso's Point Road, two miles north of Wappapello. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Jasmine L. Swords was run over by a vehicle driven by 30-year-old Raymond W. Swords. The highway patrol report did not specify if the driver was the father of the child, the Daily Statesman newspaper reported...

The Cape Girardeau County Archive Center has been able to place four misplaced headstones it received earlier this month from a volunteer. All four stones were returned to Jackson City Cemetery.

Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday:...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department released the following items. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Theft...

For most people, the new year begins in January. They make resolutions and prepare to start over. For me, however, a new year begins each August when Southeast Missouri State University starts back up. I make plans for a school year of new plays, new musicals and new talent...

Much has been said about Wally Lage since his death last week. Those who knew him understand the generous and kind accolades that have been fittingly heaped on him. For those who didn't know Wally, it would be difficult to explain all the reasons he was such a special person...

Highway 114 in Scott County will be reduced to one lane while crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation replace traffic signal heads. The section of road is at Highway 114 and New Madrid Street. Weather permitting, work will be done from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. The work zone will be marked with signs...

Route D in Cape Girardeau County will be closed while crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation replace a pipe under the road. The first section of road is between county roads 454 and 444. Weather permitting, the work will take place from 8 a.m. ...

Route FF in Cape Girardeau County will be closed while crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation replace a pipe under the road. This section of road is one-half mile on each side of County Road 435. Weather permitting, the road will be under construction from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. The work zone will be marked with signs...

Highway 177 in Cape Girardeau County near Route J will be reduced to one lane next week while MoDOT crews perform routine bridge maintenance. The bridge is one mile south of Route J over Indian Creek. Weather permitting, work will be done from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday...

Highway 34 in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane while crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation perform pavement maintenance. The section of road is in Jackson between Walmart Drive and Old Cape Road. Weather permitting, work will be performed from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. The work zone will be marked with signs...

Highway 72/34 in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane while crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation perform guardrail repairs. The section of road is between Indian Springs Drive and Cane Creek Lane in Jackson. Work will be done from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. The work zone will be marked with signs...

Cape Girardeau County commissioners agreed Thursday to accept equipment purchased with a $580,000 Homeland Security grant received by the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission.

The United Way of Southeast Missouri hopes to raise $1,019,744 in its 2010-11 fundraising campaign. This year's goal, announced at a campaign kick-off event Thursday at Cape West 14 Cine, reflects a decrease from last year's unmet $1.2 million campaign goal...

The Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney's office has filed two more charges against a local woman who was found hoarding 75 animals, including farm animals and rare birds, at a Boutin Drive residence.

NEW YORK -- The furor over how close is too close to ground zero for a planned Islamic center and mosque has raised a simple question nine years after Sept. 11: Where exactly is ground zero? The lines marking the site of the 2001 terror attacks change depending on which New Yorker, Sept. ...