Stories from Tuesday, January 15, 2002

Scott County tax liens and lien discharges recorded at the office of Tom Dirnberger, Scott County recorder of deeds, during the month of December are filed by the Missouri Department of Revenue except as indicated by IRS designation. For information concerning the dollar amount of the liens, contact the recorder's office at 545-3551...

The Pulaski-Alexander Soil and Water Conservation District's 54th annual meeting will be held Jan. 24 in the cafeteria at Shawnee Community College. A 6 p.m. dinner will be followed by the business session at 7 p.m. Three directors will be elected, and the group's "Conservation Farmer of the Year" will be introduced...

The decline of the stock market since early 2000 has taught many unseasoned investors a hard lesson -- the value of diversification. This isn't merely a matter of diversifying among stocks, though that's important. It includes diversifying among asset classes, and one asset class overlooked by many investors is real estate...

Julie O'Keefe, attorney with Armstrong Teasdale LLP, will discuss Occupational Safety and Health Administration's new injury and illness record-keeping standards during a program to be held Jan. 31 at Drury Lodge in Cape Girardeau. The conference will be from 1-4 p.m., with registration at 12:30 p.m...

Bill's Dollar Stores at Marble Hill, Hayti, Portageville, Campbell and Seneca have closed operations. Louis DeCarlo, vice president of the Columbia, Miss., group which operates discount stores in 13 southeastern states, said the Missouri stores were the northernmost locations...

Missouri construction through 11 months of 2001 was up 5 percent, but November totals were down in all phases -- residential, nonresidential building and nonbuilding. Total construction for the year going into the final months topped $7.4 billion going into December, up from the $7 billion during the same period in 2000, according to the F.W. Dodge Division of McGraw-Hill Cos., which keeps tabs on the nation's construction...

The Small Business Development Center will conduct counseling sessions at Cape Girardeau, Sikeston and Perryville in January. The counselor, Gil Degenhardt, will be available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 16 at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce office. The counseling sessions (about one hour) are free. Call 335-3312 for appointment...

Dates have been established for the 16th annual Heartland Agriculture and Natural Resource Expo, which will be held at the Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff. More than 100 booths will display products relating to all aspects of agriculture and natural resources in Southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas...

By David Keene WASHINGTON -- Except in time of war, U.S. elections tend to turn on the incumbent party's handling of the economy. It is a truism the Democrats may run smack into as they prepare to run against a party headed by a popular wartime leader during an economic upswing...

"What's Ahead for the Year 2002?" is the theme of the fourth annual Economic Outlook Conference scheduled Feb. 15 on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University. The conference will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Glenn Auditorium of Robert A. Dempster Hall...

Closely held and family businesses are responsible for a large percentage of the current and projected job growth in this country. This is due partly to the increased education of small business owners by accounting firms, law firms, the government and others. This process has increased these small business owners' awareness about how to create a desirable workplace and attract and keep valuable employees...

Disasters come in all shapes and forms. The more you travel the more you realize it is not if disaster will strike, but when. Over the years I have experienced many small disasters that have certainly broadened my horizons and taught me many valuable lessons...

Cape Girardeau County tax liens and lien discharges recorded at the office of Janet Robert, Cape Girardeau County recorder of deeds, during the month of December are filed by the Missouri Department of Revenue except as indicated by IRS designation. For information concerning the dollar amount of the liens, contact the recorder's office at 243-8123.Tax Liens Against:...

Southeast Missouri Dr. Donna Allmon, a family practitioner, has affiliated with MedStop One in Cape Girardeau. Bradley Tuschhoff has joined Schott & Van de Ven in Cape Girardeau as a certified public accountant. Grayson Glueck has become an agent for American Family Insurance in Chaffee...

Following is the December permit status of business-related new buildings, expansions and remodeling projects in Cape Girardeau: New buildings Karim Manouri, 826 Enterprise St., new building, 12/18/01; plans submitted, 12/18/01; need structural calculation and application, 12/18/01; received application and structural calculation, 12/20/01...

