Stories from Sunday, October 14, 2001

WASHINGTON -- When an outsider invades their territory, these animals stomp, sweep their heads back and forth and make loud tapping noises that declare: "This is my space! Back off!" Sometimes they even butt heads with interlopers. It sounds like bison or elephant seals or other feisty creatures protecting their homes, but scientists were surprised to see this same behavior in, of all things, caterpillars...

ST. LOUIS -- After a flood of phone calls from homeowners wondering if their tax bills are based on allegedly illegal property assessments, the County Council Chairman tells residents they should pay their property taxes. But homeowners with concerns should pay under protest, he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in Saturday's edition...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Tens of thousands of abandoned wells dot the Illinois landscape. Some lie in urban subdivisions, topped by rickety covers. Some are open holes in empty farm fields. All are potential health threats. People, especially children, can fall into the larger wells. Animals can get into the smaller ones, dying there and contaminating the water. Sewage or farm chemicals can leach into wells and reach the aquifers that supply water for miles around...

WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert is muscling through Congress a bill to make fellow Republican Ronald Reagan's boyhood home in Dixon, Ill., a national historic site. The measure is poised for a House vote even though there has been no feasibility study and no one knows what it will cost to buy the site. Hastert has so far brushed aside concerns from the Bush administration and even fellow GOP congressmen that it needs more review...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The supreme leader of Afghan-istan's Taliban rulers on Saturday rejected an overture from President Bush, saying the movement won't hand over Osama bin Laden to the United States, despite a weeklong U.S.-led air assault. The Taliban rebuff came hours after a bomb dropped in a pre-dawn airstrike went astray and destroyed homes in a Kabul neighborhood near the airport. ...

PARIS -- Neanderthals might not have been as savage as we think. A 200,000-year-old jawbone discovered in France suggests the primitive hominids took care of each other, in this case feeding a toothless peer, an international team of experts said Friday...

ABOARD THE USS ENTERPRISE -- With fears of anthrax-tainted letters in the United States, the captain of the USS Enterprise warned his crew Saturday to be "extremely careful" with mail received aboard the aircraft carrier. In an address to the crew over the ship's public address system, the captain said he is urging caution because of the possibility of letters and packages containing biological agents...

PARIS -- On Sept. 10, the day before terror struck New York and Washington, French prosecutors began looking into an alleged plot to attack U.S. interests in Europe, including the stately embassy building in Paris. The suspected power behind the scheme: Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network...

LAGOS, Nigeria -- Bands of Muslims and Christians rioted Saturday in the streets of the northern city of Kano, burning places of worship and killing an unknown number of people, witnesses and journalists said. The spark behind the latest outbreak of interreligious violence in northern Nigeria was not immediately clear. The rioting came a day after Muslim fundamentalists clashed with police during a street protest against U.S.-led airstrikes...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A lawyer presented defense arguments Saturday for eight imprisoned international aid workers charged with preaching Christianity and said he was optimistic the case would end with their release. None of the accused -- four Germans, two Americans and two Australians -- appeared for the hearing before an Islamic court. Pakistani defense lawyer Atif Ali Khan said he met with all eight, however...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City schools superintendent's decision to hire a public relations firm to help him prepare for a key meeting with state officials is drawing criticism from board members. Bernard Taylor Jr. hired the firm Oct. 3 for $60,450 without first getting the board's approval. Board policy requires approval for any non-emergency spending that exceeds $25,000...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- If you leave cat food out at night, you might be attracting unwanted nocturnal guests. If you leave your cat out ... well, Fluffy might become din-din for a coyote. Complaints about coyotes in urban areas are up 27 percent in a single year, notes Craig Miller, who studies human-beast interactions at the Illinois Natural History Survey...

ST. LOUIS -- Bud Smith found a way to top himself. The 21-year-old rookie, who threw a no-hitter last month, did his part to send the St. Louis Cardinals to a decisive Game 5 in the NL playoffs. In his mind, at least, his resourceful five-inning outing Saturday in a 4-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks that evened the series at two games each was more satisfying than his no-hit gem at San Diego...

