Stories from Sunday, July 14, 2002

WASHINGTON -- With the White House conceding that this year's federal deficit looks worse than expected, both parties are trying to use the new projections to their advantage in the fall campaign. The Bush administration said Friday the government should run a $165 billion deficit in the federal fiscal year ending Sept. 30. That would be the first red ink in four years, and $59 billion worse than the administration estimated in February...

PHILADELPHIA -- Police found broken glass and smeared blood inside a vehicle frequently driven by Allen Iverson's wife, but an extensive search of the NBA star's home and cars failed to turn up any guns, a police official said. Investigators also found rocks and women's' clothing inside Tawanna Iverson's Cadillac Escalade, according to the official, who spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity...

STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. -- Two men were killed when the Jeep they were riding in went over a rock cliff into a creek bed in Ste. Genevieve County, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. Geoffrey Francis, 26, of Farmington, and Benton Chandler, 25, of Fayette, were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident about 12:30 a.m. Saturday, the patrol said...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The FBI is looking for a 75-year-old bank robber who stole a $200,000 cashier's check and used the money a few hours later to buy an unusual getaway vehicle: A 2002 Holiday Rambler motor home. The motor home has all the features a discerning bank robber could want, including a six-speaker CD player, a pair of color televisions and a queen-size bed...

MONTICELLO, Ill. -- As the small plane passes overhead, everything comes to a halt until the noise, not especially loud to the ear, fades into the distance and Tony Swierczek can resume mapping the underground by slapping a metal plate with a sledgehammer...

WAVERLY, Mo. -- If the Galbraith family members who lived here during the 19th century are reading this from beyond the grave, there's good news and bad news: The bad news is that the state of Missouri wants to build a bridge through your old farmstead...

LAKE OZARK, Mo. -- State pharmacy regulators have begun taking steps toward testing prescription drug compounds such as those mixed by a Kansas City pharmacist who admitted diluting cancer preparations. At a meeting Friday, members of the state Board of Pharmacy decided to ask the attorney general's office to study the legal aspects of such tests. The board itself will look into how such testing could be done and who might pay for it...

ST. LOUIS -- A long-awaited plan to return the Missouri River to a more natural state would be delayed by five years under an Army Corps of Engineers proposal backed by the White House and kept quiet, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The corps' much-delayed and politically sensitive decision on the Missouri's flow was indefinitely postponed last month. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Tipper Gore joined U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan Saturday at a Kansas City clinic for which the Missouri Democrat is seeking $750,000 in federal funds. Gore said the Cabot Westside Clinic "deserves to be supported" for its work serving the poor and uninsured. Earlier in the day, Gore, who earlier this year considered running for her husband's old Senate seat from Tennessee, also attended a fund raiser for Carnahan...

ST. LOUIS -- A lawyer has withdrawn from a quest to get compensation for victims of the Oklahoma City bombing, citing ethical concerns about an attorney he had joined in the effort that has drawn fierce criticism over potential legal fees. Douglas Dowd said fellow St. Louisan Charles Polk had contracted with a non-lawyer to solicit clients and share fees...

LONDON-- Militant Muslim leaders condemned the United States and what they called the oppression of Muslims in the West at a gathering that brought together some clerics accused by Washington of supporting terrorism or having links to al-Qaida. One speaker Friday at the London meeting was Egyptian activist Yasser el-Sirri, who is facing extradition to the United States for allegedly sending terror money to Afghanistan...

OMARAMA, New Zealand -- Fog, frost and freezing temperatures grounded the first test-flight Saturday of the glider that U.S. investment tycoon Steve Fossett hopes to fly into aviation history. Fossett and 70-year-old Einar Enevoldson, a former NASA pilot, plan to fly the glider from the snowcapped mountains of southern New Zealand to a record 62,000 feet above the earth's surface...