Southeast Missouri Cape Girardeau Heartland Gymnastics has opened at 819 N. Kingshighway. The owners are Chanda Adair and Kassi Knight. China Palace Restaurant has moved from 1731 Broadway to 2123 Broadway. The owner is John Cai. Performance Quick Lube has opened a second store at 101-A N. Kingshighway...

Stoddard County tax liens and lien discharges recorded at the office of Kay Asbell, recorder of deeds, during the month of December are filed by the Missouri Department of Revenue except as indicated by IRS designation. For information concerning the dollar amount of the liens, contact the recorder's office at 568-3444.Tax Liens Against:...

Cape Girardeau City Discount Photo; 1015 Harmony El Acapulco; 202 S. Mount Auburn Extreme Measures Auto; 30 S. Park Leisure Retreat; 121 Broadview Little Joe's; (outside Lowe's) Saffron; 97 N. Kingshighway Cape Girardeau County Business Licenses...

Part 1 of 2 parts It's harder and harder to avoid the topic of long-term care these days. Almost everyone has a parent or relative who is receiving, or has received, long-term care. Almost everyone has a story to recite about the unexpected high cost of long-term care...

Scheffer's Office Furniture & Business Machines of Sikeston recently successfully completed its Steelcase authorization process. Steelcase, one of the leading office furniture manufactuers in the world, mandates that all Steelcase dealers undergo extensive testing every two years to maintain a level of excellence worldwide...

Bankruptcies filed through Jan. 10, 2002 for the Southeastern Division of the Eastern District of Missouri's U.S. Bankruptcy Court are listed below with their corresponding case number. The Southeastern Division includes the counties of Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscott, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Shannon, Stoddard and Wayne. Court is held in Cape Girardeau...

By Heather Kronmueller Special to Business Today Construction of a high school in southwest Cape Girardeau is prompting road building and attracting entrepreneurs who want to develop an abundance of open property. Among new developments: * A retail center including space for 12 businesses at Highway 74, also called Southern Expressway, and South Silver Springs Road...

Holcim says committed for long-term By Jim Obert Business Today STE. GENEVIEVE -- Holcim (US) Inc., one of the nation's largest cement manufacturers, and until last month known as Holnam Cement Co., insists it will build a $600 million cement plant that will create 1,000 construction jobs and 200 full-time jobs with a $10 million annual payroll...

Michael Sprouse, owner of River City Coins & Jewelry in Cape Girardeau, has put his business on the Internet. The address for his Web site is www.rivercitycoins.com. The business was founded in 1986 and specializes in silver artbars, silver rounds, and the China, Singapore, Gibraltar and Isle of Man gold coin series...

The following are three recent workers' and unemployment compensation cases that could have an impact on your business. A recent ruling by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals expanded employer liability to include forces outside of a place of business. ...

By John R. Graham Whatever else the nation has learned from the Sept.11, 2001, attack on America, it is clear that American business was sent a loud wake-up call. Companies discovered their vulnerability, not from without but from within. What happened to business in the weeks since Sept. 11 is revealing-and instructive. For a while, it seemed that companies were actually catatonic, unable to make a move or a decision. No one wanted to do anything because no one knew what might happen next...

Business Today POPLAR BLUFF -- Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau intends to build a new medical campus here as part of a new alliance with doctors in the Poplar Bluff area. A 50-bed hospital would be part of the complex. "We've always considered Poplar Bluff an important part of our service area," said Saint Francis CEO Steven Bjelich. "That's why we're devoting resources and manpower to it."...

Business Today DEXTER -- A Dexter business has joined forces with an international firm in the classic collector cars trade. Kruse International, an eBay Inc. company, has announced it has reached an agreement in which Smith's Auction Co. will acquire partial ownership in its Hot Springs Classic Collector Car Auction held in Hot Springs, Ark., on March 8-9...