ST. LOUIS -- Somehow, the game matching the last two NFC champions has the look of a mismatch. The St. Louis Rams' high-powered offense has a way of creating that perception, even against a New York Giants team fresh off a Super Bowl appearance. The Rams, who won the Super Bowl in 1999, are the lone unbeaten team in the NFL and have outscored their opponents 77-10 the past two weeks...

CLEVELAND -- The big kid with the big smile and bigger fastball was cool as usual, and now rookie C.C. Sabathia has the Seattle Mariners very, very nervous. Sabathia handled postseason pressure like a veteran and Omar Vizquel had six RBIs as Cleveland clobbered Seattle 17-2 in Game 3 of the AL playoffs on Saturday, moving the Indians one win from the AL championship series -- and of ending the Mariners' magical season...

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Mike Mussina did the hard work. Jorge Posada provided the only run. Then a backup cutoff man named Derek Jeter supplied the magic that kept the New York Yankees alive. Mussina pitched seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball, and Jeter made a breathtaking defensive play as the Yankees fought off elimination with a 1-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Saturday night...

By Stephen Wade ~ The Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Six rounds not only gave Mike Tyson some much needed work, it may also have gotten him another shot at the heavyweight title. In his longest fight since losing his title to Evander Holyfield five years ago, Tyson bloodied Brian Nielsen and knocked him down Saturday before the bout was stopped with the half-blinded Dane still on his stool after the sixth round...

TORONTO -- Doug Weight and the St. Louis Blues weren't about to blow another lead. Keith Tkachuk and Pavol Demitra each had a goal and an assist, and Weight scored his first goal for St. Louis in the Blues' 5-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night...

LAS VEGAS -- The last time Scott McCarron won a golf tournament, he shot a 1-over 73 to hold on in the cold and wind at the BellSouth Classic. A score like that on today may not even get him in the top 10 at the Invensys Classic at Las Vegas. McCarron shot a 9-under 63 Saturday in ideal conditions that left the TPC at Summerlin course defenseless to take a three-shot lead over Tom Lehman...

PITTSBURGH -- Now that he's passed 10,000 yards before his 30th birthday, it is becoming apparent there never has been an NFL running back like Jerome Bettis. There are big backs who gained thousands of yards -- Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, Franco Harris, John Riggins -- but none weighed as much as the 5-foot-11, 255-pound Bettis. All were taller. Most were faster...

Nathan Fridley has his Halloween costume perfectly planned, weeks in advance. No store-bought costume picked up at the last minute would do for him. The first-grader at Franklin Elementary School in Cape Girardeau will dress as the fictional character Harry Potter on Oct. 31...

JOCOTAN, Guatemala -- The U.N. World Food Program is calling on the international community to help thousands of Guatemalans suffering hunger and malnutrition following a four month drought. The World Food Program estimates that 65,000 people across Guatemala are suffering from life-threatening malnutrition after the drought wiped out corn, coffee and bean harvests they depended on to make ends meet. The lack of rain left more than 366,000 people malnourished across Central America...

JERUSALEM -- With Mideast violence declining in recent days, Israel is expected to scale back tough restrictions on Palestinian movements that have been a major point of friction throughout more than a year of fighting, both sides said Saturday. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Cabinet will hold its regular weekly session Sunday and will decide which measures to take at this stage, an Israeli government source said on condition of anonymity...

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's defense minister conceded Saturday that the military was involved in the explosion of a Russian airliner over the Black Sea last week, and he apologized for the tragedy. "We don't know the causes of this tragedy today, but we know that we are related to it," Defense Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk said at a news conference...

BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- It's a tough time to be in the laughter business, but Steve Wilson is undeterred. The 60-year-old laughter-therapy teacher has a two-day "World Laughter Tour" seminar at Lehigh University, where attendees paid up to $250 apiece to learn the finer points of hasya yoga, a kind of laughter aerobics...