SAN SALVADOR ATENCO, Mexico-- Farmers armed with machetes and homemade bombs took at least three more hostages Saturday, demanding talks with federal officials in the standoff over construction of a new airport for the Mexican capital. So far, the central government has sought to stay out of the conflict in which 15 people now are being held by about 1,000 protesters. ...

MILWUAKEE -- Jeff Sluman is in the same place as he was a year ago, but miles ahead in his game. Sluman fired an 8-under-par 63 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead over Steve Lowery (64) after three rounds at the Greater Milwaukee Open. Sluman also was the leader after 54 holes last year only to card a 1-over 72 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 10th...

JOLIET, Ill. -- Ryan Newman is feeling a little frustrated. The 24-year-old racer is having an outstanding rookie year, but is still being overshadowed by fellow first-year driver Jimmie Johnson. Worse, that first Winston Cup victory hasn't happened yet...

GULLANE, Scotland -- Ernie Els and Vijay Singh couldn't catch him at the Masters. Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia couldn't stop him at the U.S. Open. Next up for Tiger Woods could be the most formidable opponent yet in his pursuit of a true Grand Slam: History...

ST. PETER, Jamaica -- From pricey resorts to exclusive cruises, cheap is not a word that applies to a typical vacation in Jamaica. For those willing to put in a little time and effort, however, many of the island's most rewarding experiences can be had for free...

Getting there: Cinchona is about 20 miles from Kingston. Take Hope Road to the Papine market, where Gordon Town Road snakes up into the Blue Mountains. The last few miles are best traversed on foot, but if planning to drive, a four-wheel drive vehicle is a necessity. Try Island Car Rentals in Kingston. (Phone 876.926.8012/5991.)...

KEY LARGO, Fla. -- Even before its massive hull settled on the ocean floor, the Spiegel Grove earned plenty of notoriety. Many in the Florida Keys called it the ship that refused to sink. But as divers begin exploring the scuttled Navy ship, organizers say the drama of an upside-down sinking, a minor oil dribble and a $1.35 million price tag appears worth the trouble...

Tonopah was a 20th-century mining boomtown, a sprawling city of 3,000 by the time it was 2 years old with stagecoach service, competing newspapers, more than 30 saloons, and two churches. Wyatt Earp moved there from Tombstone, Ariz. The Tonopah Historic Mining Park covers 100 acres on the site of Jim Butler's original mining claim that started the rush to Tonopah in 1900 and became the Queen of the Silver Camps...

TONOPAH, Nev. -- The last thing Howard Hughes wanted when he married the Hollywood heartthrob was a media frenzy. Paul McCartney and other celebrities might marry in such romantic getaways as Irish castles, but the reclusive billionaire tied the knot with actress Jean Peters in -- of all places -- a struggling mining town miles from nowhere...

SINGAPORE -- A bar in this squeaky clean city-state hopes to match the success of the dance-'til-dawn "Full Moon" parties that attract thousands of revelers to Thailand's beaches each month, officials say. The soon-to-be opened Bora Bora Beach Bar on Singapore's Sentosa Island will organize all-night parties which it hopes will increase the number of visitors to the island, says Corinna Cox, a spokeswoman for Sentosa Development Corp., the government agency that operates the resort island...

Wadsworth-Longfellow House restored, opening PORTLAND, Maine -- After 2 1/2 years of restorations, visitors are getting their first look at the newly overhauled Wadsworth-Longfellow House, the boyhood home of 19th-century poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...

SEATTLE -- Ichiro Suzuki had so much fun dressing up like a waitress for a cross-country flight last year, he wore the skimpy outfit home to greet his wife. "I didn't feel strange," the Seattle Mariners star said. "I parked at my apartment and fortunately nobody saw me."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Conventional wisdom says that if you want Missouri voters to approve a tax increase, you have to make a strong case. It further says that if the electorate hasn't heard much about a proposal prior to walking into the voting both, they are going to vote "no."...

