Stories from Saturday, July 6, 2002

By Peggy Noonan ~ The Wall Street Journal I mark the Fourth of July remembering the words of a friend of Samuel Johnson, who said, "I meant to be a philosopher, but happiness kept breaking through." This year, we must celebrate. ...

TORONTO -- Growing piles of rotting garbage lines the streets and suspended public services sparked health concerns Friday as the largest strike by city workers in Canadian history continued to paralyze Toronto. The walkout by 23,500 municipal workers also is threatening to tarnish the image of Canada's largest city as a clean, tourist-friendly destination...

BEIJING -- Roll away, "Sorcerer's Stone"! Step aside, "Prisoner of Azkaban"! Harry Potter and Leopard-Walk-Up-To-Dragon are here! Chinese fans of the British boy wizard with the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead are snapping up the fifth book in the wildly popular series...

The Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Two people died in separate Independence Day accidents involving fireworks and explosives, authorities said. A 32-year-old Kansas City man died as he was loading a commercial fireworks device called a mortar. The device apparently went off sooner than expected, according to Eric Dooley of Metropolitan Ambulance Services. The man's name was not given...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri River barge traffic from Sioux City, Iowa, to Kansas City, Mo., could stop entirely this summer because of a decision issued Friday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an Army Corps of Engineers spokesman said. The drought-stricken Missouri currently is at its minimum navigational flow, said the spokesman, Paul Johnston...

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. -- Charlotte Ann Neely-White used a gun to fend off an attacker on Thursday. Then she got married. The man suspected of assaulting the bride-to-be was charged Friday while he lay in a guarded hospital bed, recovering from a gunshot wound to the chest inflicted while he struggled with Neely-White for the gun. Meanwhile, the new bride spent day one of her honeymoon answering questions from detectives...

WIMBLEDON, England -- Lleyton Hewitt is going to the Wimbledon final for the first time and Tim Henman is going out as a semifinal loser for the fourth time. The top-seeded Hewitt overwhelmed No. 4 Henman in straight sets Friday to close in on his second Grand Slam title, and ended the British player's latest attempt to become the first homegrown champion since 1936...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Friends are as hard to come by as victories for Kevin Harvick these days. Acquiring a reputation as a reckless bad sport on a losing streak can do that to a guy. Harvick has reason to think his fortunes might be changing, though. He won the first Winston Cup pole position of his career Friday, qualifying first for the Pepsi 400...

ST. LOUIS -- Eric Gagne pitched himself into trouble, then wriggled out of it. The All-Star closer escaped a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the ninth inning Friday night to preserve the Los Angeles Dodgers' 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in a matchup of first-place teams...

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. -- Ted Williams, Beantown's ever cranky but much beloved "Splendid Splinter" and baseball's last .400 hitter, died Friday. The Boston Red Sox treasure, who made good on his goal to be known as the greatest hitter of all time, was 83...

ATLANTA -- After firing manager Don Baylor and minus Sammy Sosa because of a family emergency, Chicago lost again, falling to Atlanta 4-3. The Cubs dismissed Baylor earlier in the day and replaced him with Bruce Kimm, but the move didn't pay immediate dividends. Kimm, who moves up from Triple-A Iowa, won't be with the team until today. Bench coach Rene Lachemann ran the team in the interim, and the Cubs lost for the ninth time in 11 games to fall a season-worst 16 games below .500 (34-50)...

HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- Annika Sorenstam shot a 1-under 69 Friday and shared the second-round lead at the U.S. Women's Open with Juli Inkster and Laura Diaz. Inkster and Diaz, who were part of a three-way tie after the first round, had 72s and were at 1-under 139...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Someday, the Infiniti 35A engine Eddie Cheever helped to develop is going to win without him. His pride as a driver will be stung, of course. But the more drivers who use the Infiniti, with which Cheever won last year at Kansas Speedway, the more the Indy Racing League owner/driver looks like a visionary...

WASHINGTON -- The day before his inauguration, George W. Bush pointed to Karen Hughes at a staff meeting and told his other top advisers, "I don't want any important decision made without her in the room." Bush's order was strictly enforced. No major presidential conclusion, event or public utterance has escaped the eyes and ears of Hughes -- perhaps the most influential woman ever to have served a president...

