Stories from Friday, May 3, 2013

DONIPHAN, Mo. (AP) - Officials with ExxonMobil have repaired an oil pipeline in southeast Missouri, where a leak was discovered earlier this week. A resident near Doniphan, Mo., found oil leaking in his yard Tuesday. All told, about one barrel - roughly 42 gallons of crude oil - leaked from the Pegasus pipeline. The cause remains under investigation...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A Missouri House computer was used in an unsuccessful effort to access a secure website that contained the list of Missourians with concealed weapons permits, Gov. Jay Nixon's administration said Friday. State Office of Administration spokeswoman Misti Preston said the user tried to access the website 23 times around 10 a.m. ...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- The short-lived Advance dog ordinance that limited ownership to two dogs per household officially has been repealed by the city's board of aldermen. The ordinance went into effect March 18, but enforcement was suspended by Mayor Carl "Pete" Ritter less than a week later after numerous complaints from the city's dog owners....

ST. LOUIS -- Defenseman Barret Jackman scored his first career playoff goal with 50.4 seconds remaining, lifting the St. Louis Blues to a 2-1 win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings for the second straight time Thursday night...

ST. LOUIS -- Bickering between Missouri and Illinois about how to fund the sorely needed Mississippi River bridge at St. Louis stalled the $670 million project for years. With construction in full swing, the states are differing again, debating what the span should be named -- and who has the prevailing authority...

The members of the Leadership Cape Class of 2013 will present group projects at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee. Participants have developed ideas during monthly daylong workshops that began in January. The program will continue through July...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- A motorcyclist sustained serious injuries Wednesday afternoon in a crash on Highway 32 in Ste. Genevieve County. Dale Newman, 45, of Ste. Genevieve, Mo., was eastbound on Highway 32 on a 2008 Harley Davidson when he stopped to make a left turn into a private drive, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported...

Southeast Missouri State University will confer degrees to 1,333 students at spring commencement on May 11. The graduating class consists of 1,048 undergraduates, 283 graduate and specialist students and two cooperative doctoral students. Gary Downing, Southeast alumnus and chief executive officer of Insight Pharmaceuticals, will deliver the commencement address. ...

North Main Street will be closed from Broadway to Themis Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today for Fashion Friday. The event is "a collaborative effort to celebrate fashion, support shopping and highlight local businesses," according to a news release...

The SEMO Pachyderms will host Bill Federer, speaker and best-selling author. The program will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Dexter Bar-B-Que in Cape Girardeau. Federer will be presenting "Change to Chains, the 6,000 year quest for control." Federer will examine how power concentrates into the hands of one individual, and he will look at what makes the American experiment stand out in the course of history, according to a club news release. ...

Heavy rains could combine with high river levels to cause more flooding along the Mississippi River and its tributaries during the next few days, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service's hazardous weather outlook for the region warns of heavy rains moving into the area late Thursday, with up to two inches of rainfall possible throughout Southeast Missouri. Severe storms, however, aren't likely....

LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com Ellen Haskell picks out a dozen Dutch irises Thursday afternoon at the Cape Girardeau Farmers Market in the Town Plaza parking lot. The Cape Riverfront Market kicks off its season at 8 a.m. Saturday....

ST. LOUIS -- ExxonMobil officials and regulators on Thursday were investigating the cause of a small oil leak from the Pegasus pipeline in Southeast Missouri -- the second leak from the 850-mile pipeline in a month. The latest leak was discovered Tuesday near Doniphan, Mo. About 42 gallons of crude oil -- or roughly one barrel -- spilled into retiree Robert Cooley's yard...

A Saturday concert at the River Campus of Southeast Missouri State University is expected to delight children and grown-ups alike. "The Percussion Pops Family Concert," scheduled for 10:30 a.m. in Bedell Performance Hall, is free to the public. "Percussion Pops," presented by the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts, will feature rhythmic sounds of the Percussion Ensemble and Steel Drum Band conducted by Dr. Shane Mizicko, director of percussion studies at Southeast...

People were camping out Thursday in front of the Show Me Center, not for concert tickets -- for free dental care. "I'm a little hot, but I'm doing all right," said Troy Kidwell from his foldout chair, where he sits as the first person in line for the Missouri Mission of Mercy free dental clinic, which begins at 5 a.m. today at the Show Me Center. The clinic offers free services like cleaning, extractions and fillings to all ages. ...

In response to questions and requests for more information about the Common Core State Standards in education, about 125 people, including parents, school administrators and state education officials, were in attendance Thursday night at a public meeting at the Career and Technology Center...

