Stories from Wednesday, October 2, 2013

NEW YORK (AP) -- Best-selling author Tom Clancy, whose wildly successful technological thrillers made him one of the biggest publishing phenomena of his time, has died. He was 66. Clancy arrived on best-seller lists in 1984 with "The Hunt for Red October." He sold the manuscript to the first publisher he tried, the Naval Institute Press, which had never bought original fiction...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama summoned congressional leaders to the White House on the second day of a partial government shutdown that has furloughed hundreds of thousands of workers and closed military cemeteries as far away as France. Republican leaders welcomed the Wednesday afternoon meeting but questioned whether Democrats were ready to deal...

The pressure is on for the federal government and states running their own health insurance exchanges to get the systems up and running after overloaded websites and jammed phone lines frustrated consumers for a second day as they tried to sign up for coverage using the new marketplaces...

LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com People line Broadway at the intersection of Fountain Street, Wednesday night, Oct. 2, 2013, as Ben Affleck, right, and another actor film a scene from 20th Century Fox's feature film, "Gone Girl", in front of the old federal building in Cape Girardeau....

The one-year extension of the 2008 farm bill expired Monday in the midst of a government shutdown, marking the first day of a lapse in the bill since it was extended last year. The U.S. House of Representatives last weekend passed a resolution reinserting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program into a larger version of the farm bill, which includes rural development and commodities, according to Garret Hawkins, director of national legislative programs for the Missouri Farm Bureau Federation. ...

CHICAGO -- Americans got their first chance Tuesday to shop for health insurance using the online marketplaces that are at the heart of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, but government websites designed to sell the policies struggled to handle the traffic, with many frustrated users reporting trouble setting up accounts...

WASHINGTON -- First slowed, then stalled by political gridlock, the vast machinery of government clanged into partial shutdown mode Tuesday and President Barack Obama warned the longer it goes, "the more families will be hurt." Republicans said it was his fault, not theirs...

Although its been a little more than 200 years since the last big one hit, the New Madrid Seismic Zone is still a hot spot for earthquakes. New research conducted by U.S. Geological Survey scientists shows why the zone is unique and may continue to pose a higher earthquake risk than adjacent areas in the central United States...

Across the region Tuesday, many federal government offices normally open for services might as well have posted signs on the door "Be back in?" as a partial shutdown closed down some completely and scaled back operations at others. A congressional failure to reach a deal on funding federal government agencies by midnight Monday meant that visitors were left unable to access national parks and monuments, and some agriculture services and Social Security offices ran on less than half normal staff as employees took furloughs. ...

You won't have to be of German heritage to enjoy the first Uptown Jackson Oktoberfest, but it couldn't hurt. "If people want to wear German attire with lederhosen, we encourage that," said Lisa Walker, Oktoberfest chairwoman. "It will only make things more fun."...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Perryville Board of Aldermen on Tuesday moved a step closer to accepting a countywide conservation plan designed to help protect an endangered fish. The board heard the first reading of an ordinance entering the city into an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with county, state and federal entities to implement the Perry County Community Conservation Plan...

The Immaculate Conception Choristers of Jackson will be performing in Branson as part of Veterans Week. On Friday, Nov. 8, they will be part of the Walmart Salutes Veterans Show. Jason Yeager of American Idol season 7 will serve as emcee. Other performers in the show include popular Branson stars the Hughes Brothers and Barbara Fairchild. ...

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- A suburban St. Louis fire district is banning firefighters from wearing pink T-shirts, saying the shirts -- which support Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October -- are unprofessional. Dozens of fire districts in the region participate in the Pink Heals Movement, a national effort started by an Arizona firefighter to generate awareness and support for women battling breast cancer. Chesterfield firefighters say they have worn the shirts the last four years...

Today is Wednesday, Oct. 2, the 275th day of 2013. There are 90 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Oct. 2, 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court as the court opened its new term...

ST. LOUIS -- A state appeals court in St. Louis has upheld the use of red-light cameras in the suburban community of Creve Coeur. In an opinion released Tuesday, the Missouri Court of Appeals' Eastern District sided with a previous St. Louis County Circuit Court ruling in favor of Creve Coeur and its camera vendor, American Traffic Solutions Inc. The suit was brought by four people who received tickets for running red lights...

SEDALIA, Mo. -- Missouri's 102-year-old State Fairgrounds will be getting $2.2 million in infrastructure improvements. Gov. Jay Nixon announced the upgrades Tuesday at the nearly 400-acre fairgrounds in Sedalia. The work will focus on the stormwater management system to tackle leaks and improve drainage, partly by repairing and replacing pipes throughout the site. The improvements will also address connections between the fairgrounds and Sedalia's stormwater system...