Business Today KENNETT -- Great West, formerly General American Life Insurance Co. Claims Inquiries office, is constructing a new facility for the corporation. The 20,000-square-foot building will be located on South By-pass, on what will be called Great West Drive, and it is scheduled to be completed by June 2002. The announcement was made Dec. 17...

Business Today Holnam Inc., one of the nation's largest cement manufacturers, has announced that it has changed its name to Holcim (US) Inc., effective immediately. The move to a new name is not the result of an ownership change or corporate restructuring. The new identity aligns the company with its corporate parent, originally Holderbank Financiere Glaris Ltd., which changed its name to Holcim Ltd. earlier this year...

The following is the December permit status of new business-related buildings, expansions and remodeling projects in Jackson. Rodney Bollinger, Jackson Planning and Zoning superintendent, provided information for this report.. New commercial buildings and remodeling...

Business Today Boardings for Cape Girardeau-to-St. Louis flights have been markedly increasing during the past two months, according to airport manager Bruce Loy. "We were up 24 percent in November and 17 percent in December," said Loy. Like most airports in the United States, Cape Girardeau's experienced changes following the terrorist attacks. Following an all-time high of 700 boarding passengers in August, the number of travelers dropped to about 500 in September...

Business Today POPLAR BLUFF -- State representatives, city and school officials, and business leaders recently toured the newly-constructed addition to the Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center. "The main purpose of this is to express our appreciation and thanks," said Roger Slayton, director of the Technical Career Center...

Business Today Federal Mogul Corp., an industry employing more than 400 workers at Malden, has backed off a Nov. 1 announcement by a company official that the plant will be moving to Puebla, Mexico, which already hosts one Mogul operation. The final decision was expected Dec. 1, but that date passed without further notice...

Big River Telephone acquires LDD By Jim Obert Business Today A local telecommunications company that reaches into Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky from its base in Cape Girardeau was sold in late December to Big River Telephone Co. LDD, which was started in 1983, was sold by Ed Eagleton to a group of businessmen with extensive telecommunications experience in the St. Louis area...

Business Today The country and the state may be sloshing through a recession, but the economic downtwist hasn't halted commercial growth in Cape Girardeau. The city's building permit records show businesses undertook fewer but larger construction and renovation projects this past year...

By Jim Obert Business Today JACKSON -- When Jim Rowland and his wife bought Eagle Oil from Les Eagle in 1982, they kept the name of the business and formed a corporation. The business came with a tank wagon for delivery of fuels to farms, and a few small commercial accounts...

Business Today PERRYVILLE -- Motorists won't have to depend on luck and prayers to get through the interchange at Interstate 55 and Highway 51 without a fender bender after traffic lights are installed there later this year. Motorists, police, city officials and state highway engineers say it's particularly hard to make left turns off the northbound and southbound exit ramps onto Highway 51...

Business Today Renaissance Aircraft has been awarded $2.7 million in compensatory and punitive damages from the foundation that had claimed it had terminated the company's license to build its aircraft. An Arizona arbitrator made the decision last week...

Heartland in Jackson is merging with Century 21 Ashland Realty. "This will improve our services in the Jackson area," said Gerald McElrath, broker and owner of Heartland. "We hope to provide greater home and business selections and faster times in selling properties."...

Business Today JEFFERSON CITY -- A judge on Dec. 18 dismissed state Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder's lawsuit challenging Gov. Bob Holden's executive order that granted collective bargaining rights to state workers. Cole County Circuit Judge Thomas J. Brown III ruled that Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, and fellow plaintiffs lacked legal standing to bring the lawsuit and that their claims were speculative and therefore not ripe for judicial review...

Will be housing for seniors Business Today KENNETT -- When Ken Maddox drove by the old Cotton Boll Hotel building on First Street for 10 years, he knew the vacant building had to have a purpose. Then, about two years ago, he decided to begin construction on what will become Cotton Boll Commons...

