Stories from Wednesday, January 23, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House has passed a bill to permit the government to borrow enough money to avoid a first avoid default for at least four months, defusing a crisis looming next month and setting the stage for a springtime debate over taxes, spending and the deficit...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Stan Musial already has a statue in St. Louis named after him. If federal and state lawmakers get their way, a new Mississippi River bridge will also carry the name of the St. Louis Cardinals great. U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and fellow Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois were proposing legislation Wednesday that would dub the new bridge the Stan Musial Memorial Bridge. The bridge carrying Interstate 70 traffic opens in 2014...

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is lifting its ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after generations of limits on their service, defense officials said Wednesday. The changes, to be announced today by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, will not happen overnight. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Authorities attribute the death of a Sikeston woman who was unable to escape a house fire late Monday night to smoke inhalation. According to Scott County Coroner Scott Amick, Barbara Jones, 56, died from smoke inhalation during a house fire at 327 E. Gladys St...

A Cape Girardeau man has been implicated in the October robbery of a convenience store in which the suspect left the clerk bloodied before making off with cash. Patrick C. Rayford, 47, already was in custody on unrelated stealing charges when aggravated felony counts of first-degree robbery and armed criminal action were filed by prosecutors Tuesday. ...

If someone calling himself Brian Lisiecki tries to rent you a home in Jackson, buyer beware. The home is not for rent and the personal information he collects may be used to steal your identity, according to one local real estate agent. Liz Lockhart, owner of Riverbend Realty, said Tuesday that she has received three calls about a rental ad seen on craigslist.org for a brick home at 1010 W. Main St. in Jackson. She is selling the property and said that ads to rent it are fraudulent...

Judge William Syler offered this warning to William Artadi in November: When handing down sentences, he usually went along with plea bargains. But not always. The judge showed Artadi the increasingly rare exception firsthand Tuesday, rejecting a deal the defendant made in exchange for admitting his role in a high-profile string of burglaries last year...

Debate about whether to approve projects financed with casino revenue now or wait for further public discussion ended in compromise at Tuesday's Cape Girardeau City Council meeting. Ultimately, the council decided to approve some projects, and further talk about the remainder next month...

According to his son, Louie "Pete" Underwood never bragged about serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, but occasionally talking about it didn't bother him. "He'd tell you what you wanted to know," Russell Underwood said. "But he never wore it on his sleeve."...

Taken at sunset on January 16, behind the mall

Today marks the first day in nearly 17 years Missouri's 8th Congressional District will be without a legislator in the U.S. House of Representatives. It's also the day a special election date set by the state's governor to replace the outgoing U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson will become official...

Central had little trouble at home against a potential district opponent

Voters in three Southeast Missouri counties will decide in April whether governments can charge a use tax that officials say is needed to make up for lost revenue after a 2012 ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court. County commissioners in Bollinger, Perry and Scott counties all have approved placing on April ballots a use-tax question that would allow the counties to collect a tax on out-of-state and person-to-person vehicle purchases. ...

Tori is a 3 month old lab mix puppy. She is available for adoption at The Humane Society 573-334-5837. See more available pets at www.semopets.org.

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Police in the eastern Missouri town of Park Hills say an altercation at a home prompted a man to shoot an acquaintance, then turn the gun on himself. The Park Hills Daily Journal reports that the altercation happened about 2 a.m. Sunday. Police say 22-year-old Joseph Lee Gilliam of Park Hills shot 30-year-old Billy Jo Edwards of rural Park Hills, then shot himself. Autopsies were performed Monday on both men...

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 23, the 23rd day of 2013. There are 342 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Jan. 23, 1973, President Richard Nixon announced an accord had been reached to end the Vietnam War, and would be formally signed four days later in Paris...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. — George Williams, 67, of Marble Hill, formerly of Tamms, Ill., died Monday, Jan. 21, 2013, at Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee, Mo. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Tamms.

Jacob Craddoc "Jake" Shrum, 73, of Hartville, Mo., formerly of Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties, died Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, at Hartville Care Center. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Almost Home Family Worship in Mountain Grove, Mo. Burial will be in Plainview Cemetery at Marble Hill, Mo., at a later date...

Gene Seabaugh, 84, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Patton, Mo., passed away Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, at the home of his daughters, Janet and Patsy Seabaugh. He was born May 7, 1928, in Bollinger County, son of Columbus and Esther Mayfield Seabaugh. He and Juanita Long were married April 10, 1957. She passed away Oct. 11, 1995...

Elberta Marie "Sue" Pettit, 71, of Scott City died Monday, Jan. 14, 2013, at her home. She was born April 1, 1941, in Selkirk, Mich., to Edward and Dorothy Thomas Pettit. Sue worked at Rhodes 101 in Scott City. She is survived by a sister, Evelyne Branan of Flint, Mich., and many friends...

Edith Nance, 89, of Jackson, formerly of Anna, Ill., died Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Crain Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

Eileen V. Hinton, 95, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. She was born Sunday, July 8, 1917, in Randles to Benjamin Franklin and Fannie Gertrude Slover Spain. She and George "Dewey" Hinton were married Sept. 3, 1936, in Anna, Ill. He preceded her in death May 18, 1985...

MARION, Ill. -- Ervin Felton, 82, of Marion died Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, at Parkway Manor of Marion. He was born Sept. 5, 1930, in Chicago to Walter Ervin and Agnes LeClair Felton. He and Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Holder were married Feb. 4, 1956. She preceded him in death March 21, 1976...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Vernadeane Bollinger, 86, of Marble Hill passed away Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, at Woodland Hills Nursing Home. She was born Aug. 14, 1926, to L.L. and Lunda M. Yount Bridges Sr. She and John Henry Bollinger were married Nov. 22, 1949. He passed away Nov. 18, 1989...