More than 100 craft beer samples from more than 25 microbreweries will be offered during the second annual Cape Girardeau Craft Beer Festival on Saturday. The festival, scheduled from noon to 4 p.m., will be at Arena Park in the SEMO Fairground Bank of America Show Arena. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a trial judge's dismissal of charges against a man accused of violating the state's prohibition on gun possession by convicted felons. Arthel Ford Harris pleaded guilty in 2001 to a felony for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. ...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- A Wyatt man was sentenced to 10 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on Monday for child abuse, assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Jeff Hemphill, 27, was sentenced in the Circuit Court of Mississippi County by Judge David Dolan after being found guilty in a jury trial Aug. 23...

Son to Clint Russell Yarbro and Shelby Lynn Davis of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Hospital, 8:47 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013. Name, Jace Allen, Weight, 8 pounds, 5 ounces. First child. Ms. Davis is the daughter of Candy Ank of Cape Girardeau. Yarbro is the son of Russell Yarbro and Christey Yarbro of Cape Girardeau, and the late April Yarbro...

The fourth annual Outdoor Worship Service of Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel is held in the morning at Cape County Park South; pastor of the church is the Rev. William Matzat. The Rev. Jerry L. Webb was installed as pastor of West Side Church of God last night; he is a native of Dayton, Ohio, and received a bachelor of arts degree in 1978 from Anderson University...

NEW ORLEANS -- An employee of the company that owned the doomed Deepwater Horizon drilling rig testified Tuesday he was surprised when BP scrapped his team's design to stop the gusher in the Gulf of Mexico. Robert Turlak, a Transocean Ltd. manager, was a witness for his employer at a federal trial that focuses on BP's response to the April 2010 well blowout. ...

BUENA VISTA, Colo. -- A 13-year-old girl said her father shielded her as boulders crashed down on them on a Colorado hiking trail -- an action authorities say probably saved her life even as her father and four other family members were killed...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Insults dished out by food critic Anthony Bourdain on an episode of CNN's "Parts Unknown" have stirred up outrage in New Mexico -- and now he acknowledges that he was wrong. The sharp-tongued chef and writer lashed into the "World Famous" Frito pies sold at Santa Fe's Five & Dime General Store's snack bar. The store is a tourist attraction and a mainstay in the city's historic plaza...

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis says he doesn't want a "Vatican-centric" church concerned about itself but a missionary church that reaches out to the poor, the young, the elderly and even to non-believers. That's the vision he laid out as he opened a landmark meeting Tuesday on reforming the 2,000-year-old institution...

UNITED NATIONS -- North Korea on Tuesday spurned South Korea's offer of development aid in exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons, saying "this can never, ever, be a political bargaining chip." North Korean counselor Sang Beom Lim was speaking in the "right of reply" session at the end of the annual General Assembly speeches, when countries unleash their most outspoken diplomats to counter arguments made by other countries in their high-level speeches...

BEIRUT -- Wading into the world spotlight, international inspectors arrived in Damascus on Tuesday to begin the monumental task of overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons in the middle of a civil war. The inspectors from a Netherlands-based chemical weapons watchdog have about nine months to complete their mission that calls for finding, dismantling and eliminating President Bashar Assad's estimated 1,000-ton arsenal...

UNITED NATIONS -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu played the spoiler Tuesday to any easing of Iran's relations with the West, telling world leaders his country will do whatever it takes to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, even if it has to stand alone...

WASHINGTON -- There's at least one constant in a government shutdown: The 532 members of Congress continue to be paid -- at a cost of $10,583.85 per hour to taxpayers. Lawmakers get their pay even as hundreds of congressional staffers are sent home, packs of tourists are turned away at the Capitol, and constituent services in many offices grind to a halt. Most entrances to House and Senate office buildings and underground parking garages are closed...

Government shutdown. Obamacare. Debt ceiling. Iran. Syria. Amnesty. Let's count the ways our elected officials can find disagreement and continue to disregard the American people. But as we all know, the list is growing daily. As the great modern-day philosopher Rodney King once said, "Can't we all get along?"...

Alma Schrader Elementary School students and staff first participated in Constitution Day at the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. Now in its 12th year, school officials say students look forward to the uplifting festivities. Last month, the assembly of students heard from special speakers and local officials and joined in song to celebrate Constitution Day. ...