LOS ANGELES -- David Dellucci and Rod Barajas hit two-run homers as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-5 Saturday to reclaim first place in the NL West. The defending World Series champion Diamondbacks, who last led the division on June 21, moved a half-game ahead of Los Angeles by winning their third in a row over the Dodgers. The four-game series at Dodger Stadium concludes Sunday...

TORONTO -- Chris Carpenter pitched seven sharp innings, and Eric Hinske went 4-for-4 to lead the Toronto Blue Jays over the Boston Red Sox 4-1 Saturday. Carlos Delgado, Josh Phelps and Hinske hit RBI doubles for the Blue Jays, who have won two in a row against Boston after losing 11 consecutive games to the Red Sox this season...

AVRANCHES, France -- A crash in the seventh stage of the Tour de France left Lance Armstrong and his bid for a fourth straight title unscathed. Armstrong crashed about a mile before the finish, losing his place in the main pack and falling 27 seconds behind the day's leaders...

KARACHI, Pakistan --It wasn't supposed to end up like this -- thick steel handcuffs clamped on to his delicate wrists, a guard hanging on to the chain that ran like a leash from his bonds. He was supposed to be a mujahed, or holy warrior. Instead, at age 21, Ershad Ali is in jail on charges of illegal weapons possession. ...

ESCRAVOS, Nigeria -- Oil company executives thumped the table and even offered concessions, but the women who took over a giant oil terminal and trapped hundreds of workers inside did not budge Saturday in their demands for jobs for their sons and electricity for their homes...

MADRID, Spain -- Flick on the television in Spain and you see most shows struggling to look American. Dramas about cops, lawyers and hospital emergency rooms abound, as do tell-all talk shows designed to shock and tease. But the undisputed king of prime time is both home-grown and wholesome, a mostly lighthearted series based on a dark patch of Spanish history: the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco...

ABOARD THE CATALINA JET -- An orphaned killer whale that strayed into western Washington's Puget Sound, where she quickly won friends and sympathy with her antics, was headed Saturday to what scientists hoped would be a family reunion in the waters off Canada...

CANYON LAKE, Texas -- The Horseshoe Falls subdivision here was one of the areas hardest hit by last week's powerful floods that spread destruction from the Hill Country of central Texas to the Gulf of Mexico. The flooding is blamed for nine deaths, and damage is estimated at $1 billion...

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The use of robot planes by the U.S. military in the war on terrorism has helped spark interest in the cutting-edge technology, in spite of the crashes that continue to plague pilotless aircraft. Last week, officials showed off a futuristic robot plane designed to do a better job of surviving the rigors of combat...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- It was one of the most infamous crimes in California history: Three women were kidnapped while visiting Yosemite National Park and savagely killed. Months later, the handyman at their hotel was caught after beheading a female nature guide and gave the FBI a detailed confession to all four murders...

Foreman denies claims of alleged daughter HOUSTON -- Boxing legend George Foreman is fighting the claims of a 22-year-old woman who says she is his daughter. Foreman said he took a blood test which proved he is not the father of Jasmine Christina Foreman. He says the allegation is years old, and stems from his previous marriage to Cynthia Lewis. They divorced in 1978...

CAIRO, Egypt -- In a coffee shop in Cairo, the conversation over a game of chess turns to Egyptian men's libidos and the government's legalization of Viagra. "Being Egyptian means I'm from the pharaohs, and we all know they were famous for their sex drive," says Ahmed Shaaer, a 27-year-old unmarried lawyer...

WALNUTPORT, Pa. -- More than two hours before the movie began, families lined their truck beds with blankets and set out lawn chairs for an evening of tailgating, tossing footballs and visits to the playground. The line for popcorn, soda and chili dogs at the concession stand was almost as long as the string of cars snaking out onto the highway, waiting to find a space at Becky's Drive-In...