Business Today FARMINGTON -- The Mineral Area Regional Medical Center Auxiliary and Volunteers have a major undertaking planned for 2002. The newly elected officers and committees are ramping up for the hospital's 50th anniversary celebration in June...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Another St. Louis lawmaker is leaving the House. Democratic Rep. Maida Coleman resigned Monday from her 63rd District seat. Coleman is favored to win a special election Feb. 5 for the Senate vacancy created by the Nov. 5 death of Democrat Paula Carter...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- U.N. aid officials implored Pakistan on Monday to let more than 13,000 Afghan refugees into a border camp so they can receive aid and protection from the harsh winter. Meanwhile, the United Nations' World Food Program said it had sent its first international staffer back to the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, which had been staffed by locals since just after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States...

SAN VICENTE DEL CAGUAN, Colombia -- Colombia's government and main leftist rebel group agreed Monday to resume peace talks, diplomats and a U.N. envoy said, overcoming an impasse that threatened to plunge the country into a new round of fighting. France's Ambassador to Colombia, Daniel Parfait, read a statement saying that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, had dropped its objections to returning to peace talks that have been paralyzed since October...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistani police brought in hundreds more Islamic militants for questioning Monday as part of a crackdown that included anti-India extremists. But India was not impressed, and both nations refused to withdraw hundreds of thousands of troops massed along their border...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- When Gov. Bob Holden proposes his budget next week, he will suggest an unprecedented reshuffling of dollars among agencies in an effort to balance the budget, his financial chief said Monday. Some state programs will be eliminated and others will receive less money so that spending can keep pace with demands in priorities such as education and necessities such as inmate medical care, said budget chief Brian Long...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Voters will decide in November if a constitutional convention is needed to change the state's charter. The Missouri Constitution requires that every 20 years voters decide if a meeting is needed to revise and amend the state charter...

The Associated Press WELLINGTON, Mo. -- John E. Yardley, 26, of Napoleon, Mo., was killed early Monday when his car was hit by a freight train, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. The patrol said Yardley pulled onto the tracks at an unsignaled crossing on a road north of Missouri 224, near Wellington...

CAMDENTON, Mo. -- A stolen Porsche found submerged in the Lake of the Ozarks belongs to actor Nicholas Cage, authorities say. The $100,000 car was in a transport trailer on its way from California to Pennsylvania when it was stolen Christmas Day from a parking lot in Arnold, south of St. Louis, said Arnold Police Detective Robert Streckfuss...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Bob Holden and civil rights lawyer Thomas Todd of Chicago joined a few hundred people to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s life Monday and urged all races to work together. King, the slain civil rights leader, would have turned 73 years old today. This year's national observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day is next Monday...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The metal sheeting was constructed for another time, another place -- to become cans of creamy dessert topping. But in Kabul, where raw materials are scarce and ingenuity abundant, entrepreneurs have given it a different identity...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- U.S. warplanes intensified bombing raids on terrorist hide-outs in eastern Afghanistan on Monday in hopes of striking Osama bin Laden's die-hard supporters, and the United Nations called on donor nations to step up aid to rebuild the country...

The Cape Girardeau school board Monday received a $2 million offer from an out-of-town developer for the Louis J. Schultz building and surrounding property. The bid came on the same day names recommended for the fifth-sixth-grade and seventh-eighth-grade centers were announced...

$$$Start hkronmueller I'm ashamed to admit I spent money on one of those ab workout belts that promises to shed two inches off your waist in two weeks or less by sending electrical impulses into your stomach area -- but I did. I should have been wary of the product when the infomercial announcer quickly read a list of warnings as long as my arm, but I was too wrapped up in the thought of having a slender mid-section that the hazards didn't seem to matter. ...

NEW YORK -- Internet users looking to give friends and relatives an easy-to-remember e-mail or Web site address can now turn to their own name. ".Name," the first Internet address suffix created exclusively for individuals, makes it debut today. Some 60,000 addresses with the suffix will be activated by Global Name Registry, a London-based company administering .name...