Norman Williams has owned a gas mask since he was 15, but he never thought he'd need it. These days, the Fruitland, Mo., resident isn't so sure. "Certainly it seems more of a possibility," said the 57-year-old former Florida law enforcement officer on Friday. "What have there been now, four cases of anthrax?"...

DOVER, Del. -- The call to the 911 center came in the dead of night. "Help! I'm in a river!" the man shouted into his cell phone. "I'm in a river and my truck is sinking!" Dispatchers heard a scream, then a last frantic cry for help before the phone went dead...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Dr. Eric Kandel shared last year's Nobel Prize in medicine for figuring out what makes sea slugs remember. He's hoping the same technology can help aging baby boomers fight memory loss. Kandel is co-founder and scientific advisory board chairman of 3-year-old Memory Pharmaceuticals Corp., which has 20 scientists in Montvale, N.J., developing drugs based mostly on research Kandel began in the 1960s...

Brent Reed wasn't about to dump leftover paint on the ground. "You hate to pour it in your back yard. I love the trees," said Reed as he waited to drop off old cans of paint on Saturday during Cape Girardeau's hazardous waste collection day at the 4-H shelter in Arena Park...

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Even the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex can't escape the merciless progress of scientific knowledge. The truth is cruel: T. rex was probably T. wrecks. "If we did Jurassic Park 4," says Wyoming paleontologist Robert Bakker, "T. rex would be portrayed in a fear-, angst-ridden role -- sort of a large Woody Allen character."...

Nostalgia was the word of the evening -- and morning -- as Southeast Missouri State University basketball made a return to Houck Field House late Friday and early Saturday. With college basketball teams officially allowed to begin practice at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, the Southeast men and women staged a Midnight Madness session that has become popular at many schools across the country...

KENNETT, Mo. -- A great many of us, it seems, are in need of a power that seems greater than our own capacity to provide. Since Sept. 11, I have phoned or been called by friends from New York City to the West Coast, each wanting to discuss the horrible events that occurred so swiftly and so unexpectedly on an otherwise beautiful morning in September...

There's nothing like a sea slug to get my memory going. At least, that's the basis of research by Dr. Eric Kandel, who shared last year's Nobel Prize in medicine for figuring out what makes sea slugs remember. He's hoping his slug research can help aging baby boomers fight memory loss...

In the summer of 1953, before the days of color television and Elvis, when teen-agers spent Friday nights at sock hops, life was simple and Cape Girardeau was proud of the new high school that stood at 205 Caruthers Ave. It was just a gleaming new building until, on Sept. 2, students, traditions and dreams of things to come transformed it into a high school...

ANNA, Ill. -- Gray skies and muddy water dominated Union County's Colorfest Saturday, causing most outdoor events to be postponed and many vendors to lose a day's sales. Rain poured for most of the day Saturday, overflowing gullies and slicking down the leaf-covered streets...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Answers about how Sprint Corp. will deal with its continuing earnings decline could come next week when the Kansas City-based company makes public its third-quarter performance. Sprint has also promised an announcement soon on the fate of its troubled high-speed Internet and telephone business, ION...

NEW YORK -- The war on terrorism and the public's intense interest in the story has given the news divisions at ABC, CBS and NBC a renewed sense of purpose after several morale-sapping years. Each has responded nimbly to the breaking news demands, but then so have their cable competitors on CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC...

NEW YORK -- Right on cue, "Life 360" has arrived as a weekly magazine series exploring the human condition in imaginative ways. You could set your watch to it (well, sort of): Every decade or two, public television introduces such a series, which wins critical praise and even a loyal audience, then abruptly disappears. ...

NEW YORK -- A threatening letter mailed to Tom Brokaw from New Jersey one week after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks contained the anthrax that infected the NBC news anchor's assistant, authorities said Saturday. In Florida, five more newspaper employees tested positive for exposure to anthrax, but none showed symptoms of infection. And in Nevada, a letter sent to a Microsoft office also tested positive for the bacteria...