PRINEVILLE, Ore. -- Lenette Stroebel used to drive by horses on a nearby ranch and wonder at the funny-looking animals with stand-up manes, faint zebra markings and stout, rounded bellies. A horse lover for decades, she had never seen anything like them...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Nearly 100 meat-eating fish native to China have been found in a Maryland pond where a pet owner dumped two of them in 2000, state officials said Friday amid concern that the fish will become a major threat to native species. The northern snakehead can grow to be 3 feet long and has a voracious appetite...

Fishing couple reels in lots of cash KEY WEST, Fla. -- A young couple fishing in the Florida Keys reeled in a big one -- a leather bag with about $80,000 inside. The couple, visiting from Vero Beach, Fla., found the bag floating south of the Seven Mile Bridge in the Keys on Saturday. And they can keep the money inside if the owner doesn't claim it in three months, authorities said...

The Associated Press NEW YORK -- A troubled 13-year-old Brooklyn boy found beaten to death and stuffed in a closet last week was killed in a dispute over a dollar, police said. The grim details of Patrick Bhola's death came to light Thursday after an 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman were charged with his murder and kidnapping...

SECAUCUS, N.J. -- In the beginning, there was Phil. History reminds us that on Nov. 6, 1967, "The Phil Donahue Show" premiered. Then, 29 years and nearly 7,000 shows later, after a million audience members had passed through his studios in Dayton, Ohio, then Chicago and New York, he taped his final "Donahue" on May 2, 1996...

NEW YORK -- Pelle Almqvist never could understand the connection between loud guitars and being miserable. You're up on a stage jumping around, making a loud noise with women adoringly gazing at you. What's not to like? "It's just such a naturally exciting and fun thing," said Almqvist, lead singer of the Swedish rock band the Hives...

LONDON -- Former Iraqi military officers gathering Saturday to discuss their role in a possible effort to oust Saddam Hussein said they hoped, with U.S. support, to soon restore democracy to their country. "The Iraqi people at the moment are like they are in a prison surrounded by guards, they need support to break the element of fear and the chains," said Najeb al-Salihi, a former brigadier general...

JAMMU, India -- Suspected Islamic guerrillas threw grenades and engaged security forces in a gun battle Saturday, killing 25 Hindus -- mostly women and children -- in a shantytown outside the winter capital of Jammu-Kashmir state, police and hospital officials said...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Seven Iraqi civilians were injured in U.S. air raids in southern Iraq on Saturday, an Iraqi military spokesman said. The unidentified spokesman said warplanes bombed "civil and service installations" 211 miles south of Baghdad, the official Iraqi News Agency reported...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Israel's army is giving strong signs it plans to spend months -- perhaps as much as a year -- on the streets of Palestinian cities as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government undertakes its most sustained effort yet to stop suicide bombings...

JERUSALEM -- Israeli officials postponed high-level talks with the Palestinians on Saturday, saying they needed more time to consult before discussing ways to improve the humanitarian situation in Palestinian areas. Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said the meeting Saturday night was to have covered political, economic and security issues...

Working in the arid desert of southern Jordan, University of California, San Diego archeologists have uncovered a massive 5,000-year-old copper factory -- a Silicon Valley of the Early Bronze Age that helped power mankind's leap from the Stone Age to more complex, urbanized societies...

MOSCOW -- A Russian nuclear submarine on Friday launched a prototype of a European-Russian inflatable space vehicle that could be used to bring payloads or people back to Earth from space, its designers said. The Demonstrator-2 blasted off from underwater, aboard the Ryazan submarine in the Barents Sea, into orbit on a converted Volna SS-N-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, the Russian navy said in a statement...

MADRID, Spain -- Spain sent three war vessels to protect two Spanish enclaves on the Moroccan coast as its southern Mediterranean neighbor occupied a tiny, uninhabited Spanish islet for a third day Saturday. A frigate arrived in Ceuta and two corvettes arrived in Melilla, two Spanish city enclaves along Morocco's northern coast, Defense Minister Federico Trillo told Spanish National Radio...