WASHINGTON -- The unemployment rate nudged up to 5.9 percent in June as companies -- uncertain about the economic recovery and shaken by accounting scandals -- steered clear of big hiring commitments. The latest snapshot of the job market released Friday by the Labor Department shows an economy that is mending from last year's recession but at a frustratingly slow pace, economists said...

By Paul Watson ~ Los Angeles Times PIR PANJAL RANGE, India -- To prove a point, fighters from one of the world's most ruthless guerrilla armies emerged from the dense mountain forest and walked right under the noses of Indian soldiers hunkered down in hillside bunkers...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The governor of the province where a U.S. airstrike reportedly killed scores of people warned Friday that Afghans will rise up against Americans if U.S. troops don't stop killing civilians in the hunt for Taliban and al-Qaida fugitives...

UEBERLINGEN, Germany -- Workers used chain saws to cut fir trees from around part of a crumpled fuselage Friday, starting the laborious task of gathering wreckage from two planes that collided near the German-Swiss border, killing 71 people. While attention has focused on whether Swiss air traffic controllers gave the pilots enough warning to avoid one another, investigators will also be looking at the debris for clues that could help piece together the cause of Monday night's crash...

A group of nine area teenagers will travel to Arizona on Sunday to put their knowledge of criminal justice to the test at the 2002 National Law Enforcement Exploring Conference at Northwestern Arizona University. The group, which is part of the Cape Girardeau Boy Scout Co-ed Explorer Law Enforcement Post 4230, will participate in team and individual events ranging from a shooting competition to a crime scene search to a hostage negotiation...

FROM 1800 TO 1950SBy Jeremy Joffray Southeast Missourian Pat Zellmer has turned her passion for history into a project that all Cape Girardeau residents can enjoy. Under the direction of Zellmer and Gretchen Griggs, the Southeast Missourian will release a pictorial history book of Cape Girardeau showing a chronology from 1800 to the 1950s...

So Rick Reilly's publicity stunt has turned Sammy Sosa into the poster boy for steroid use in major-league baseball. How convenient. How utterly unfair, contrived and unethical. Reilly, the Sports Illustrated back-page columnist with loads of clout and groupie peers, ambushed Sosa during a recent pre-game interview and asked the slugger to take a drug test at a Chicago lab. Sosa balked, turned angry and cut off the interview...

The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA -- Bellowing out "Oyez! Oyez!" and "hear ye, hear ye," town criers from the United States and Canada unfurled their ornate scrolls Friday in the North American Town Criers Competition. "Come one, come all, come hear my call. My message's clear, for every year," boomed Bruce Bedell, of London, Canada...

MALABAR, Fla. -- Sitting together in the home of their adoptive parents, the six children seem unshaken as they describe seven years of beatings and other abuse at the hands of their foster family. The Roe children -- Jesse, 15; twins Jordan and Joseph, 14; Toby, 12; and twins Suzanna and Robbie, 9 -- realize they are finally safe...

SAN ANTONIO -- With heavy rain falling again, surging floodwaters ripped houses off their foundations Friday and pushed up against dams already straining to hold back swollen rivers across central and south Texas. Hundreds of people fled their homes, joining more than 4,000 who have been forced out by high water in the past week. Flooding has killed at least seven people and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage...

JACKSON, Miss. -- WorldCom Inc. filed a federal lawsuit Friday against former chief financial officer Scott Sullivan, who was fired after the company revealed it had improperly accounted for nearly $4 billion in expenses. The battered telecommunications giant is demanding that Sullivan, 40, pay back the $10 million bonus he received last year...

HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. -- A spate of fires caused by fireworks and arsonists destroyed several homes and spread fire and police crews thin in this cash-strapped town, authorities said. Fires broke out in five separate locations about 11:40 p.m. Thursday, said police Sgt. Robert Howard. By 4:30 a.m. Friday, the blazes were contained. No injuries were reported...

Sale stopped of nude photos of TV hostess RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Lawyers for a popular children's television hostess stopped a bookstore from auctioning photo negatives of her posing nude. The Universal bookstore canceled Thursday's auction of 12 slides showing Xuxa naked after her lawyers warned the images belonged to her and the negatives belonged to the photographer, store manager Roberto Menezes said. Menezes said he stopped the auction to avoid further problems...

