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Analyst - Budget digs deeper deficit, taps Social Security
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
WASHINGTON -- President Bush's budget would dig a deeper deficit next year than the White House claims and tap $1.8 trillion in Social Security surpluses for other programs over the next decade, Congress' top fiscal analyst said Wednesday. Both political parties immediately drew the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's report into their election-year fight over Bush's plans to cut taxes and boost spending for defense and domestic security...
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February state revenues up
(State News ~ 03/07/02)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State revenues were up 2.8 percent in February compared to the same month a year ago, the state Department of Revenue said Wednesday. The growth reverses a 6.7 percent drop in January and brings the state's year-to-date revenues to 3.1 percent over last year. The state's fiscal year began last July and runs through June...
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Albertson's sells eight stores, closes one in SW Missouri
(State News ~ 03/07/02)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Grocery giant Albertson's Inc. continues to shed its underperformers by selling eight stores and closing a ninth one in Southwest Missouri. Albertson's, which entered the southwest Missouri market just four years ago, said Tuesday that eight stores would be sold to Ramey/Price Cutter...
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Florsheim plant closing in Jefferson City
(State News ~ 03/07/02)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- About 80 workers likely will lose their jobs at the Florsheim Shoe Warehouse because of a bankruptcy filing by its parent company. Florsheim Group Inc. said this week that it had filed for Chapter 11 relief in U.S. Bankruptcy Court...
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Stadium bills draw backers
(State News ~ 03/07/02)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Prominent politicians and businessmen took turns Wednesday touting the economic virtues of state aid for stadium developments in Missouri's two largest cities. With Senate and House committees each considering bills, supporters shuffled from one room to the other in one of the most concerted pushes for state aid since the St. Louis Cardinals brought ballplayers to the Capitol last year...
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Police chase ends in fatal crash at Festus
(State News ~ 03/07/02)
FESTUS, Mo. -- A man who led police on a freeway chase before dying after his car slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer truck early Wednesday may have meant to kill himself rather than go to jail for child support he owed, authorities said.
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House, Senate give initial OK to election law changes
(State News ~ 03/07/02)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Lawmakers gave initial approval Wednesday to election law bills allowing early voting in presidential elections and provisional ballots for people whose eligibility is questioned. The House and Senate each approved bills by voice votes after several hours of debate over three days. Another vote is needed to send the bills to the opposing chambers for consideration...
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St. Louis jail security chief in battle to keep his job
(State News ~ 03/07/02)
The Associated Press ST. LOUIS -- A city official targeted for firing by Mayor Francis Slay over the escape of five inmates from the City Workhouse said he's being made a scapegoat. Workhouse chief of security Michael McKinney has hired an attorney to try and keep his job...
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U.S., Afghan allies deploy more troops against al-Qaida
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
GARDEZ, Afghanistan -- Fierce fighting raged for a fifth day as the United States deployed hundreds of reinforcements Wednesday and gathered 5,000 Afghan troops for an offensive aimed at finishing off al-Qaida. The U.S.-led coalition mounted punishing, round-the-clock airstrikes above the rugged terrain in eastern Afghanistan and some U.S. officers predicted the operation could be wrapped up in days...
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Al-Qaida fighters taunt U.S. forces from edges of caves
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
SIRKANKEL, Afghanistan -- Capt. Kevin Butler couldn't believe his eyes. Just before the U.S. missiles would hit, al-Qaida fighters would duck into caves from their positions launching mortars at Butler's troops below. When the F-15 Strike Eagles were gone, the enemy fighters would emerge -- only to throw stones, wave and shout taunts at the Americans in a show of defiance...
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Bloodshed continues in Mideast
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Israeli planes, helicopters and warships pounded Gaza and the West Bank Wednesday and renewed attacks in the early hours Thursday, carrying out one of its fiercest assaults during the 17-month Palestinian uprising. Israel moved into the West Bank town of Tulkarem from three directions before dawn and killed one Palestinian, witnesses said. ...
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House gives first-round approval to budget plan
(State News ~ 03/07/02)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A bill that would let lawmakers use $30 million sitting unspent in government accounts to plug holes in the current state budget received initial House approval Wednesday. The measure mirrors Gov. Bob Holden's plan for a so-called "sweep" of unused money from about 200 state treasury accounts...
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Holden signs rape measure into law
(State News ~ 03/07/02)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A new law granting prosecutors unlimited time to file charges of rape and sodomy took effect Wednesday with Gov. Bob Holden's signature. The measure, which also applies to attempted rape and attempted sodomy, ends uncertainty over whether Missouri had a three-year statute of limitations on prosecuting the crimes...