MIAMI -- Hurricane Karen developed Saturday in the Atlantic Ocean, but was not a threat to land, the National Hurricane Center said. Karen was about 400 miles north of Bermuda. Miles Lawrence, a hurricane specialist at the center, said the storm was moving toward the Canadian Maritime provinces, but the water that far north is too cold to support a hurricane this late in the year...

OMAHA, Neb. -- A school bus returning from a high school band competition veered off a road, went through a bridge guard rail and crashed into a gully Saturday. Three were killed and 29 were injured, some critically, authorities said. The victims -- two Seward High School students and the mother of a band member -- died at the scene, Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning said...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Eighty passengers and five crew members were held aboard a jet for three hours after it landed Saturday because a passenger said a man had dispersed a powdery substance in the ventilation system. The substance was confetti from a greeting card that a man had accidentally spilled, FBI spokesman Andrew Black said...

NEW YORK -- Firefighter James Sorokac gives a slight nod, the signal that starts yet another memorial service for a fallen brother. A borrowed firetruck from Elizabeth, N.J., slowly moves up the street while a double line of firefighters in dress blues stands at attention. Bagpipers from the New York City Fire Department follow, marching to a solemn drum beat...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Muslims should use the national spotlight focused on them since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to educate others about Islam and become more politically active, leaders said Saturday at the American Muslim Alliance's national convention...

Black holes have three observable properties: mass, rotation rate and charge. Up until now we have only been able to determine the mass of suspected black holes. There is a relationship known as Kepler's third law which relates orbital speed, distance and force of gravity due to mass. So far this as been our only evidence for black holes: we see gas rotating fast in a tight circle which can only be explained as a black hole...

WASHINGTON -- Any plan to boost the weakened U.S. economy should be temporary, aimed at the greatest need and not become bloated in cost through add-ons driven by a political agenda, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said Saturday. A day after the Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee approved a $100 billion package dominated by tax cuts, Daschle used the weekly Democratic radio address to urge President Bush and GOP congressional leaders to work toward a compromise reflecting those principles.. ...

Mr. and Mrs. John Powers of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 50th anniversary with a luncheon and reception Sept. 29, 2001, at First General Baptist Church. Powers and Myrna R. Glenn were married Sept. 29, 1951, in Piggott, Ark., by Judge T.A. French...

Let the world go I WAS reading Jon Rust's column about life in Uzbekistan. Everything he says is nice, and I'm happy for him that he was able to go there. But if you boil down his message, he's saying that it's good for the United States to give military and economic aid to other countries in the world. ...

10 years ago: Oct. 14, 1991 Cape Girardeau Patrolman Charlie Herbst likes to bicycle for recreation; but when Herbst climbed on bicycle Saturday morning, he embarked on new era of police protection in Cape Girardeau; he became city's first bicycle patrolman; Herbst patrolled Southeast Missouri State University Homecoming Parade route and its surrounding area Saturday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri state government's tax revenue for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2002 remained surprisingly steady, even recording some increases in the last three months as Jefferson City braced for a downturn. The General Revenue fund, which finances most state programs, currently stands 3.7 percent ahead of last year's first-quarter collections, although losses have been recorded in some categories...

ALTO PASS, Ill. -- Ruby M. Fox, 89, of Alto Pass died Friday, Oct. 12, 2001, at the Jonesboro Health Care Center. She was born Jan. 11, 1912, at Alto Pass, daughter of Zachariah and Emma Dunham Lyerla. She and Louie Fox were married Nov. 22, 1927, at Alto Pass. He died Nov. 8, 1995...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Agnes Alida Trankle, 75, of Leopold died Friday, Oct. 12, 2001. She was born on June 11, 1926, at Laflin, Mo., daughter of Fred William and Louise Ann Anger Elfrink. She and Fred William Trankle were married Feb. 23, 1952, at Leopold. He died Aug. 20, 2000...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Karl Marcus Sweitzer, 82, of Cobden died Friday, Oct. 12, 2001, at the Union County Hospital in Anna, Ill. He was born Jan. 14, 1919, at Cobden, son of Joseph A. and Alvina Vitt Sweitzer. He and Marie White were married Nov. 15, 1947, at Cobden...