NEW YORK -- The Swiss investment bank that is buying Enron Corp.'s power trading business will share a third of its profits with Enron and its creditors, a source familiar with the situation said Monday. The plan, being presented in bankruptcy court, also calls for UBS Warburg to purchase the unit without paying any cash up front, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity...

NEW YORK -- On its Golden Anniversary broadcast, NBC's "Today" reprised moments grand and goofy from its past 50 years. And at least one live segment Monday morning will likely become part of any future retrospective: Katie Couric and the baby chimp...

Judge rules ban on video poker unconstitutional ATLANTA -- A judge overturned Georgia's new ban on video poker machines Monday, calling the law unconstitutionally vague and the result of lawmaking that "poses a real threat to liberty." The Legislature passed the law during a special session last summer, responding to complaints that companies moved thousands of video poker machines to Georgia after they were banned in neighboring South Carolina two years ago...

U.S. Embassy in Yemen suspends most services SAN'A, Yemen -- The U.S. Embassy in Yemen suspended most consular services Monday and warned Americans they could be targeted by terrorists, while Yemeni security officials stepped up protection of the compound, saying it received a specific threat...

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Government-backed militants beat and critically injured several opposition activists in Zimbabwe over the weekend and an opposition party office was burned down, officials said Monday. The unrest, which reportedly included police tear gassing an opposition rally and militants from President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF spraying several homes in Harare with gunfire, capped a week marred by violence...

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The World Trade Organization handed the United States a major loss Monday with a decision that opens the way for the European Union to ask for billions of dollars in punitive tariffs on U.S. imports. Both the EU and the United States, however, immediately signaled their desire to avert a trade war that would dwarf any previous dispute and most likely hurt companies on both sides of the Atlantic...

The Associated Press CLAYTON, Mo. -- Two St. Louis men were in jail Monday, suspected of killing an 18-year-old girl in August. Roosevelt Fletcher Jr., 28, was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, prosecutors said. Paul Keys, 19, was charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action...

AURORA, Mo. -- Dairy farmer John Samek believes he finally has a president who is concerned about his welfare. In addition to a comprehensive farm bill, Bush told several hundred people Monday at the MFA Aurora Feed Mill that the death tax should be phased out so farmers can pass their assets from one generation to the next without worry...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- After three straight losses, Jackson's boys basketball team built a solid halftime lead and cruised past Woodland 66-44 Tuesday night. Jackson (7-7) led 13-8 after the first quarter and 28-18 by halftime. Woodland fell to 7-7. "I thought we gave it everything we had," Woodland coach Ted Hahn said. "I didn't think we played bad at all."...

Some might see the closing of four stores at Westfield Shoppingtown West Park in a 10-day span as an ominous sign. The mall's manager, Jim Govro, sees it as a golden opportunity. "Everybody thinks that the mall's doing horrible because we have vacancies," said Govro. "It's a living and breathing entity that is always changing. We really see it as an opportunity, a chance to redefine ourselves."...

JACKSON, Mo. -- A man who once entertained dreams of playing professional football was in court Monday charged with statutory rape and incest. Ronald E. Shumate Jr., 40, of Dutchtown, Mo., is charged with three class C felony counts of statutory rape and three class D felony counts of incest...

They were a common sight during World Wars I and II: "service flags," the small banners with large blue stars that families would hang in front windows to honor their relatives at war. Now, a St. Louis company wants to revive and expand the tradition, and a local American Legion post is willing to order the flags and sell them at cost...

Six students from Southeast Missouri State University recently attended a leadership forum on faith and values in Jefferson City, Mo. The students were Ross McFerron of Advance, Mo.; Joel McDaniel of St. Louis County; Daniel Pattengill of Park Hills, Mo.; Brian Privett of Kennett, Mo.; Elizabeth Vaughn of Belleville, Ill.; and Emily Wahlman of DuPont, Ind...