In this day and age, it seems we're all running an endless race to be better than someone else or to one-up them somehow. We should strive to be more like Christ, rather than pleasing other people. The tea party is referring to the new Common Core standards as Obama Core, despite the fact he and the federal government had nothing to do with its creation. ...

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

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to the following calls Monday:...

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

FT. WORTH, Texas -- Eric Eugene Lyles, 51, of Ft. Worth passed away Monday, Aug. 26, 2013, at his home. He was born July 9, 1962, in Dallas to the late Cecal Ray and Carolyn Maxine Carter Lyles. Eric held a bachelor's degree in computer science and worked as a software developer...

Annabelle A. Keusenkothen, 82, of Jackson died Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

Anna Marie Daume, 91, of Cape Girardeau passed away Friday, Sept. 27, 2013, at Saint Francis Medical Center. She was born April 20, 1922, in Cape Girardeau County, one of five children to Julius F. and Pauline Friedrich Nebel. She and Walter H. Daume were married April 25, 1943, at Zion Lutheran Church in Gordonville. They had been married 45 years when Walter died Oct. 21, 1988...

Michael Leon Borden, 55, of Scott City passed away Monday, Sept. 30, 2013, in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He was born Jan. 11, 1958, in St. Louis, to Johnny Lee Borden and Suedell Puckett Brown. Survivors include a son, Michael Borden Jr. of Sikeston, Mo.; three stepchildren, Melissa Vinson of Cape Girardeau, Teddy Vinson of St. ...

DETROIT -- Automakers expect little effect from the federal government shutdown, and they predict a fourth-quarter rebound after a rare sales decline in September. Auto sales dropped 4 percent from a year ago to just over 1.1 million, mainly due to a calendar quirk that pulled Labor Day weekend transactions into August's numbers. The drop ended a 27-month streak of gains for the industry...

NEW YORK -- A new survey of U.S. Jews has confirmed some of the community's worst fears: One in five American Jews say they have no religion, and their ranks appear to be growing. Jews in this category feel pride in being Jewish and a strong sense of belonging to the greater Jewish community. ...

MCALLEN, Texas -- Eight of the 34 young migrants who presented themselves to immigration officials at the U.S.-Mexico border without legal documents have been released from U.S. custody, a lawyer said Tuesday. The others remained in detention, but U.S. authorities haven't said where, immigration attorney David Bennion said...

Central boys soccer coach Dan Martin likes the way his team has responded after a slow start to the season. Tuesday night was no different as the host Tigers made a two-goal first half stand up for a 2-0 win over Poplar Bluff. The win was the Tigers' fifth in a row and upped their season record to 9-6, Poplar Bluff fell to 1-10-1...

Southeast men figure to feature a different type of team this season.

ST. LOUIS -- Falling one hit shy of 200 didn't dampen the excitement of Matt Carpenter's breakout season. The St. Louis Cardinals leadoff man isn't that big on statistics, and he didn't even notice he was within range until the last few days. There have been so many other accomplishments for a player who's become a star so fast he's emerging as a leader and yet not above getting the rookie treatment...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams re-signed outside linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar, who was waived at the beginning of a four-game suspension to start the season. Dunbar was the team's second-leading tackler last year and coach Jeff Fisher had said there might be a chance of re-signing him...

BAGHDAD -- An Iraqi sheik cradled his grandson's tightly wrapped body Tuesday, his face grim and his eyes downcast, trailed by men bearing the coffin of the infant's mother. The mother and son were killed the day before by a bombing in Baghdad -- two among nearly 1,000 Iraqi lives lost to violence in September...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The digital domain is creeping off our desktops and onto our bodies, from music players that match your tunes to your heart beat, to mood sweaters that change color depending on your emotional state -- blue for calm, red for angry. There are vacuum shoes that clean the floor while you walk and fitness bracelets, anklets and necklaces to track your calorie burning...

O Father God, may we love one another, always pointing others to you. Amen.

The Southeast Missouri State volleyball team saw its magic in five-set matches run out Tuesday night in Martin, Tenn. Host Tennessee-Martin overcame a sizeable fifth-set deficit to squeeze out a 25-21, 25-27, 26-24, 22-25, 15-13 victory. Southeast fell to 8-9 overall and 1-2 in Ohio Valley Conference play with its second straight OVC loss...

The Perryville boys soccer team continued its impressive season Tuesday night by routing visiting De Soto 7-0. Perryville, which improved to 15-3, got two goals apiece from Emilio Mattingly and Eann Bergman. Kyle Wood, Emmanual Miranda and Juan Hernandez all added one goal apiece...