Marie L. Hazel, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Oct. 12, 2001, at her home. She was born Oct. 8, 1915, at Fornfelt, Mo., daughter of Henry A. and Bertha Hanschen Voges. She and Henry Homer Hazel were married May 12, 1937, at Cape Girardeau. He died May 7, 1977...

ZALMA, Mo. -- Ray A. Gramlisch, 77, of Zalma died Saturday, Oct. 13, 2001, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by Morgan Funeral Home in Advance, Mo.

R. Wayne Lorch, 58, of Bartlett, Ill., was born on March 2, 1943, at Cape Girardeau, the son of Leonard and Claudine Tippett Lorch, and passed away Oct. 11, 2001, at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Ill. Wayne was a retired management supervisor; he had worked for U.S. Steel Corp. in Chicago, Ill., for 18 years. He was a 1961 graduate of Advance High School where he was an all-state basketball player...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Tobi Anne Raney and Ryan James Layton were married Aug. 11, 2001, at La Croix United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Jeff Miller, uncle of the bride, performed the ceremony. Pianist and soloist was Chris Nall of Cape Girardeau...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Nicole Lynn Wadlington and Scott David Winkler were united in marriage Sept. 29, 2001, at Clearview General Baptist Church. The Rev. Larry Rouse performed the double ring ceremony. Sheila Williams of Cape Girardeau was flutist and pianist. Soloists were Christi Bachew and Jason Bachew of Cape Girardeau. Jamie Styles of Nashville, Tenn., cousin of the bride, read scriptures...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Jerry and Linda Eggimann of Advance announce the engagement of their daughter, Stacy Eggimann, to Mark Harris. He is the son of Dennis and Dorthy Harris of Minneapolis, Kan. Eggimann is a graduate of Advance High School, and received a master's degree in nursing from the University of Missouri. She is a nurse practitioner at Cardiovascular Specialist in Springfield, Mo...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Paul and Rosemary Horrell of Scott City announce the engagement of their daughter, Mary Kay Horrell, to Ben Harrell. He is the son of G.C. and Cathy Harrell of Chaffee, Mo. Horrell received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University in 1997. She is a customer service representative at Spartech Plastics...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Kevin and Mary Monahan of Marble Hill announce the engagement of their daughter, Nina Katherine Vandagriff, to Jonathan Charles Goodpasture, both of Jackson, Mo. He is the son of Charles and Patsy Goodpasture of Jackson. Vandagriff is also the daughter of the late Darrell Curt Vandagriff...

Donald Wilson of Grandin, Mo., announces the engagement of his daughter, Patricia Jean Wilson, to Eric Wade Limbaugh, both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Danny Limbaugh of St. Louis and the late Debra Poch. Wilson is also the daughter of the late Gloria Wilson...

Daryl and Kelly Burchett of Mayview, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer Danielle Burchett, to Benjamin David Suchman. He is the son of Randal and Janice Holland of Cape Girardeau and Lester and Mary Ann Suchman of St. Louis. Burchett is a student at Central Christian College of the Bible at Moberly, Mo...

The Rev. and Mrs. William Matzat of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Michele Ann Matzat, to Kurt Dean Lord. He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Richard Lord of Chesterfield, Mo. Matzat is a graduate of Central High School. She received a bachelor's degree from Washington University and a master's degree from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. She is a marketing manager at Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum Inc. in St. Louis...

Grace United Methodist Church was the setting May 19, 2001, for the wedding of Krista Faith Bridges and William Keith Baker. The Rev. Anselm Williams performed the double ring ceremony. Organist and pianist was Laura Bollinger, flutist was Misty Massa, both of Cape Girardeau; guitarist was Julie Walker of Jackson, Mo.; and vocalists were Mike Dumey of Cape Girardeau, Robyn Hosp of Jackson, and Julie Walker...