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Physician challenges state's medical malpractice law
(State News ~ 03/07/02)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A physician barred from practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Missouri challenged the constitutionality of the state's medical malpractice laws Wednesday before the Missouri Supreme Court. Mark Tendai was prohibited from practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Missouri in 1999 after a state commission found that he negligently failed to refer a case involving a retarded fetus to a specialist. The child died upon birth in 1992...
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Bill would add training to cope with terror fight
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
WASHINGTON -- Fort Leonard Wood would become the center of U.S. military training for coping with terrorist attacks under legislation pushed by Sen. Jean Carnahan, D-Mo. Introduced Wednesday, the measure complements a bill by Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., that would create a new command responsible for homeland protection, Carnahan said...
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White House turns up heat over appeals court choice
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Wednesday accused Senate Democrats of playing politics in a racially tinged judicial nomination fight, and his spokesman said the civil rights records of senators could "come into play." Mississippi Judge Charles Pickering's nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals, given little chance of approval, is viewed by the White House and Democrats as a harbinger of clashes to come if Bush is given Supreme Court seats to fill...
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Gephardt briefed on contingency plans
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
WASHINGTON -- A day after being left off a White House invitation list, House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt received a personal briefing Wednesday on steps the White House has taken to keep the government going in the case of a terrorist attack on Washington...
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Nominee denies he cheated government of subsidies
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
WASHINGTON -- A top Agriculture Department nominee denies he cheated the government of farm subsidies in the 1990s, saying he was using the same loopholes in federal payment rules as other farmers. But Thomas Dorr, President Bush's pick to become the department's undersecretary for rural development, told a Senate committee Wednesday he regretted tape-recorded comments where he told a family member the government could "raise hell with us."...
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Schmidt, Phils say they're eager to extend long relationship
(Professional Sports ~ 03/07/02)
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Since he walked away from the game in May 1989, Mike Schmidt has yearned for something that would duplicate the joy he found playing baseball. He tried broadcasting. He tried golf. He traveled. Wasn't it. "I haven't felt a lot of substance in my life," he said. "Every day, it's like what can Mike Schmidt do for the pleasure and gratification of Mike Schmidt?"...
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Cardinals defeat Orioles 5-3
(Professional Sports ~ 03/07/02)
Wednesday's game CARDINALS 5, ORIOLES 3 The Cardinals got a shaky performance from Matt Morris and hit into a triple play before rallying Wednesday to beat the Orioles 5-3 at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Morris, who went 22-8 last season, allowed three runs and five hits in three innings. He blanked the Orioles until the third, when David Segui hit a two-run double and Jay Gibbons followed with a triple to put Baltimore up 3-1...
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Stephenson in contention less than year after surgery
(Professional Sports ~ 03/07/02)
JUPITER, Fla. -- The secret to Garrett Stephenson's rapid comeback from reconstructive elbow surgery might be golf. Lots of golf. Less than 11 months after being on the operating table, the St. Louis Cardinals' right-hander is contending for a spot in the rotation. Where others before him required a rehab stint and perhaps a year in the bullpen, Stephenson says he feels so good it's as if he never had surgery...
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Tyson fight closer after D.C. mayor guarantees extra security
(Professional Sports ~ 03/07/02)
WASHINGTON -- Mayor Anthony Williams on Wednesday guaranteed the owner of the MCI Center "a safe environment" for a Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis fight, clearing a hurdle that had threatened to derail the bout. The meeting between Williams and Abe Pollin came one day after Tyson met with doctors -- both medical and psychiatric -- and was interviewed by the D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission during a visit to the city...
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Talent gets visit from Bush aide in Senate bid
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
ST. LOUIS -- Twelve days before her boss was expected here to stump for Republican Senate candidate Jim Talent, a top aide to President Bush was in Missouri Wednesday to appear with Talent and help him raise money. Karen Hughes is less widely known outside the Beltway, but behind the scenes in the West Wing she is one of the world's most powerful people...
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Suicide bomber sets off explosion near supermarket in West Bank
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
JERUSALEM (AP) -- A suicide bomber blew himself up in a supermarket at the entrance to a Jewish settlement in the West Bank on Thursday, killing himself and wounding four bystanders, police said. One of the wounded was in serious condition. The blast went off Thursday afternoon in the Hypernetto supermarket at the entrance to the Ariel settlement, one of the largest in the West Bank...