PARIS -- Families of New York firefighters killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack are on a dazzling visit to Paris: a boat ride on the Seine, an elegant reception at the top of the Eiffel Tower, dinner on the Champs-Elysees. They say they are enjoying themselves -- up to a point. Behind all the fanfare always lies the painful personal losses that brought them here...

UNITED NATIONS -- The battle between the United States and supporters of the new International Criminal Court was the most contentious confrontation at the United Nations in many years and has left both sides bruised. In a compromise deal Friday night, the United States got a yearlong exemption for American peacekeepers from prosecution by the court, less than it initially demanded...

BAGRAM, Afghanistan -- A U.S. convoy came under fire while traveling along a road linking this air base with the capital Kabul in the latest shooting incident involving American forces, U.S. officials said Saturday. No one was injured in the incident, which occurred before dusk Friday, Col. Robert King said. One tracer round was seen passing above the four-vehicle convoy, King said...

BAGRAM, Afghanistan -- Investigators looking into a U.S. airstrike that Afghans say killed scores of civilians will start collecting evidence and testimony at the site next week, a U.S. officer said Saturday. Chief investigator Brig. Gen. Anthony F. Przybyslawski arrived at Bagram air base late Friday along with eight other investigators, Col. Roger King said. Two others are due to arrive on Monday and the team will begin work within two days, he said...

MADRAS, India -- Between classes, Indian movie tunes blare from an old tape recorder in the unlighted hallway of the Bal Vihar school -- and its students break into dance. Eleven-year-old Babu pushes his way into the corridor and leads his classmates in an impromptu version of the shoulder-rolling, hip-shaking numbers that India's film industry mass produces -- the kind of story that ends happily...

ARTHUR, Ill. -- Amish buggies ramble up and down the road that winds around Reuben Schrock's farm, the horses tearing tiny chunks out of the oil-and-chip surface with their studded horseshoes. He can see, as anyone can, that the roads are in disrepair and that the horse-drawn buggies are partly to blame. But he doesn't believe the Amish, himself included, should pay anything extra for the repairs...

WASHINGTON -- The leader of President Bush's new task force on corporate crime was a director of a credit card company that paid more than $400 million to settle charges of consumer and securities fraud. Larry Thompson, the deputy attorney general, served on the board of the company, Providian Financial Corp., from June 1997 until he was confirmed by the Senate in May 2001, according to Securities and Exchange Commission documents...

BOISE, Idaho -- The nation's governors opened their summer meeting Saturday with an eye toward shoring up faltering state economies by taking aim at their biggest budget albatross: The mounting cost of health care. "Last year was pretty trying for the nation's governors," Michigan Gov. John Engler said as he launched the four-day National Governors Association conference...

Running off at the keyboard: We can only hope the judge rules that the remains of Ted Williams will be cremated instead of frozen at a cryonics lab. Otherwise, we'll have to start calling him "Teddy Icebox." Or the "Sh-sh-sh-shivery Splinter." I don't know why in the world Allen Iverson and his wife are having marital problems. I mean, what woman wouldn't want to be with a man who, when he gets angry, goes looking for her with a 9mm Glock?...

After being rejuvenated by my annual July vacation to visit family -- and lounge on the beach and around the pool with cold beverages close by -- in beautiful Newport Beach, Calif., it's time to get back in the swing of things. So here are a variety of thoughts on what's happening in the world of sports...

jrust By Jon K. Rust The Marquette Hotel has been saved! An eyesore for several decades, this once-great downtown landmark promises to sparkle again, thanks in large part to Gov. Bob Holden, a visionary developer, a determined real estate agent and the diligence of local leaders...

By Russell Roberts ~ From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ST. LOUIS -- So education vouchers are constitutional after all. At least that's what the Supreme Court says, and they're the only ones that count. So forget about the legal issues for now and focus on the educational impact of voucher programs. Are they going to be good or bad for students?...