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Former Gov. Wallace Wilkinson, a self-made millionaire who helped create Kentucky's lottery and overhauled the state's public schools, died Friday. He was 60. Wilkinson, a Democrat who was governor from 1987 to 1991, had been battling a recurrence of lymphatic cancer that was first diagnosed while in office. He died at St. Joseph Hospital, a day after suffering a stroke...

LOS ANGELES -- The FBI said Friday that the heavily armed Egyptian immigrant who fatally shot two people at the ticket counter of Israel's national airline had gone to the Los Angeles airport to kill. "Why he did that is what we are still trying to determine," FBI special agent Richard Garcia said...

Rain caused more flooding in Texas on Friday. From Castroville to LaCoste 4,000 people remained evacuated because of Medina River flooding. An estimated seven inches of rain fell around the Nueces River basin overnight and the river was nearly 10 feet above the flood stage near Asherton, Texas, Friday afternoon...

NEW YORK -- Investors coming back from their Fourth of July break sent share prices soaring Friday on Wall Street, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average to its strongest gain since September. By the end of a shortened trading day, the Dow had climbed 324.53, or 3.58 percent, to 9,379.50. ...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Mourners fired assault rifles into the air and demanded revenge Friday after a car bomb killed a militia leader and a member of the security forces in what Palestinians say was the latest Israeli attack on prominent militants...

VIENNA, Austria -- After two days of talks that had raised hopes Iraq might relent, the United Nations said Friday it had failed to convince Baghdad to allow the return of U.N. weapons inspectors. Diplomats agreed, however, to continue talks in Europe in the coming months...

NEW YORK -- Two pilots were charged Friday with reckless endangerment for flying through restricted airspace around New York City, spurring fears of a July Fourth terrorist attack. The two planes flew just 25 feet over a swimming area, well below the required 1,000-feet minimum, federal authorities said. The pilots had been returning to their New Jersey base from Massachusetts, where they towed advertising banners above holiday beachgoers...

A Cape Girardeau man escaped with only a few scrapes Friday after his experimental airplane lost a wheel and flipped during a landing at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. Fred T. Schmucker, 72, refused medical treatment after the mishap, which occurred about 11 a.m...

DEXTER, Mo. -- Graveside service for Arthur L. Bernard of Dexter will be held at 10 a.m. today at Dexter Cemetery. The Revs. Buzz Brown and Marshall Link will officiate. Rainey-Mathis Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Bernard, 90, died Thursday, July 4, 2002, at Cypress Point Healthcare...

JOPPA, Ill. -- Howard Evers, 57, of Joppa died Thursday, July 4, 2002, at the home of his daughter in Pittsburg, Ill. Arrangements are incomplete at the Wilson Funeral Home in Karnak, Ill.

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Stella B. Clark, 90, of Advance died Thursday, July 4, 2002, at Wood Memorial Nursing Home in Mineola, Texas. She was born Sept. 17, 1911, at Rombauer, Mo., daughter of William D. and Artie Mae Rievley Duncan. She and Guy Clark were married March 16, 1929. He died Aug. 14, 1979...

Dr. C. John Ritter, 65, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, July 4, 2002, at St. Louis University Hospital. He was born June 5, 1937, at Cape Girardeau, the son of Clarence J. "Brick" Ritter and Mabel L. Kurre Ritter. He and Donna Burkett married April 21, 1962. She died Oct. 30, 1985. He married Marcia Kay Southard on Dec. 20, 1986. She survives...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- William K. "Bill" Parker, 84, of Sikeston died Friday, July 5, 2002, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born Sept. 22, 1917, in Sikeston, son of John U. and Cora Mae Baker Parker. He and Alpha Mae Clore were married in August 1940. She died May 28, 1972...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- The funeral for Carl James Raines of Scott City will be held at 9 a.m. Sunday at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City. The Rev. Randy Morse will officiate. Burial will be in Lightner Cemetery. Friends may call from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at the chapel...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Nilay A. Patel, 21, of Jackson died Friday, July 5, 2002, in an automobile accident south of Gordonville, Mo. He was born Jan. 30, 1981, in Chicago, son of Ashvin and Damina Shantilal Patel. Patel was a 1998 graduate of Jackson High School. He graduated with honors in June from DeVry University in Pomona, Calif., where he received a bachelor of science degree in business management with emphasis in industrial operations. He was president of Alpha Beta fraternity...