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Pakistan makes plans to try chief suspect in Pearl murder case
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan will try the chief suspect in the kidnap-slaying of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl before considering sending him to face charges in the United States, President Pervez Musharraf's spokesman said. The spokesman, Maj. Gen. Rashid Quereshi, said Tuesday that the notification had been conveyed formally to the U.S. Embassy, which declined to comment...
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Christians were also targeted in riots
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
NEW DELHI, India -- A leading Christian group on Wednesday called for a ban on Hindu extremist groups, saying they had also targeted Christians during last week's religious violence in Gujarat state that left more than 600 people dead, mostly Muslims...
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Levy scandal wrecked Condit's campaign
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
MODESTO, Calif. -- The morning after Rep. Gary Condit's first political defeat, Chandra Levy's parents said they hope he will keep his pledge to help investigators find their missing daughter. The former intern's parents said nothing about Condit's landslide loss in Tuesday's Democratic primary and refused to answer questions...
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Shuttle astronauts perform risky transplant on Hubble
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Two spacewalking astronauts gave the Hubble Space Telescope a new central power unit in a risky "heart transplant" Wednesday that ended with the patient surging back to life. In order to pull off the surgery, NASA had to turn off the 12-year-old observatory for the first time in orbit. A tense four hours and 25 minutes after Hubble went dead, electricity was sent to the newly installed unit...
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Man arraigned on murder charges for three deaths at courthouse
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- A man was arraigned Wednesday on murder charges for the slayings of his ex-wife, her niece and a friend outside a courthouse, where they were to testify he had violated a restraining order. The judge at the arraignment entered an innocent plea for Thomas Howard Wendt, 51, on three counts of murder and three firearms violations. The restraining order prohibited Wendt from using a firearm for anything but hunting...
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Parents settle wrongful death suit
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
PHOENIX -- The parents of a 14-year-old boy who died last summer at a boot camp for troubled youngsters have settled a wrongful death lawsuit against the camp and its operators, the boy's parents said Wednesday. Anthony Haynes died July 1 of complications of dehydration and near-drowning after he collapsed in triple-digit heat and two counselors put him in a bathtub to cool down...
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Parents of drug overdose victims take legal action
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
PITTSBURGH -- Brandy French's friends thought they were doing her a favor. With Brandy high on Ecstasy, they took her to a friend's house, telling their friend's mother that the 16-year-old was drunk and just needed time to sleep it off. The next day, the teen-ager died. Her first time using the drug was her last...
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Rap star Combs to pay child support for son
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
NEW YORK -- Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and model Kim Porter, the mother of his youngest child, have reached a child support settlement that ends a year of litigation in Manhattan Family Court. The support agreement for 3-year-old Christian Casey Combs was sealed, but the rap impresario's lawyer, Eleanor Grosz, said it runs until the child turns 21 and provides for his education, medical care and other needs...
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MoDOT looks to future needs, costs
(Column ~ 03/07/02)
By Henry Hungerbeeler JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- I read a recent Southeast Missourian editorial that again criticizes the 1992 plan for improving Missouri's highways and bridges. The editorial makes some statements with which I can agree and some with which I clearly disagree...
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Creating a success story
(Local News ~ 03/07/02)
For third-grader Tricia Kirchdoerfer, the last page of "Arthur's Promise" wasn't the end of the story. As she sat at a computer in the St. Mary's School library Wednesday, Kirchdoerfer waited quietly for the results of her reading comprehension test on the book to roll out of a printer...
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Campaign fund-raiser for Bush to speak at dinner
(Local News ~ 03/07/02)
Jack Oliver, a Cape Girardeau native who raised record amounts of money in George W. Bush's presidential campaign, will be the keynote speaker at the 32nd annual Lincoln Day Dinner Saturday. The dinner, the largest event sponsored by the Cape Girardeau County Republican Women's Club, will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Arena Building...
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Southwest State name change faces opposition
(State News ~ 03/07/02)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A move to attract students or the first step in a funding grab? A reflection of the institution's true status or merely a wishful self-impression? Those are among the questions being debated as Southwest Missouri State University officials work to drop the regional designation from the school's name -- causing a ruckus in the higher education community in the process...
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FBI apologizes for shooting
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
WOODLAWN, Md. -- The FBI apologized Wednesday for shooting an unarmed man during a search for a bank robber. "Let me express our sincere sorrow for this unfortunate accident," said Lynne Hunt, the agent in charge of the FBI's Baltimore office. Joseph Schultz, 20, was wounded by an agent with a rifle Friday after the car his girlfriend was driving was pulled over in Pasadena, about 12 miles south of Baltimore. ...