A specially-equipped patrol cruiser on the streets of Cape Girardeau has the city's police department taking a step forward in using technology to solve crimes. But in some places where it's been used, the new gadget has led to concerns about degrading civil liberties...

An opportunity for small Cape Girardeau County communities to gain early warning sirens through a federal grant once thought dead in the water may get a chance after all. Associate Commissioner Paul Koeper during a commission meeting Thursday said a contract for a $290,000 federal grant to buy and install sirens in towns throughout the county appears to be on its way. Officials don't yet know all the details and requirements of the grant, but they expect to receive the contract next week...

A Scott City man is suing a furniture company and one of its drivers in connection with an April 5 crash that killed his daughter. Amelia Fisher, 17, of Grassy, Mo., was riding in a Toyota 4Runner on Highway 34 near Route U in Cape Girardeau County when a Slumberland Furniture truck crossed the centerline and collided with the SUV...

This was a week later after Taylor, the Turtle Dove, hatched. She left the nest this week and moved out into the real world. We hope she's doing good!

Taylor the turtle dove baby arrived safely! It was hard to get this shot because Mama didn't want to leave. I even petted her on her back & breast trying to coax her to leave. What a thrill that was because I thought she would attack me! I got this pic the next day...

Koehler decided to build her nest in my neighbor's, Gusta, bird feeder. She had 3 eggs but 2 of them disappeared.

Forrest Copeland sign's with Lindenwood Belleville to play baseball at the next level.

BRIDGING AN AFTERNOON OF FUN Saxony Village Retirement Community to host Bridge Party May 23 The game of bridge has been called elegant. Part science, part math. Part logic and reason. Based on strategy but also reliant human nuance -- and some 25 million Americans regularly play, according to the American Contract Bridge League...

Today is Friday, May 3, the 123rd day of 2013. There are 242 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 3, 1973, Chicago's 110-story Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower) was topped out after two years of construction, becoming the world's tallest building for the next 25 years...

McCLURE, Ill. -- Rita Boettcher, 78, of McClure died Tuesday, April 30, 2013, at Fountainbleau Lodge in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 27, 1934, in Germany to Konrad and Barbara Schmitt Brunner. She and Fred Boettcher Sr. were married in Germany...

The cities of Cape Girardeau and Jackson have agreed to provide a total of $45,000 to help fund a feasibility study of a proposed 8,500-acre recreational lake in parts of Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties; Cape Girardeau will furnish $25,000 toward the $98,687 study, while Jackson will contribute $20,000...

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

Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday:...

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

One of the joys of spring is the return of farmers markets. Last month the Cape Farmers Market kicked off its season at the Plaza Galleria parking lot. The weekly market is open from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursdays. A second farmers market for Cape Girardeau began last year. ...

Editor's note: The following letter to the editor was sent in response to the April 30 letter "Contrasting view on taxes." Consider the following: Life plus liberty equals property. The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things...

Some Missouri legislators continue to be hellbent about sending absurd messages to Washington. The latest is a law that would make it a crime to enforce federal statutes -- as yet not passed -- regarding firearms. How paranoid is that? Anticipating that the public fever is high right now regarding efforts on the national level to curb certain arms and those who would use them, Missouri's Republican legislators have pushed laws that would turn federal agents and prosecutors into criminals.. ...

On any given weekend, live music can be found in several locations in Cape Girardeau's nightlife scene. Stand-up comedy, though, is rare. Tonight, a stand-up show hosted by Vanessa Fraction, who has appeared on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and Nick Jr.'s "Mom Night Out," will be at Arena Park. Other comics performing are Damn Fool and Jovan Bibbs. The cost is $10 per person. The show begins at 9 p.m. at the 4-H Building...

STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- Among the procedures Army surgeon Hawkeye Pierce performed on "M.A.S.H." was an end-to-end anastomosis. Most of the viewers, actor Alan Alda concedes, had no idea he was talking about removing a damaged piece of intestine and reconnecting the healthy pieces...

It is very irresponsible for the Obama administration to cut the budget on domestic bombing prevention by 45 percent, which he did according to the former director of Homeland Security. This was done several months back and you see what happened. More bathrooms...

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

The 27th annual Eighth Congressional District High School Art Competition will feature student work from Southeast Missouri. Ten finalists will be named during the reception and the grand prize winner will earn the opportunity to compete in the National Congressional Art Competition in Washington, D.C. Work will be displayed through May 25...

Chamber Music Sundays at Three will present "Where East Meets West" at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Shuck Music Recital Hall at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus. Jennifer Judd will join Southeast violin professor Brandon Christensen in works for violin and piano by Chinese, Taiwanese and American composers. ...