Hershell D. Grubbs, 63, died Thursday, July 4, 2002, at his home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 1, 1938, in Parma, Mo., son of Lloyd C. and Lillie B. Nordin Grubbs. He married Jessie Ann Hill on April 12, 1969. He owned and operated the former Heartland Auto Body Repair shop in Cape Girardeau for 15 years, retiring in 2001 due to failing health...

McCarty Daughter to Brian Lee McCarty and Patricia Lynn "Trish" Hewlett of Scott City, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 1:51 p.m. Tuesday, June 11, 2002. Name, Kaylee Karan Jean. Weight, 7 pounds 6 ounces. Ninth child, third daughter. Mrs. Hewlett is the former Patricia King, daughter of Karan King of Rolla, Mo., and Luke King of DeSoto, Mo. McCarty is the son of Vicki Ross of Scott City and Donald McCarty of Jackson, Mo. He is employed by Defender at Procter & Gamble...

10 years ago: July 6, 1992 Group of residents, unwilling to concede recent trash-fee increase, appears before city council to voice its complaints; about 60 people pack council chamber and about half the number endure nearly four-hour meeting to await opportunity to speak...

BUNKER, Mo. -- Bond is set at $250,000 for a Bunker man accused of shooting into a Reynolds County sheriff's deputy's house earlier this week, injuring the deputy's wife. Darin Jordan, 39, is charged with armed criminal action, first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon, said Gary Barton, Reynolds County sheriff. Jordan is being held in the Reynolds County Jail...

Daily American Republic CLUBB, Mo. -- It wasn't a happy Fourth of July for two Illinois men after an ash from a cigarette ignited one of the homemade fireworks inside their truck, injuring both of them. Wayne County sheriff's chief deputy Bobby Burch said deputies responded at about 8:45 p.m. Thursday to a report of an explosion on Highway 34 just west of the Bollinger County line...

Daily American Republic HIRAM, Mo. -- A suspected indoor marijuana-growing operation involving nearly 100 plants landed a Hiram man in jail, facing a felony charge. Jon Kiser, Wayne County prosecuting attorney, has charged David Vansickle, 32, of Hiram with the production of a controlled substance. Vansickle is being held in the Wayne County Jail on $25,000 cash bond...

Jackson man dies in crash on county road A Jackson, Mo., man was killed in a car crash on County Road 227 early Friday morning. Nilay Patel, 21, Jackson, slid sideways into an embankment going northbound on County Road 227 about two miles south of Gordonville. He was not wearing his seat belt and struck the windshield. He was pronounced dead at the scene...

One of every dozen U.S. children and teenagers 5.2 million has a physical or mental disability, according to new figures from the 2000 Census that reflect sharp growth in the nation's young handicapped population over the past decade. The disabilities captured by the census could range in severity from mild asthma to serious mental illness or retardation demanding full-time care...

ST. PETERS, Mo. -- Thelma Sue Haynes, 60, of St. Peters, formerly of Glenallen, Mo., died Friday, July 5, 2002, at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. She was born Dec. 8, 1941, at Glenallen, daughter of Charlie Floyd Sr. and Thelma Jane Deck Underwood. She and Jerry Haynes were married June 18, 1960, at Glenallen...

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Minnie Louise Niestrath Clancy, 88, of Villa Ridge died at 11:34 p.m. Thursday, July 4, 2002, at Daystar Care Center in Cairo, Ill. She was born Dec. 20, 1913, in America, Ill., daughter of William Henry and Mary Elizabeth Leidigh Niestrath...