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Sailor's gravestone no longer marked as 'unknown'
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
HONOLULU -- The fourth burial for a sailor who died more than 60 years ago in the attack on Pearl Harbor meant the headstone over his grave would finally bear a first and last name instead of "Unknown." Thomas Hembree was reburied Tuesday with full military honors at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in the same grave where he had rested in anonymity for decades...
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Black historian plans to join Confederate heritage group
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
RICHMOND, Va. -- When Nessa B. Johnson attended her first United Daughters of the Confederacy meeting in January, she said chapter members welcomed her like family even though she is black. Born and raised in Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy, Johnson said she learned through genealogical research that she had two great-uncles who were white Confederate soldiers. ...
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Syria gives support to Saudi peace plan
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Syria for the first time expressed support for a Saudi peace overture to Israel on Wednesday, giving a crucial boost to the proposal before Arab leaders gather here later this month. Damascus expressed some reservations about the proposal by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, saying it must bring a full Israeli withdrawal from Arab lands and the right of return for Palestinian refugees -- stances that Israel has rejected in past peace negotiations...
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Sharon promises intensified campaign until uprising ends
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
JERUSALEM -- As Ariel Sharon completed his first year in power Wednesday, he banged his fist on a podium and told soldiers a stepped-up military campaign would be waged until "the other side understands it can't achieve anything through terror."...
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Security chief calls for 'fast lane' across border
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
MEXICO CITY -- Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge said he expects the United States and Mexico to reach an agreement creating a "fast lane" of preapproved travelers across the their common border, easing delays caused by heightened security after Sept. 11...
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Cuba, Mexico relations are fine, Castro says
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
HAVANA -- Fidel Castro said last week's occupation of Mexico's embassy by 21 young men did not harm relations between the two nations and warned that Cubans forcing their way into foreign missions will never receive permission to leave the communist island...
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Hunger strikers reduced to three
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba -- The number of detainees holding to a hunger strike dwindled Wednesday, with only three men left who have been without food since the protest's initial days, U.S. military officials said. The protest began Feb. 27, a day after guards stripped an inmate of his turban during prayers. But prisoners have told their captors their underlying concern is uncertainty about their fate...
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War crimes tribunal rejects Milosevic's request for release
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Judges at the U.N. war crimes tribunal on Wednesday rejected Slobodan Milosevic's request to be released to better prepare his defense, saying they were not satisfied by his assurances he would not flee. The former Yugoslav leader, who is defending himself on war crimes and genocide charges, has repeatedly demanded his provisional release from a detention facility near the Netherlands-based court, complaining that the court was curbing his right to adequately prepare for his case.. ...
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Knee pains apparent during pope's appearance
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II, after skipping his weekly general audience because of what the Vatican described as persistent knee pain, greeted well-wishers from his studio window Wednesday and thanked them for praying for a speedy return to health...
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Enron trouble puts attention on Chinese finance tricks
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
BEIJING -- For China, the greatest surprise from the collapses of Enron, Global Crossing and other business giants was not that it happened, but that it didn't happen here first. Chinese companies routinely use accounting tricks to hide debt, inflate profits and evade taxes -- often at the expense of investors. ...
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Commandments plaque removed
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
PHILADELPHIA -- A federal judge Wednesday ordered county officials to remove an 82-year-old Ten Commandments plaque from a courthouse, calling it an unconstitutional display of the biblical text. The 50-inch-by-39-inch bronze plaque at the Chester County Courthouse is inscribed with a version of the Ten Commandments from the King James version of the Bible...
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Painkillers may have confused deputy looking at police lineup
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
ATLANTA -- A wounded sheriff's deputy likely was disoriented by painkillers when he identified the former black-power radical once known as H. Rap Brown as the gunman who shot him and killed his partner, a toxicology expert testified Wednesday. Fulton County Deputy Aldranon English would have been confused by the morphine and other drugs given to him in a hospital when he selected Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin from a photo lineup, said Dr. David Benjamin...
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Condemned inmate questions selection of Cape County jury
(State News ~ 03/07/02)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Faulty jury selection procedures in Cape Girardeau County warrant a new trial for death row inmate Terrance L. Anderson, his attorney argued Wednesday before the Missouri Supreme Court. Anderson's attorney said the "master list" of potential jurors compiled by the circuit court clerk contained substantially fewer names than required by law and that the clerk exceeded his authority in excusing jurors for reasons not authorized by statute...