Daily Dunklin Democrat KENNETT, Mo. -- The upgrading of U.S. 412 in Dunklin and Pemiscot counties into a four-lane highway has moved forward with the awarding of a contract by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for Phase 5 of the project. Phase 5 will pave an eight-mile section of road...

10 years ago: Jan. 15, 1992 At least 2 inches of snow blanketed parts of Southeast Missouri late Monday and early Tuesday, forcing cancellation of school and causing problems for motorists; Cape Girardeau police reported at least 20 minor accidents in city...

McCormick Daughter to Jeffrey Don and Christina Marie McCormick of Portageville, Mo., St. Francis Medical Center, Cape Girardeau, 11:26 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2002. Name, Emma Marie. Weight, 8 pounds 11 ounces. First child. Mrs. McCormick is the former Christina Schmitz, daughter of Lawrence and Twila Schmitz of St. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Jerald Anderson "Red" LaFont, 84, of Sikeston died Sunday, Jan. 13, 2002, at the Sikeston Convalescent Center. He was born March 1, 1917, in Sikeston, son of John A. and Edith Feagans LaFont. He married Winifred "Peggy" Freeman on Nov. 15, 1944. She died July 11, 1995...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Funeral for Ellen M. Wann will be at 10 a.m. today at Ford & Sons Mt. Auburn Funeral Home. The Rev. Dan Schulte will officiate. Burial will be at Arcadia Valley Memorial Park in Ironton, Mo. Friends may call from 9 a.m. until time of funeral...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- James Ruben Erving, 47, of Sikeston, died Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002, at VA Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn. Watkins and Sons Funeral Service of Dexter, Mo., is in charge of arrangements.

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Agnes E. Butler, 92, of Jonesboro died Sunday, Jan. 13, 2002, at her home near Jonesboro. She was born Oct. 21, 1909, in Pomona, Ill., daughter of Henry and Hattie Runion Lipe. She married Floyd Butler on June 7, 1941, in Cape Girardeau. He died March 7, 1992...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Albert Mills Foreman, 93, of Farmington, died Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2002, at Presbyterian Manor. Born Feb. 24, 1908, in Cape Girardeau, he was the son of Alonzo and Wilhelmina Windisch Foreman. Foreman was a retired employee of Miller's Mutual Insurance Company of Illinois...

BENTON, Mo. -- Robert William "Bill" Milam, 65, of Benton died Sunday, Jan. 13, 2002, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. He was born July 19, 1936, in Engleberg, Ark., the son of Willis and Stella Mae Holder Milam. He married Glenda Ruth Brock on Nov. 1, 1954, at Benton...

In December 2000, KRCU general manager Greg Petrowich and "Sunday Night at the Opera" host Barbara Herbert drove to Poplar Bluff, Mo., in a pickup truck on a mission to bring more classical music to Southeast Missouri. In Poplar Bluff, they filled the bed of a Dodge Ram with boxes containing 1,885 classical CDs donated by a single benefactor, Dr. William Duckett. Petrowich estimates the donation augmented the public radio station's classical CD collection by about 70 percent...

Agriculture meetings are on the agenda for Southeast Missouri this week and next. The annual Ag Expo will be held Friday and Saturday at the Black River Coliseum at Poplar Bluff, Mo., and Southeast Missouri soybean growers will meet at Jackson, Mo., on Jan. 23...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- An Alabama man was kidnapped for ransom in Afghanistan while delivering medical supplies last week, his wife told government officials. The woman reported the abduction to the State Department and the office of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., a longtime friend. A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the report is being investigated but would not identify the man because of privacy laws...

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Palestinian police have detained the leader of a faction that claimed responsibility for the assassination of an Israeli cabinet minister, Palestinian security sources said. Officials from Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine confirmed that Ahmed Saadat has been detained...

Associated Press WriterJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Private attorneys will receive $111.2 million from tobacco companies for their role in pursuing the state's lawsuit against the industry, the lead attorney in the case confirmed Tuesday. A three-person arbitration panel approved paying the team of 48 attorneys $3.834 million a year for 29 years, said lead attorney Thomas Strong of Springfield...