If their first game of the National Baseball Congress Mid-South Regional is any indication, the Cape Girardeau Craftsman Union Capahas will not have an easy time defending their title. The host Capahas, after winning all three of their tournament games last year by the 10-run rule, had a mighty struggle Saturday before holding off the Fulton (Mo.) Bandits 4-3 at Capaha Field...

Pick a name that represents people To the editor: Instead of naming Houck Stadium after the person who donated the money, why not name it in memory of Jack Buck and Darryl Kile? Or name it Law Enforcement Memorial. To me that would mean more.TOM, SANDRA SCHOEN...

A tie wasn't fair ABOUT THE All-Star Game: I see where the commissioner had his doubts about players being able to pitch but he had starting pitchers that could go eight or nine innings. I think he should have let the game to continue. I thought it was unfair to the fans for them not to be able to see the game completion, not a tied score. I think he was wrong in making the decision he made...

James LaCour, assistant to the president for equity issues at Southeast Missouri State University, is leaving to take a job as director of human resources and employee relations at the University of Northern Colorado-Greeley, where he once worked. LaCour's last day at Southeast will be Aug. 14. He begins his new job on Sept. 1...

10 years ago: July 14, 1992 National Weather Service says some relief from week-long string of hot and dry days may be near; there's slight chance of thunderstorms late today, but forecasters say chances of storms should increase by mid-week as front that has been stalled for over week across Missouri, Iowa and northern Illinois begins to sag southward into central and southern Missouri...

Vinyard Daughter to Benjamin Franklin Vinyard IV and Meghann Margaret Czik of Scott City, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 1:07 a.m. Thursday, July 4, 2002. Name, Taylor Elizabeth. Weight, 6 pounds 10 1/2 ounces. First child. Ms. Czik is the daughter of Sandy and Buddy Blankenship of Scott City. Vinyard is the son of Donna Thompson and Frank Vinyard of Benton, Mo. He is employed at the Standard Democrat in Sikeston, Mo...

ORAN, Mo. -- James Roy and Peggy M. Kennedy of Chaffee, Mo., and Larry G. Wehmeyer of Thebes, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Melonie Ann Cannon, to Bobby Gene Phillips, both of Oran. He is the son of James Rick and Tammy R. Phillips and Carla D. and Benny M. Ray, all of Oran...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Penny Denise Rodgers, 33, died Wednesday, July 10, 2002, at her home. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. today at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson, Mo. Funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the funeral home, followed by burial in Russell Heights Cemetery. The Rev. Morris Cobb will officiate...

Clutter. The FlyLady hates it. She has an entire Web site devoted to helping us all remove the clutter from our homes so we don't have to live like pack rats. Her solution is to put your home on a diet. That might be simple in an igloo, but it's down right difficult in most of our homes...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Suzanne Michelle Davenport and Christopher Todd Colstrom were married April 13, 2002, at Danforth Chapel in Lawrence, Kan. Ted Spencer of Cape Girardeau, uncle of the bride, performed the double ring ceremony. Flutist was Ray Lauber of Topeka, Kan., cellist was William Hanlon of Reading, Kan., and pianist was Tricia Swindale of Osage City, Kan...

The project is just too big to do with no financial help. That's the conclusion that independent consultant Chauncy Buchheit has reached as he continues to study the Prestwick Plantation's proposed development, an 800-acre upscale residential subdivision near the new, recently annexed Dalhousie Golf Club near Bloomfield Road...

NEW YORK The little girl that lives deep inside most adult women has crawled out of her shell this summer. She has persuaded even the sleekest, chic-est urban women to wear pale shades of pink makeup, embrace ruffles, floral prints and butterfly embellishments, and wear one of the most feminine looks of all -- eyelet...