Truman Birk, 86, of Jackson died Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the chapel of McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the funeral home...

St. Louis Cardinals fans are familiar with the phrase the Cardinal Way. Analysts and those inside the game occasionally say, "He plays the game the right way." Sometimes these phrases are overused, bordering on cliché. Other times, it's the best description...

I read an article in the newspaper Jan. 15 where the Cape Girardeau County Commission gave the assistant prosecuting attorney, Angel Woodruff, a raise from $67,529 to $76,400, a raise of $8,871, which is more than 13 percent. Coroner John Clifton was given a raise from $37,500 to $41,250, an increase of $3,750, which is a 10 percent raise. They are increasing his office budget by $10,000...

By all means, let's ban assault weapons and reduce to a sane number the amount of bullets in a weapon's clip. Absolutely mandate and increase background checks on gun purchases. And certainly, let's monitor those with mental health issues to assure their access to guns in prohibited...

Ed McElfresh, who has more than 18 years of experience working with chimneys and chimney cleaning, has opened Cape Chimney Sweeps; the firm handles everything from chimney caps to fireplace accessories. The $400,000 "Caring for the Future" capital campaign at Southeast Missouri State University recently received a major boost with the gift of $50,000 from BioKyowa Inc.; the funds will be used for the Biokyowa Nursing Skills Laboratory...

The Jackson Police Department released the following items. Arrest do not imply guilt...

Firefighters responded to the following calls Monday:...

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

PARK CITY, Utah -- Just because a film isn't finished doesn't mean it can't get buzz at Sundance. Director Richard Robbins showed about 10 minutes of his new movie, "Girl Rising," at the independent-film festival Monday, even though he still has a few weeks of post-production work to do on the project...

Judge William Syler offered this warning to William Artadi in November: When handing down sentences, he usually went along with plea bargains. But not always. The judge showed Artadi the increasingly rare exception firsthand Tuesday, rejecting a deal the defendant made in exchange for admitting his role in a high-profile string of burglaries last year...

All the local high school events reported Tuesday to the Southeast Missourian.

CHICAGO -- Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Viktor Stalberg scored to back Corey Crawford, and the Chicago Blackhawks hung on to beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Tuesday night. The Blackhawks looked sharp in their home opener after impressive wins at defending champion Los Angeles and Phoenix, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs in the first round last season...

U.S. 60 in Carter County, from County Road 104 to Route M, will be reduced to one lane today as Missouri Department of Transportation crews make approach repairs. Weather permitting, work will take place from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Route K in Stoddard County closed for pipe replacement...

Son to Matthew John and Erin Therese Carlton of Imperial, Mo., St. Anthony's Medical Center, 11:24 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. Name, Benjamin Andrew. Weight, 6 pounds, 1 1/2 ounces. First child. Mrs. Carlton is the former Erin Cook, daughter of Kenneth and Diane Cook of Chaffee, Mo. She is an English teacher at Hillsboro High School. Carlton is the son of Mike and Karen Matthews of Columbia, Ill., and Richard Carlton of Austin, Texas. He is an assistant principal in the Windsor School District...

I want to compliment the city of Cape Girardeau for keeping the roads clear after the snowfall. I sure appreciate it. Thank you very much, city of Cape. Parents fault, not NRA Put the blame where the blame belongs. It's not the NRA's fault children are getting guns. Look at the parents...

O Lord Jesus, in all we say and do, may we be leaders of integrity. Amen.

WASHINGTON -- Seeking to regain their budget footing versus President Barack Obama, Republicans controlling the House are moving quickly to try to defuse a potential debt crisis with legislation to prevent a first-ever U.S. default for at least three months...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google's fourth-quarter earnings rose 7 percent as online advertisers spent more money in pursuit of holiday shoppers. The financial results announced Tuesday were a mixed bag. While the company's earnings topped analyst estimates, an accounting quirk caused net revenue to fall below the projections that guide investor expectations...

CONROE, Texas -- Nearly a year after their two children were found living virtually unsupervised in an old school bus in Southeast Texas, the parents regained full custody of their children Tuesday when a judge dismissed a child welfare case against them...

HOUSTON -- A shooting at a Texas community college wounded three people Tuesday and sent some students fleeing for safety while others with medical training helped tend the wounded. Harris County Sheriff's Maj. Armando Tello said authorities had detained a person of interest...

WASHINGTON -- The nation's high school graduation rate is the highest since 1976, but more than a fifth of students still are failing to receive their diploma in four years, the Education Department said in a study released Tuesday. Officials said the steady rise of students completing high school is a reflection of the struggling economy and a greater competition for new jobs...

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Abortion opponents marked the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision Tuesday with workshops, prayers and calls for more limits on the rights established by the Supreme Court in the landmark ruling that still defines one of the nation's most intractable debates...

ST. LOUIS -- Reliever Jason Motte and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a $12 million, two-year contract, avoiding salary arbitration. The 30-year-old right-hander had a career-high 42 saves in 49 chances last year, when he was 4-5 with a 2.75 ERA. He made $2 million...

Southeast Missouri State women's basketball coach Ty Margenthaler was looking for a point guard who could provide offense and experience to his second Redhawks squad. Junior college transfer Jordan Hunter has given the Redhawks that and more during her rookie Division I season in which she has established herself as one of the Ohio Valley Conference's top first-year players...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- In a classic matchup of speed versus size, the Sikeston Bulldogs' speed won out yet again. The Bulldogs toppled Jackson and its towering lineup on Tuesday night in a SEMO Conference tilt 77-65...

The tigers overcame distractions and poor shooting to win 71-65