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Lewinsky affair gave basis for Clinton conviction, counsel says
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
WASHINGTON -- President Clinton could have been indicted and probably would have been convicted in the scandal involving former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, Independent Counsel Robert Ray contended Wednesday in his final report. Writing his last chapter on the affair that damaged the former president's second term, Ray said Clinton lied in January 1998 testimony denying a sexual relationship with Lewinsky. ...
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Tax breaks pull power plant into area, says assessor
(Business ~ 03/07/02)
JACKSON, Mo. -- A proposed power plant won't be built in Cape Girardeau County without millions of dollars in tax breaks, Cape Girardeau County Assessor Jerry Reynolds said Wednesday. Kinder Morgan Power Co. has promised to pay $13.5 million in payments to a rural school district and other tax-funded entities over the next 15 years. ...
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Out of the past 3/7/02
(Out of the Past ~ 03/07/02)
10 years ago: March 7, 1992 Cape Girardeau police officer responding to accident crashed his patrol car into brick building last night, after vehicle he tried to pass started to make turn in front of him; driver, police Sgt. Bradley E. Moore, tried to avoid car and crashed into Clark Wheel Alignment Co., 430 Independence...
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Jennie Thompson
(Obituary ~ 03/07/02)
CAIRO, Ill. -- Jennie Thompson, 98, of Cairo and formerly of Sandusky, Ill., died Saturday, March 2, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. today at Massie Funeral Home in Cairo. Graveside services will be held at 11:30 a.m. today at the Mound City National Cemetery, with the Rev. Ronnie Mack officiating...
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Marie Rinehart
(Obituary ~ 03/07/02)
JONESBORO, Ill. -- Funeral for Marie Rinehart will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at Hileman and Parr Funeral Home. The Revs. Joe Aldridge and Verlee Eaker will officiate. Burial will be in Jonesboro Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 11 a.m. Friday...
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Sister Helen Rolwing
(Obituary ~ 03/07/02)
CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Sister Helen Rolwing, 81, of Charleston died Monday, March 4, 2002, at Charleston Manor. She was born Feb. 10, 1921, in Charleston, daughter of Otto J. and Ethel Newcum Rolwing. Rolwing entered the novitiate of the Ursuline Sisters in 1939 and pronounced her first vows in 1942...
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Robert Yarber
(Obituary ~ 03/07/02)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- Robert Yarber, 82, of Sikeston died Monday, March 4, 2002, at his home. He was born Feb. 10, 1920, in Oxford, Miss., son of Robert and Lottie Green Yarber. He first married Arebelle Yarber. He and Melodie Gesling were married Feb. 25, 1980...
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William Summers
(Obituary ~ 03/07/02)
JACKSON, Mo. -- William Lowell Summers, 85, of Jackson died Wednesday, March 6, 2002, at Monticello House. He was born July 10, 1916, at Bell City, Mo., son of William Oliver and Emma Winkleman Summers. Summers had been a barber, and had worked on the assembly line at General Tire Co. He was a 32nd Degree Mason and member of Lakeville Lodge 489 at Bell City...
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Ruth Morrison
(Obituary ~ 03/07/02)
Ruth Morrison, 89, of Maple Heights, Ohio, died Friday, March 1, 2002, at South Point Hospital in Warrensville Heights, Ohio. She was born Aug. 9, 1912, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Hinton Wesley and Grace Davis Lee. She and Richard Joseph Morrison were married in Cape Girardeau. He died Dec. 26, 1977...
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Physician challenges state's medical malpractice law
(Obituary ~ 03/07/02)
SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Gilbert Joseph LeClere, 55, of Scott City died Tuesday, March 5, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 5, 1946, in St. Louis, son of Russell E. and Iona Gertrude Doza LeClere. LeClere had been a police officer at Scott City and a truck driver with Danny Gilder and SEMO Box Co...
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Louis Sackberger
(Obituary ~ 03/07/02)
CAIRO, Ill. -- Funeral for Louis E. Sackberger of Cairo will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at Barkett Funeral Home in Cairo. Dr. Derek Staples will officiate. Burial will be in Beechwood Cemetery at Mounds, Ill. Friends may call at the funeral home after 10 a.m. Friday...
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Lyman Stevens
(Obituary ~ 03/07/02)
JACKSON, Mo. -- Lyman Stevens, 78, of Jackson died Wednesday, March 6, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 29, 1923, in Cape Girardeau, son of Lyman and Clara Schrader Stevens Sr. He and Maxine Morton were married April 14, 1946...
