Columbia Daily Tribune

Area Scene

Cain, Hassler win weekend races Columbia's Steve Cain won the Late Models feature Saturday night at Lake Ozark Speedway. Other winners included Holts Summit's David Payne in Modifieds, Tuscumbia's Dale Berry in Street Stocks and Syracuse's Adam Belt in Hobby Stocks.

Peggy Beckett 1961-2006

Peggy S. Purvis Beckett, 45, of Boonville passed away Sunday, July 30, 2006. Services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, at Boonesboro Cemetery.

A Rookie Year in the Rough ; Schultz Adjusting to Competition On the Pga Tour.

Jason Schultz had 10 years, from the time he turned pro in 1996 until last November, to think about what it would be like when he finally got the chance to play on the PGA Tour. The Hickman and MU graduate never envisioned it going like this.

Ray Rothenberger, 1932-2006

Dr. Ray R. Rothenberger, professor emeritus of horticulture at the University of Missouri, died Sunday, July 30, 2006, at University Hospital. Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, at First Christian Church, conducted by the Rev. John Yonker.

No Shortage of Stars Around Texas

Flip through the Texas football media guide and it becomes apparent that the Longhorns lead the Big 12 Conference in celebrity fans. On Page 84, there's Coach Mack Brown giving a Texas jersey to President Bush. Actor Matthew McConaughey, a real UT sycophant, pops up on Page 101 and again on 193 and 203. Elsewhere in the book, Tiger Woods, Jay Leno, Willie Nelson, Lance Armstrong and Kevin Costner show up alongside the Longhorns. But no star shines brighter than Vince Young, the former Texas q...

Cure Lies Outside of Courts

Our medical practice discovered that a recently discharged office administrator misappropriated several thousand dollars. The police were notified. This fellow then asked if we could "work things out" and avoid the legal system. Some of the physicians are willing to not press charges if he reimburses us. I feel we have an obligation to society and to potential future employers to continue with the criminal justice system. Agreed? - Name Withheld, New Jersey

Buddy Wegs 1931-2006

Bernard J. "Buddy" Wegs, 74, of Moberly died Monday, July 31, 2006, at his home. Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, at Cater Funeral Home with visitation from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday. Burial will be at Oakland Cemetery.

Accrediting Group to Review Mu Police

A team of officials in town this week to examine the University of Missouri-Columbia Police Department is seeking public comment. Assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. will arrive Saturday to examine department policies, procedures, management, operations and support service.

Annan, Meet the Truth

The following editorial appeared in Friday's New York Daily News: Kofi Annan's knee-jerk accusation that Israel appeared to have deliberately targeted a United Nations post on the country's Lebanese border is being exposed for what it was: a provable, damnable calumny.

Suspect Found with Gun-Toting Woman

The Boone County Sheriff's Department arrested a suspect in Saturday's robbery of a Blue Acres convenience store, along with an armed woman who was with him. Lance D. Godbey, 36, of Columbia and Marla Lucy Kay, 22, of 4001 S. Ponderosa, were arrested around 10:25 last night after officers received information linking Godbey to an armed robbery Saturday at the Blue Acres Little General Store, 4001 S. Ponderosa Drive.

Green Raises a Red Flag ; Trash-to-Diesel Idea Clouded by Pitchman.

FIFE, Wash. - As the machinery mounted on a flatbed truck chugged and rumbled -purportedly converting landfill trash into diesel fuel - Issaquah, Wash., entrepreneur Michael Spitzauer spoke confidently about how he and his company, Green Power, were out to reshape the world. The first plant, Spitzauer said, is to open next year on tribal land in this Tacoma, Wash., suburb; a second, in Montana, soon after. Within a decade, 1,500 plants are to open across the country, all simultaneously solvin...

Ole Miss Coach Cornered

BILOXI, Miss. - University of Mississippi football Coach Ed Orgeron made an interesting decision in February. He put the Rebels' future, not to mention his own, in the hands of junior college quarterback Brent Schaeffer.

William Jackson 1918-2006

William A. "Bill" Jackson, 88, of Boonville died at 3:30 a.m. Monday, July 31, 2006, at Lakeview Health and Rehab in Boonville. Services, conducted by the Rev. Eric Mattson, will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, at Grand View Funeral Home in Hannibal with visitation at 1 p.m. Thursday.

Bush Policy in Mideast ; Bloody Mess

Al-Qaida's No. 2 beard appeared on al-Jazeera television the other day and urged all Muslims to join a holy war against Israel. Ayman al-Zawahri told the faithful that the whole world is their "battlefield" and that they must keep fighting until Islam prevails from "Spain to Iraq."

Hospital Faces Big Decision ; Adviser: Go It Alone or Make Less Money.

While Boone Hospital Center has flourished under the private company that runs it, the county might rake in millions if it decides to make a risky leap to another manager. That's the crucial choice facing the hospital's trustees, according to a new consultant's report.

Arrests and Summonses

Authorities made the following arrests and issued summonses from 7 a.m. July 31 to 7 a.m. Aug. 1 COLUMBIA POLICE

Undaunted, Frist Continues Estate Tax Efforts

Senate Republican leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is at it again. Like a parent eager to have his child married and out of the house, he is determined to hitch his proposal to gut the estate tax to another bill - any bill - that can win enough votes to pass the Senate. Frist is like a parent who knows his offspring is shunned by polite society and hopes that marrying his child to some more respectable figure will solve the problem. His plan to get rid of most of the estate tax is becoming rather ...

Pastor Held On Charges of Sex Abuse ; Computer Messages Tip Off Teen's Mother.

A former Columbia minister has been charged with sexually abusing a 15-year-old local girl who attended his worship services. The Rev. Roberto Edgar Lopez, 36, was arrested yesterday in Monett on suspicion of one count of statutory sodomy and one count of statutory rape. He remained in the Lawrence County Jail today on a bond of $100,000, awaiting transfer to the Boone County Jail.

Playboy Gambles On Online Poker ; Sites Flourish Despite Illegality of Web Bets.

CHICAGO - Playboy Enterprises said yesterday it will jump into the burgeoning online poker business - though not in the United States. That's not surprising given that the U.S. Department of Justice's stance that Internet-based gambling is illegal.

Sale of Planes, Hangar Will Benefit Taxpayers, Cut Waste

Editor, the Tribune: Hank Waters' July 17 column "State Airplane; Blunt strikes again" merits rebuttal. Though Waters downplays it, the cost of owning and operating three underutilized planes is a poor use of state resources. Missouri will save over $175,000 annually by consolidating air operations. The airplanes, hangar and related assets we intend to sell are worth an estimated $825,000.