Amy Beth Puchbauer and Ryan Sean Smith were married July 28, 2001, at Trinity Lutheran Church. The Rev. Douglas Breite performed the double ring ceremony. Music was provided by Madeline Rasche of Cape Girardeau. The bride is the daughter of Carl and Patsy Puchbauer of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Charlie and Carolyn Smith...

Rosie Ann Backfisch and Preston Dale Arnold were married July 28, 2001, at Grand Lido Resort in Negril, Jamaica. The Rev. James MA Peont performed the double ring ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Mary Backfisch of Kelso, Mo., and the late Aloysius Backfisch. The groom is the son of Calvin Arnold and Bonnie Kaminsky of Sikeston, Mo...

To the editor: More than half of Minnesota's state workers walked off the job Oct. 1, fulfilling a strike threat that has been looming for several months. The strike came one week after a broad coalition of Missouri associations, state workers and lawmakers filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Missouri Gov. ...

To the editor: New research published in the British Journal of Cancer shows vitamin D, which helps the body take up calcium from food and which has a role in cell growth and death, may help protect against breast cancer and in some forms may even be used to shrink existing tumors...

To the editor: I take great exception to David Limbaugh's thesis that "certain journalists and academics" find the flag repugnant. Although I consider myself fortunate to have been born in the United States, I have never bought nor displayed the flag nor any of the pseudo-patriotic trash with which too many of my fellow citizens are festooning their bodies, cars and places of business...

President Bush's splendid performance in Thursday night's press conference further burnished his credentials as the right man at the right time for the right job. How fortunate we as Americans are, when the awful crucible of war is forced upon us, that we have him and not others at the helm. ...

P Control of the U.S. Senate may hinge on the outcome of this contest between a former U.S. representative and a sitting U.S. senator. This last week, former U.S. Rep. Jim Talent made it official. He is in the race for next year's U.S. Senate seat currently held by Jean Carnahan...

Cape Girardeans joined millions of Americans last week in registering shock, surprise and sympathy at the news that native son Rush Limbaugh, at age 50, has suffered a catastrophic hearing loss over the last four months. Limbaugh disclosed Tuesday to his unmatched national audience that he is, "for all practicable purposes, deaf," with no hearing at all in his left ear and only 20 to 30 percent of normal hearing in his right ear. ...

Cape Girardeau Sunday, Oct. 14 DWICharles Martin, of Jackson, Mo., was arrested Friday for driving while intoxicated. Stan Matlock, of 1952 Carolina, was arrested Friday for driving while intoxicated and driving with a revoked license. ArrestsGywnda Binkard, of Kennett, Mo., was arrested Friday on a warrant for forgery...

Cape Girardeau Sunday, Oct. 14 Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday:At 6:16 p.m., a still alarm at 1025 N. Sprigg. Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday:At 11:44 a.m., an alarm sounding at 4072 Nash Rd. At 12:17 p.m., power lines down at 148 E. Cape Rock Drive...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush is slowly filling in the blanks on his war against terrorism, dropping hints and dribbling details about his military and diplomatic objectives and a sketchy timetable for achieving them. When he announced the first airstrikes Oct. ...

Ken Lipps thought the fall edition of the Veterans Home News distributed on Friday was just another successful effort to promote the Cape Girardeau home for elderly veterans. And then he checked his voice mail Saturday. Instead of describing residents setting up the "Avenue of Flags" outside the Missouri Veterans Home, a caller informed Lipps, a front-page photo caption mentioned the "Avenue of Rags."...

Some results from polls released Saturday. The Time/CNN poll of 1,044 adults was taken Friday and has an error margin of 3 percentage points. The Newsweek poll of 1,004 adults was taken Thursday and Friday and has an error margin of 3 percentage points...

WASHINGTON -- Allied warplanes attacked military installations in southern Iraq Saturday in the third such attack this month. The planes used precision-guided weapons to hit a command and control target in response to continued threats to patrolling U.S. and British pilots, said a statement from U.S. Central Command, which oversees the operation...