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Scott County to replace bridge
(State News ~ 03/07/02)
Standard Democrat BENTON, Mo. -- The replacement of a 60-foot bridge on Scott County Road 427 crossing the St. John's Ditch should be open in time for school buses in August, said county officials. Scott County commissioners reviewed the county's 20 percent in-kind match for the project with Darrell Hirtz of Waters and Associates in Sikeston, Mo., during this week's meeting before sending off the final plans for approval by the Missouri Department of Transportation. ...
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Taking baby steps toward becoming a grumpy old man
(Column ~ 03/07/02)
March 7, 2002 Dear Leslie, My dad has a reputation as a grouch. In fact, a plaque on his front door announces that one sweet person and one old grouch live inside. Nobody has to guess who's who. His is a mild case of misanthropy he suffers with quite happily. "(Fill in the blank) gives me a pain I can't quite locate," he is fond of saying...
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Greenspan says economic recovery is already under way
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan offered his most optimistic assessment of the U.S. economy in more than a year Thursday, telling Congress that the country is now recovering from its first recession in a decade...
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LA airport evacuated again due to suspicious item
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- An arriving Brazilian jetliner was taken to a remote area of the Los Angeles airport Thursday where passengers and crew were evacuated and a bomb-sniffing dog was brought onboard. FBI spokeswoman Cheryl Mimura said Varig Airlines received a telephoned threat about Flight 8836 about the time it was landing. She refused to release details, as did officials at the airport...
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Judge dismisses rape charges against defrocked priest
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
Associated Press WriterBOSTON (AP) -- A judge threw out two child rape charges against the former Roman Catholic priest at the center of the Boston Archdiocese sex scandal Thursday, saying too much time had passed between the alleged assaults and the indictment...
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Iraq and U.N. open high-level talks
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
Associated Press WriterUNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Iraq and the United Nations opened their first high-level talks in a year Thursday with an unusual one-on-one meeting between Iraq's foreign minister and Secretary-General Kofi Annan, a signal of the high stakes...
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House votes to cut business taxes, extend jobless benefits
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
AP Tax WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- Reaching compromise on a fourth try at recession relief, the House overwhelmingly passed legislation Thursday that combines business tax cuts with an extension of jobless benefits for millions of people. "We've finally arrived at the right balance," said Rep. Tim Roemer, D-Ind...
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Fierce Israeli strikes as Palestinian bomber hits settlement
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
AP Special CorrespondentJERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel pushed ahead with its campaign of intense strikes all over the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Thursday, conducting sweeps in refugee camps and killing 12 Palestinians. A Palestinian suicide bomber attacked a West Bank settlement, while two other bombing attempts were foiled...
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Bush administration sending envoy Zinni back to Middle East
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
AP Diplomatic WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush dispatched Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni back to the troubled region Thursday in hopes of halting widening violence, The Associated Press has learned. Bush made the decision after his national security team advised that the action could help break a rising cycle of Middle East violence, a senior administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity...
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Stocks drift down on profit-taking despite good economic news
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
AP Business WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street played it safe Thursday, pausing for mild profit-taking even as more evidence of a recovering economy flowed in. Analysts said investors, while increasingly optimistic that a turnaround is beginning, are not convinced the market's rally will last. Investors were also concerned that a positive assessment of the economy by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan might signal higher interest rates...
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Voters reject amendment to clarify Ireland's abortion laws
(International News ~ 03/07/02)
Associated Press WriterDUBLIN, Ireland (AP) -- Voters narrowly rejected a proposed amendment to Ireland's strict anti-abortion laws, Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said Thursday, confirming a significant defeat for his government and Catholic Church leaders...
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Former NYPD officer receives $1 million bail in brutality case
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
Associated Press WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- A twice-convicted ex-patrolman who won his appeal in the Abner Louima torture case was granted $1 million bail Thursday in anticipation of his new trial on civil rights charges. U.S. District Judge Reena Raggi ruled that Charles Schwarz could see freedom for the first time in nearly three years by posting the bail, which will be secured by the equity in his mother's Staten Island home...
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Bush, Republicans fight for Pickering's nomination
(National News ~ 03/07/02)
Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans forced a one-week delay Thursday in a showdown over U.S. District Judge Charles Pickering's nomination to the federal appeals court, hoping to stave off an embarrassing defeat for President Bush...
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Bobby Rayford
(Obituary ~ 03/07/02)
Bobby Joe Rayford, 56, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, March 5, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Oct. 12, 1945, in Maude, Miss., son of John E. and Janie McFarland Rayford. He and Clanteen Brown were married in 1971 in Memphis, Tenn...