I-55 ramp in Scott County reduced for pavement repairs A southbound Interstate 55 ramp in Scott County will be reduced to one lane with a 10-foot width restriction as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform pavement repairs. This is the ramp coming from U.S. 62 to I-55 south at Sikeston, Mo. The work will begin at 7 a.m. Monday and will continue through 5 p.m. Wednesday...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Stoddard County Sheriff's Department employee is in custody at what has been his place of employment for the past 22 years after a discrepancy was discovered this week in a business account he managed. The office manager at the Sheriff's Office, Johnny Michael Robey, 58, of Bloomfield was jailed after being charged with felony stealing...

NAIROBI, Kenya -- A decision by extremist Islamic militants to ban delivery of food aid and a "normalization of crisis" that numbed international donors to unfolding disaster made south-central Somalia the most dangerous place in the world to be a child in 2011...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. called Thursday for North Korea to grant amnesty and immediately release a Korean-American sentenced to 15 years' hard labor for "hostile acts" against the state. Kenneth Bae, 44, a Washington state man described by friends as a devout Christian and a tour operator, is at least the sixth American detained in North Korea since 2009. ...

MEXICO CITY -- Acknowledging uncertainty ahead, President Barack Obama said Thursday the U.S. will cooperate with Mexico in fighting drug-trafficking and organized crime in any way Mexico's government deems appropriate. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto emphasized that the security relationship must be expanded to focus on trade and commerce...

VATICAN CITY -- Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI came home to the Vatican on Thursday for the first time since he resigned Feb. 28, beginning an unprecedented era for the Catholic Church of having a retired pontiff living alongside a reigning one. Pope Francis welcomed Benedict outside his new retirement home -- a converted monastery on the edge of the Vatican gardens -- and the two immediately went into the adjoining chapel to pray together, the Vatican said...

AUSTIN, Texas -- The National Rifle Association has spent much of the last year under siege, ardently defending gun rights after mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut and fighting back against mounting pressure for stricter laws in Washington and state capitols across the country...

PHOENIX -- The prosecutor pounded his hand on the table to make his point and alternated between a loud demeanor and a soft-spoken, cordial tone as he called Jodi Arias a manipulative liar and displayed bloody crime-scene photos in the courtroom...

BOSTON -- The body of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was set to be claimed Thursday. Department of Public Safety spokesman Terrel Harris said authorities were informed someone would be claiming the 26-year-old's remains Thursday night. He had no more information...

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The teenage daughter of a woman who just revealed she abandoned her family 11 years ago on Thursday said the disclosure has angered her and she is not eager to restart their relationship. Morgan Heist, who learned last week Brenda Heist had surfaced in the Florida Keys, said the news has made her recall with bitterness the years of mourning she endured when she assumed her mother was dead and feared she'd been murdered...

Crain Funeral Home is collecting old cellphones for Cellphones for Soldiers, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday at its locations in Cape Girardeau, Anna, Ill., and Tamms, Ill. The phones will be collected and recycled by Veterans & Family Memorial Care. Proceeds will be used to purchase prepaid calling cards for soldiers overseas...

O Lord Jesus, glorious Savior, thank you for hearing all our prayers. Amen.

Murray State has lost 12 consecutive conference games entering this weekend's series

Southeast thrower wins award for big outdoor season as a sophomore

Associated Press MILWAUKEE -- Jake Westbrook reached a coveted milestone, finally. Westbrook allowed one run over six innings for his 100th career win and the St. Louis Cardinals held off the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-5 on Thursday night. "It's always been a goal of mine to get to 100, and it's good to get it done," he said...

Gordon Feeney of Jackson recently carded his third career hole-in-one at Kimbeland Country Club. Feeney used an 8-iron to ace No. 4, a par 3 playing 115 yards. Witnesses were Ray Boren and Wayne Steffens. Lachelle Cook and Virgil Schreckenberg took first place at the SEMO Horseshoe Association event Saturday at the Oran Jaycees...

Visual art pieces from nearly 100 students across Missouri's 8th Congressional District will be on display in the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri galleries as part of the 27th annual Eighth Congressional District High School Art Competition. The juried exhibition was created as a way to encourage artistic talent among students while presenting an opportunity to have their work displayed on a local and national level. ...

The season opener at Benton Raceway Park is set for Saturday, May 4. Hot laps begin at 5:30 p.m. with racing slated for 6 p.m. There will be racing in five categories: Crate Lates, UMP Mods, Limited Mods, Street Stocks and Pro4. Gates open at 4 p.m. Tickets are $8 for fans 15 and over, $4 for youths ages 10-14. Kids 9 and under are free.