Dr. C. John Ritter spent a good portion of the last 10 years of his life traveling to countries plagued with malnutrition, civil war and extreme poverty. Ritter didn't do it for money, or any personal acclaim, he merely wanted to put his medical skills to a greater good and give back some of the blessings he had received from God...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, July 6 Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday:At 8:08 p.m., an emergency medical situation at 1132 N. Frederick St. At 9:18 p.m., an emergency medical situation at 114 Green Acres. Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday:At 4:27 a.m., an extrication at County roads 222 and 227...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, July 6 ArrestsTravis Sintell Turner, 20, 510 N. Fountain, Apt. 3, was arrested Friday on a Cape Girardeau city warrant for failure to appear for stealing, resisting arrest, driving while suspended, possession of a controlled substance and on a Jackson city warrant for contempt of court...

JACKSON, Mo. -- When administrators from the Jackson School District met with parents, teachers and community members for long-range planning in 2000, they discovered one thing everyone wanted was a program for children at risk of failing or dropping out of school...

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education took a chance on school superintendent Mark Bowles. The same night his highly successful and popular predecessor, Dan Steska, announced his retirement, he recommended his assistant as a replacement. The board accepted the suggestion...

Life in Cape Girardeau is better if you have a car. Unlike big cities where owning a car can be more of a headache than a help, Cape Girardeau's lifestyle of shopping, recreation, medical care and even church attendance lends itself to motorized transportation...

MUNDELEIN, Ill. -- When asked to name a Christian movie, Zena Dell Schroeder doesn't go for the Bible-based epics. "The Ten Commandments"? Nope, no stone tablets here. "The Greatest Story Ever Told"? It stays untold. And don't even get her started on "The Omega Code," or "Megiddo: The Omega Code 2," two surprisingly successful Christian films released over the past few years...

Hell topic of sermon at First Church of God The Rev. Mark Ramsey of First Church of God in Cape Girardeau will address the topic of hell in a sermon Sunday at the 10:45 a.m. worship service. Assembly of God Church to hold revival ADVANCE, Mo. -- Revival services will be held at Greenbrier Assembly of God Church through beginning Sunday through July 14. Services are at 6 p.m. each Sunday and at 7 p.m. each night. Joe and Ada Combs of Houston, Mo., will be the speakers...

WICHITA, Kan. Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Hudson slid up out of her chair in Judge Clark Owens' courtroom, the right leg of her navy pantsuit hanging up on her ankle. The hem had fallen out as she was getting dressed and she'd only had time to pin it. She'd forgotten her purse at home, was operating on little sleep and had been running late ever since a file came up missing at her first hearing...

Capahas rally in seventh, advance in tournament EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- Three runs in the bottom of the seventh lifted the Capahas to a 4-3 win over St. Wendels, Ind., Friday in the second day of a tournament at Evansville. The Capahas trailed 3-1 after St. Wendels scored in the top of the seventh. With the bases loaded with one out, Zach Borowiak singled and drove in two runs to make it 3-3. With two outs, Chris Sledge singled to left and drove in Denver Stuckey for the winner...

Briefly Basketball The Suns signed both of their first-round draft picks -- Amare Stoudemire and Casey Jacobsen -- on Friday. Stoudemire, a 19-year-old power forward from Cyprus Creek High School in Orlando, Fla., was the No. ...

To the editor: I do not understand the reason for declaring the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional because it contains the words "under God." The pledge does not define the word "God." The dictionary describes God as being of more than human attributes and powers, a deity, the supreme being, the eternal and infinite spirit...

To the editor: I hope this is the last letter I write about President Clinton and his administration. I was appalled when many intellectuals said it would be a mistake to impeach Clinton. In my opinion, they sold out. It showed me that some intellectuals can be corrupted...

To the editor: The assertion that being forced to recite the phrase "under God" violates one's rights is without merit. The Pledge of Allegiance is not a prerequisite for an American citizen receiving the rights as guaranteed by our Constitution. ...

Nursing tuition I AM not in the nursing program, but I am finding the increased tuition to be ridiculous, especially after financial aid has already been handed out. I am a sophomore on the dean's list who has applied for scholarships through the college and other places. I was turned down for all scholarships. Even though there are scholarships out there, it doesn't mean you can easily obtain them...

FIREWORKS FRENZY By Mike Wells ~ Southeast Missourian JACKSON, Mo. -- Two days after the smoke cleared, officials are trying to determine what sent fireworks flying in to a crowd of more than 20,000 at a Fourth of July celebration in Jackson City Park...