LOS ANGELES Just when you thought LA style was disappearing into a sea of uniform low-rise jeans and snug-fit sweatsuits, pendants come to the rescue. This summer, women are adding a bit of bohemian chic to their casual ensembles with sculptural ornaments worn around the neck. Some of the most striking pieces are inspired by nature -- crosses and medallions crafted from seashells and bone chips, intricately hand-painted and decorated with pave crystals...

Missouri's pro-voucher legislators were becoming weary of the battle. For eight years, they promoted the idea of taxpayer-funded school choice for Missouri. And for eight years, their efforts fell flat. It looked impossible until June 27. That's when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling legalizing tuition vouchers for private schools in Cleveland, Ohio...

Until last month's U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the word "voucher" was seldom spoken by local parents and school leaders. Now, with a decision making them legal, the idea has become a more frequent topic of conversation. And in Southeast Missouri, public and private school administrators have opposite opinions -- private schools say vouchers are needed, but public schools call vouchers harmful...

William and Kathleen Watson of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Sara Watson, to Mark Beattie. He is the son of Alan and Judy Hicks of Cape Girardeau and Jim Beattie of Jackson, Mo. Watson is a 1997 graduate of Notre Dame High School. She is employed at Regional Primary Care...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Mr. and Mrs. Kim Moore of Perryville announce the engagement of their daughter, Abigail Katherine Moore, to Thomas Wade Petzoldt. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Stan Petzoldt of Frohna, Mo. Moore is a 1999 graduate of Truman State University, and recipient of a 2000-2001 Fulbright Fellowship Grant to Cologne, Germany. She is a graphic designer at Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion Magazine in St. Louis...

Mr. and Mrs. John Mann of Howardville, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Kelly Leeann Mann, to Darron Andrew McCracken of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Patricia McCracken of New Madrid, Mo., and Larry McCracken of Princeton, Ky. Mann is a 1998 graduate of New Madrid County Central High School. She is a receptionist at Physician Associates in Cape Girardeau...

Louis and Cheri Hillier of Monticello, Ill., and Jim and Holly Bressner of Streator, Ill., announce the engagement of their daughter, Angela Bressner, to Victor B. Patterson, both of Louisville, Ky. He is the son of Victor E. and Leticia Patterson of Cape Girardeau...

Cynthia Louise Rembish and Wade Braxton Russell were united in marriage June 15, 2002, in the Newman Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The Rev. Charlie Pardee performed the double ring ceremony. Lectors were Kris Hoppenjans of Red Bud, Ill., cousin of the bride, and Luke Linnenbringer of Hatton, Mo. Eucharistic ministers were Kris Shanley of Fulton, Mo., and Jean Howard of Auxvasse, Mo. The offertory procession was Adam and Suzanne Gabris of St. Louis, cousins of the bride...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Tiffany Lea Giesler and Dalles Scott Merriman were married April 20, 2002, at First Baptist Church in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. The Rev. Dalles Merriman, grandfather of the groom, performed the double ring ceremony. Pianist was Patti Neathery, violinist was Kim Rodamaker, and soloist was Brenda Resnik...

MILLERSVILLE, Mo. -- Sarah Jane Onderdonk and Bradley Allen Jones exchanged vows Feb. 16, 2002, at New McKendree United Methodist Church in Jackson, Mo. The Rev. Richard Northcutt performed the ceremony. Organist was Linda Thompson. Parents of the bride are Mike and Jan Onderdonk of Millersville. The groom is the son of Allen and Wanda Jones of Lockwood, Mo...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Lindell F. Cook, 86, died Saturday, July 13, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

Jill Elizabeth Matthews, 41, of Cape Girardeau, died July 12, 2002 at her home. She was born Nov. 7, 1960, in Washington, D.C. , the daughter of Charles D. and Janice Thornton Matthews. She was a self-employed writer, and was a 1979 graduate of Central High School in Cape Girardeau, and a 1990 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. She was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving from 1980 to 1984...