ATHOL, Mass. -- The people of Athol will have the chance to vote next week on an unusual question: should horses, cats and dogs be allowed to join their owners in a tavern for a drink? Patricia Demarest said she meant it as a joke when she sent in the petition. She told the Telegram & Gazette she wanted to poke fun at Selectman Jim White, who rode a horse into a local bar, despite town law prohibiting animals in such establishments...

Paint, paper and flooring replaced within the last two years help to make this Clarkton Place home move-in ready. The easy care vinyl exterior only adds to its appeal. With 3,800 square feet of finished living space, even a large family will feel right at home...

ASH GROVE, Mo. -- Tiffany Holman fired a one-hitter as Marion C. Early ended Delta's season with a 1-0, eight-inning victory in a Class 1A quarterfinal game Saturday. Holman continued her dominating form as she obtained 22 of the 24 outs via the strikeout...

Most of us like things just right. Extremes make us uncomfortable. Excessive heat, too much to eat, too much to do and limitless rain are examples of excess that can be bad. On the opposite end of the spectrum bitter cold, not enough to eat, a lack of things to do and drought are just as bad...

The 16th annual SEMO Cup Golf Tournament was postponed Saturday and rescheduled for Nov. 5. The field, consisting of eight area golf clubs, completed about eight holes at Cape Girardeau Country Club before play was suspended. Matches will be replayed with an 18-hole format: nine holes best ball and nine holes scramble...

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- A passing attack? Who needs it? Certainly not Eastern Illinois, even though the Panthers possess quarterback Tony Romo, second in the nation in passing efficiency and the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Ken Dorsey threw three touchdown passes and No. 2 Miami pulled away with a 28-point third quarter in a 49-27 victory over Florida State on Saturday. The loss ended No. 14 Florida State's 54-game home unbeaten streak as well as its 37-game winning streak at Doak Campbell Stadium dating to 1991, when the Hurricanes beat them 17-16...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Ennis Haywood continues to live up to Iowa State's burgeoning football tradition. The hardly recruited back from Dallas posted his third 100-yard rushing game of the season Saturday, running for 120 yards and two touchdowns as Iowa State beat Missouri 20-14...

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Saturday afternoon's game between Eastern Illinois and visiting Southeast Missouri State University had a surreal feel to it that evoked memories of classic, old-time football often seen on ESPN's "NFL Films" series. The squads played the entire contest in a total downpour and, since heavy rain had also fallen most of the day leading up to the game, the grass field at O'Brien Stadium became a quagmire just minutes after the opening kickoff. ...

By Larry Lewis Southeast Missourian Southeast Missouri State University women's soccer team dominated Tennessee Tech 2-0 in a pivotal Ohio Valley Conference matchup at Houck Stadium Saturday night. "We were solid from start to finish," said Southeast coach Heather Nelson. "We had more people step up and play well than we've had, probably, all season."...

Notre Dame and Perryville had their quarterfinal softball games rained out and both have been rescheduled for Monday. Notre Dame (25-3) will meet Clopton (22-4) at 5 p.m. at the Ballwin Athletic Complex in a Class 2A game. Perryville (16-13) and Lutheran South (23-5) will play at the same time and location in a 3A matchup...

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Cape Central's football team ended a three-game losing streak Saturday, knocking off Ritenour High 17-6 despite wet, sloppy conditions on the road. The Tigers led 17-0 at halftime and the Huskies scored a late touchdown. Central got on the board in the first quarter when Marcus Klund -- who also had a fumble recovery and interception in the first quarter -- scored from 3 yards out...

Despite the fact that our seasons are known as spring, summer, autumn, winter, and are dutifully marked off in our almanacs and calendars, we can give them our own names according to our whims and impressions. Thus, I'm now living in my own Leaf Time season. It started way back when the tiny leaves of the pussywillow and "Frog's Tongue" leek started to unfurl but I probably called it Tulip Time...