AP Business WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- Buyers returned to Wall Street Tuesday, lured by cheaper stock prices after six straight losing sessions but still anxious about impending earnings reports. With earnings reports imminent -- including Intel's, scheduled after the close of trading -- investors were wary of taking many chances. Stocks gave up solid, early gains and fluctuated sharply during the afternoon...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush has approved allowing the Justice Department to charge American Taliban John Walker Lindh in civilian court on charges of aiding terrorism, government sources said Tuesday. Lindh, 20, was captured in November fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan. ...

Associated Press WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- Two students were seriously wounded Tuesday in a shooting in a high school. The shooting happened a few minutes before 2 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. High, a public high school on Manhattan's Upper West Side near Lincoln Center...

Associated Press WriterBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Rioting demonstrators shattered bank windows and trashed automatic teller machines in two provincial cities on Tuesday in a new outburst of violence sparked by a banking freeze and demands for back pay...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- American troops captured seven new prisoners in the war in Afghanistan as they pressed ahead with the hunt for hiding al-Qaida terrorists and Taliban leaders, defense officials said Tuesday. The prisoners were caught during one of several ongoing operations, one official said. He declined to give details, saying the efforts continue...

Associated Press WriterTULKAREM, West Bank (AP) -- Two Israelis were killed in gun attacks in the West Bank on Tuesday, including one with American citizenship, even as the two largest Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, said they would stick by a truce despite the death of a militia leader...

AP Business WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- A Swiss investment bank won't pay anything to acquire Enron Corp.'s energy trading business, won't assume any of the troubled company's debts and will share a third of its profits with Enron and its creditors, under terms of a deal made public Tuesday...

Associated Press WriterSTRASBOURG, France (AP) -- Irish Liberal Pat Cox was elected president of the European Parliament on Tuesday following an unexpectedly tough fight from a Scottish challenger with close ties to British Prime Minister Tony Blair...

Associated Press WriterNEW ORLEANS (AP) -- President Bush aired new fears Tuesday about unemployment, which last month hit a six-year high, and touted free trade as a cure. He accused the Democratic-controlled Senate of stalling trade and energy legislation...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal anti-discrimination agency may step in to win back pay or other help for workers who have signed away the right to sue their employers, a divided Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The 6-3 ruling clarifies the reach of the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and curbs the ability of employers to keep workplace disputes out of the courts...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Jean Carnahan, the widow appointed to the U.S. Senate after her husband died in a plane crash, will run for the seat this year. The news was no surprise; even before taking the oath of office, Mrs. Carnahan said she would seek to finish the six-year term if she felt she was accomplishing something. And she raised more than $2.3 million in campaign money before the year was half finished...

Refuting the facts SINCE I am an anti-rationalist and believe in intuition and going with your gut feeling, it was comforting to me to read where SEMO's Art Wallhausen flatly denied the fact-based empirical study concluding that schools supposedly as affordable as SEMO are too expensive. ...

To the editor: A lot of noise is being made about Enron's failure. President Bush said he has had no conversation with Enron officials, but his staff says that they have had. Before Enron filed bankruptcy, Bush had approximately 150,000 shares of Enron in a blind account that was sold. ...

To the editor: Temperature records for 2001 indicating the year is the second hottest since climate records were first kept 140 years ago will come as no surprise to anyone who has been following evidence regarding global climate patterns. The data are consistent with the 2001 report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. ...

WASHINGTON -- Arranging an art show isn't just nailing a row of hooks to the wall. These days, the Smithsonian Institution has to deal with artists like 20 Buddhist monks creating a symbolic depiction of the universe. It's a seven-foot horizontal circle on a low platform, called a mandala, done in millions of grains of colored sand...

WASHINGTON -- The meltdown of Enron Corp. threatened broader financial problems, but administration officials chose to do nothing -- even after being reminded by Enron that the government intervened in 1998 to prevent the collapse of a big fund for wealthy investors...