ORAN, Mo. -- Pauline A. Amrhein, 90, died July 12, 2002. She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank "Bud" Amrhein. Survivors include a daughter, Pat (Jim) Scherer; a son, Randy (Jenny) Amrhein; grandchildren, Cindy Scherer, Steve Scherer, John (Gwen) Scherer, Lori (Alan) Clark and Laura Willis; and great-grandchildren, Carter Clark, Zach Clark, Tyler Willis and Caleb Willis...

Kenny Behm lives in Illinois but works in Cape Girardeau. So once a week on his way back home he stops at a Cape Girardeau gas station or cigarette store to pick up a carton of smokes. He could wait until he got to the other side of the Mississippi River bridge, but then he'd have to dish out between $10 and $15 more for the same product...

Cape Girardeau Sunday, July 14 On Friday, firefighters responded to the following calls:At 4:31 a.m., a stove fire at 45 S. West End Boulevard. At 6:14 a.m., a trash can fire at 300 Kiwanis. At 9:31 a.m., a medical assist at 2848 Bloomfield Rd. At 12:04 p.m., a medical assist at 2910 Beaver Creek...

7 p.m., Monday, July 15 Study session at 5 p.m. Consent ordinances (Second and third readings)n An ordinance establishing the boundaries of Lateral Sewer District No. 14-K-7, a subdivision of Trunk Sewer District No. 14-K. An ordinance accepting general warranty deeds, permanent easements and temporary construction easements from Shelter Mutual Insurance Company, Drury Properties, Inc., DSW Development Corporation, and Zimmer Properties, L.L.C., for the widening of Mt. ...

ESTIMATED REVENUE Supporters of Proposition A, a 50-cent monthly charge on cellular phone service, say local counties would receive the estimated revenue listed below each year to upgrade 911 equipment if Missouri voters approve the measure on Aug. 6. However, some opponents dispute the estimates:...

This year's Fourth of July weekend held special meaning for a Cape Girardeau woman. Laverne McNeely recently spent a weekend in Denver, Colo., where she had the opportunity to see her son Christopher honored as a hero. Christopher was awarded the Vanguard Award for his efforts in trying to save a friend, and endangering his own life, while stationed in Africa...

Rotary Club International held its international convention recently in Barcelona, Spain, and set for itself the completion of some lofty goals. Jerry McClanahan of Cape Girardeau, Eastern Missouri District governor for Rotary Club International, said that amid high security the group still had both an enlightening and productive meeting. McClanahan and his wife, Barbara, attended the conference in Spain June 21 to 26...

Historical, genealogy group to meet Tuesday The Scott County Historical and Genealogy Society will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Riverside Regional Library in Benton. The organization meets the third Tuesday of each month. More information is available by calling Margaret Cline Harmon at 335-0989 or Caryl M. Hairston at (573) 471-5872...

LOMIRA, Wis. -- A deadly blaze that broke out when part of a massive printing plant collapsed was contained Saturday but firefighters could spend a week making sure flames are doused, officials said. Keith Freiberg, 22, an employee of Aero Building Maintenance, was trapped in a vehicle next to the plant and died in the blaze Friday night, said Brownsville Fire Company spokesman Bill Carter. The driver of the vehicle survived...

U.S. pays N. Korea to search for MIA remains SEOUL, South Korea -- A U.S. government representative handed a bundle of cash to a North Korean colonel across the world's most heavily armed border to help finance searches for the remains of American soldiers missing in action from the Korean War, officials said Saturday...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Friday night defended proposed constitutional amendments that would greatly enhance his powers and enshrine the army's role in government, saying that civilian democratic rule here has been a sham...

The Los Angeles Times SAN SALVADOR ATENCO, Mexico -- When the government decided last fall to relocate Mexico City's airport to a mostly dry lake bed east of the capital, few outsiders worried about the thousands of small farmers who would also be displaced from the land of their ancestors...