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Pauline Cantrell
(Obituary ~ 03/07/02)
McCLURE, Ill. -- Pauline Augusta Cantrell, 90, of McClure died Wednesday, March 6, 2002, at Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Services in Cape Girardeau. She was born Feb. 3, 1912, in Stubblefield, Ill., daughter of Charles and Alma Schooley Middleton. She married Mack Cantrell, who died Nov. 7, 1963...
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Cape police report 3/7
(Police/Fire Report ~ 03/07/02)
SummonsA summons was issued to Cory Lavar Wilson, 20, of Cape Girardeau for driving without a license and no proof of insurance. ArrestsTina Roberts, 39, of 621 Themis, and Brenda Mitchell, 41, of 621 Themis, Apt. C, were arrested Tuesday for possession of cocaine, drug paraphernalia and marijuana...
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Cape fire report 3/7
(Police/Fire Report ~ 03/07/02)
Cape Girardeau Thursday, March 7 Firefighters responded to this call Tuesday:At 10:52 p.m., a box alarm at 516 S. West End Blvd. Firefighters responded to this call Wednesday:At 4:28 a.m., a medical assist at Cheney Hall Jackson Thursday, March 7 Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday:A motor vehicle accident on East Jackson Boulevard...
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Officers seeking bomb arrest Jackson man on drug charges
(Police/Fire Report ~ 03/07/02)
JACKSON, Mo. -- A Jackson man was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia after law enforcement agents concerned about a possible bomb served a warrant at his house Wednesday morning...
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Jackson fire report 3/7
(Police/Fire Report ~ 03/07/02)
Jackson Thursday, March 7 Firefighters responded to the following calls Wednesday: A motor vehicle accident on East Jackson Boulevard. Standby on Oak Hill. An emergency medical service on Missouri. An emergency medical service on East Jackson Boulevard...
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Livestock auctions 3/7
(Local News ~ 03/07/02)
Fruitland livestock FRUITLAND, Mo. -- Tuesday's Fruitland Livestock Auction results: Cattle receipts: 580. Week ago: 998. Compared to last week steers sold steady to 1.00 higher, heifers sold 1.00-3.00 higher. Slaughter cows and bulls sold 2.00 higher; demand and supply light. Cows made up approximately 25 percent of the run, 75 percent feeders. Steers made up approximately 53 percent of the offering, 1 percent Holsteins and 46 percent heifers. Offerings over 600 lbs totaled around 33 percent...
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Military digest 3/7
(Local News ~ 03/07/02)
Thebes Guardsman serves at Olympics Army National Guard Spc. James O. Bledsoe Jr. is one of more than 5,000 active duty and reserve troops who served as a member of the Joint Task Force-Olympics (JTF-O) in Salt Lake City, Utah. Soldiers, airmen, sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen helped to support the 2002 XIX Winter Olympic Games in February. ...
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Marble Hill woman to get award for volunteer work
(Local News ~ 03/07/02)
Sheila Upchurch of Marble Hill, Mo., is one of 19 volunteers who will be recognized on Wednesday during Missouri Service Day festivities at the Capitol at Jefferson City, Mo. "The honorees will receive the 2002 Lieutenant Governor's Service Awards," said Tammy Tucker, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Economic Development, which announced the awards ceremony...
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Community digest 3/7/02
(Local News ~ 03/07/02)
Bingo Friday to raise funds for 'Jerry's Kids' It has been six months since Bingo World opened and since the Optimists began running a bingo game on Friday nights. On Friday, Optimists are having a Player Appreciation Night, with each player receiving a coupon worth $5 to purchase pull tabs...
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Drummer John footnote in Cape's past
(Local News ~ 03/07/02)
They called him John the Drummer. Eccentric? Yes. Part of Cape Girardeau's history? Definitely. For more than 50 years, John Osborne drummed up business for Cape Girardeau merchants and others eager to draw attention to special events -- sales, church suppers, auctions, important news events...
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French figure skating judge defends her reputation
(Professional Sports ~ 03/07/02)
Associated Press WriterPARIS (AP) -- The French judge at the center of the Winter Olympics' figure skating scandal defended her reputation Thursday and requested that her suspension be lifted. Speaking at her first news conference since she voted in favor of the Russian couple in the pairs free program in Salt Lake City, Marie-Reine Le Gougne said the International Skating Union should reinstate her...
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Reading Renaissance standards
(Local News ~ 03/07/02)
Teachers and schools that want to become models for the Reading Renaissance program have to meet four requirements. Requirements for model classrooms The median of points earned on a diagnostic/at-risk report must equal at least 80 percent of the expected point value earned. The diagnostic/at-risk report is a documentation of each child's performance...
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Prisons are target in budget crunch
(Editorial ~ 03/07/02)
In the years since state prisons became a major industry and a leading employer, the number of Missouri's prisons has swelled and the number of inmates has mushroomed. Currently, the state has 22 prison facilities and nearly 29,000 inmates. But both the number of prisons and the number of inmates could drop dramatically if funding for prisons is cut as the Missouri Legislature looks for ways to make ends meet...
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Tougher welfare law is right thing to do
(Editorial ~ 03/07/02)
When the bill that became the welfare-to-work act of 1996 was being debated, there were many in Congress who had serious doubts that anything meaningful could ever be done about the welfare class in this country. And certainly there were plenty of naysayers who were sure the welfare rolls would only be reduced in ways that would spell economic disaster for the nation's neediest individuals...
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Speak out 3/4/02
(Speak Out ~ 03/07/02)
Unbelievable headline I FIND your headline "Online cheating growing, but not at Southeast" as believable as I would a National Enquirer headline reading "Aliens land in Missouri cornfield." Some similarities SOME OF my worries are beginning to come true. Sounds to me like Kinder Morgan has quite a few similarities to Enron. County commissioners, get away from these people before we all end up paying their bills and they file bankruptcy just like Enron...
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Ivy League deadlock sets up playoff
(College Sports ~ 03/07/02)
PHILADELPHIA -- The Ivy League usually misses out on the first part of March Madness. Not this season. Pennsylvania's 64-48 victory over Princeton on Tuesday night forced a three-way tie for first place in the only conference that doesn't have a postseason tournament...
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Quarterback transfer says improvement is top priority
(College Sports ~ 03/07/02)
Jack Tomco knows all about Jeromy McDowell's record-setting freshman season as Southeast Missouri State University's quarterback last year. And Tomco knows that beating McDowell for the starting position won't be easy. But Tomco, a junior college transfer, said Wednesday that overthrowing McDowell isn't his top priority during Southeast's first week of spring workouts...
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Former Notre Dame coach leads new team into first final four
(High School Sports ~ 03/07/02)
In a span of less than a year, Cape Girardeau native Don Maurer went from being in the dumps to leading a basketball team into the state's final four for the first time. "It's funny how things work out sometimes," Maurer said. After he was fired last year following 14 mostly solid seasons as the boys' basketball coach at St. Louis University High School, Maurer landed at Mary Institute-Country Day School, another private high school in the St. Louis area...
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Cent. Conn. takes 19-game streak into tournament
(High School Sports ~ 03/07/02)
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- Damian Battles tied his career high with 27 points to lead Central Connecticut to a 78-71 win over Quinnipiac in the Northeast Conference championship game Wednesday night. Central Connecticut (27-4, 20-1 NEC) will enter the NCAA tournament next week with a 19-game winning streak, the best in the nation...
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Notre Dame storms into 2A girls' quarterfinal
(High School Sports ~ 03/07/02)
Notre Dame Regional High School's march toward a girls' state championship continues. The Bulldogs advanced to Saturday's quarterfinal round with a 60-41 pounding of Twin Rivers in a Class 2A sectional game at Cape Girardeau Central on Wednesday...
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Bell City turns back Thayer for trip to 1A quarterfinal
(High School Sports ~ 03/07/02)
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- When you're on a roll, stingy defenses and foul problems to your star player are merely nuisances. The Bell City Cubs are one of the hottest teams in Class 1A, and demonstrated that Wednesday night with a 77-69 victory over Thayer in the sectional round at Poplar Bluff High School...
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Area school classifications
(High School Sports ~ 03/07/02)
Where Southeast Missouri schools are going for the next two school years, according to assignments from the Missouri High School Activities Association on Wednesday. A new class has been added to basketball, football and music, which led to redistribution of many teams...
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State shuffle sends teams to new classes
(High School Sports ~ 03/07/02)
Jackson is about to be, at least in the local football playoff picture, in a class by itself. The area's largest high school will be the only Southeast Missouri school in Class 5A when the football season begins in the fall, thanks to new classifications released Wednesday by the Missouri State High School Activities Association. ...
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Health digest 3-7-02
(Community ~ 03/07/02)
Multiple Sclerosis event wants walkers The Gateway Area Chapter of the national Multiple Sclerosis Society is hosting a benefit walk to raise funds for research. The local walk follows a two-mile course and will be held April 14 at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau. Walkers accept pledges for their mileage on the course. Registration is at noon with the walk to begin at 1 p.m...
Stories from Thursday, March 7, 2002
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