Stories from Saturday, August 3, 2002

A generation gap doesn't exist when Pope John Paul II gathers with youths, and a group of teenagers from Southeast Missouri got the chance to see how inspiring and enthusiastic the head of their church can be. Thirty-one youths and adults from St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Vincent de Paul parishes in Cape Girardeau joined more than 800,000 young Catholics from across the globe for World Youth Day events last week in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. "z7>...

The Washington Post A Frederick, Md., doctor whose apartment was searched by federal agents for a second time Thursday in the ongoing anthrax investigation was suspended from his job Friday, his attorney said. Steven J. Hatfill, 48, a former Army researcher and biochemist at Fort Detrick, the Pentagon's top biodefense research center, has not been charged and has not been called a suspect in last fall's anthrax mailings, which killed five people, authorities said...

NEW YORK -- There were years, Omar Belazi says, when he willingly logged 65-hour weeks, stayed late to vacuum the store's floor and clean the bathroom, and surrendered his Sundays to hit sales targets. But a decade later he grew tired of waiting for the payback...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Jeb Bush appointed a temporary secretary of state Friday to replace Katherine Harris, who has been criticized by Democrats for mishandling her resignation to run for Congress. Jim Smith, a former secretary of state, becomes Florida's top elections official as the state prepares to hold its first general and state primary elections since 2000, when the election ended in a presidential recount watched around the world...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- With the entire space shuttle fleet grounded this summer by fuel-line cracks, NASA said Friday it will weld the flawed plumbing and aim for a late-September launch. Space shuttle program manager Ron Dittemore said NASA has assembled "a Super Bowl of welders" from across the country for the unprecedented job, which will begin next week on shuttle Atlantis. The hope is to launch Atlantis on a belated space station construction mission as early as Sept. 28...

By Paisley Dodds ~ The Associated Press KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- President Hamid Karzai dismissed allegations Friday that the United States tried to cover up a deadly airstrike and said a continued American presence was crucial to Afghanistan's future...

MOSCOW -- Russian officials tried Friday to smooth over the dispute with the United States over Moscow's nuclear cooperation with Iran, dismissing their own newly released plan to build additional civilian reactors there as merely a draft outlining theoretical possibilities...

Students welcome, hard-liners criticize decision to allow girls to attend classes without headscarves Eds: AMs. AP Photo planned By AFSHIN VALINEJAD Associated Press WriterTEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- For the first time since Muslim clerics took control of the country in the Islamic revolution 23 years ago, girls will be allowed to go without headscarves and robes in all-female schools in Tehran -- a move religious hard-liners criticized as "encouraging nudity."...

U.S. official praises Vietnam openness on POW/MIAs By Tini Tran The Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam -- Vietnam has agreed to new measures to help account for Americans missing from the Vietnam War, including giving U.S. experts access to government archives, a senior U.S. official said Friday...

Israel military says Gaza bombing was mistake JERUSALEM -- The Israeli military said Friday that faulty intelligence was to blame for the deaths of 14 civilians -- most of them women and children -- in an air attack on a Gaza City apartment building that successfully targeted and killed a Hamas military leader last month...

KARACHI, Pakistan -- An elite force of karate-kicking anti-terrorist fighters will begin riding on domestic Pakistani passenger jets this month. The new sky marshals are gaining attention in the conservative Islamic society -- not only for their skills, but because nine are women...

UNITED NATIONS -- United Nations Secretary-general Kofi Annan reacted coolly Friday to Iraq's invitation for its chief weapons inspector to visit Baghdad and lay framework to resume U.N. weapons inspections after four years. Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri sent a letter to Annan Thursday proposing talks with Hans Blix, the chief U.N. ...

The Washington Post NABLUS, West Bank -- Hundreds of Israeli troops and armored vehicles blitzed into Nablus Friday and combed the alleyways in search of Palestinian militants connected to Israeli civilian attacks. At least three Palestinians were killed and five injured when the Israelis punched in about 2 a.m. ...

HARRISONVILLE, Mo. -- A teenager who phoned in a false bomb threat to his high school less than three weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks was sentenced Friday to four months in a boot camp. If Clinton Calhoun, 18, completes the camp satisfactorily, he will be allowed to finish five years of supervised probation...

ST. LOUIS -- One of six people accused in a scheme to steal more than $2 million from St. Charles' former Station Casino was ordered Friday to spend two years and three months in federal prison and pay $1.9 million in restitution. Samarian Tillman, 29, of the St. Louis suburb of Dellwood, was among six former Station Casino workers indicted in February...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Requests for help from pregnant immigrants who spoke little English led to the birth of Springfield's first Hispanic newspaper. Roberto Velazquez and his wife, Maria Del Rosario Velazquez, were often approached by women at church for help in finding Spanish-speaking doctors. With three children of their own, they gladly offered advice...

CARTERVILLE, Mo. -- When the wind blows just right, the smell wafting out of Carterville's west end has been described as rotting bacon. The smell is, in fact, used cooking grease recycled at Fleming Grease Co. The lot it sits on is zoned commercial, but area residents living nearby say the smell is so overpowering that it forces them to go in their homes...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate Intelligence Committee's top Republican says he believes Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction at multiple sites and a pre-emptive strike is warranted to stop Saddam Hussein from doing "irreparable damage" to Americans...

Voight takes father-daughter feud public LOS ANGELES -- Actor Jon Voight has taken his family feud with actress-daughter Angelina Jolie to television. Voight, who won a best-actor Oscar for the 1978 Vietnam War drama "Coming Home," requested an interview with the syndicated TV show "Access Hollywood" to say he is "broken-hearted" that Jolie won't talk to him. When he tried to approach her at a recent party, he said, a security guard turned him away...

Construction crews could begin restoring and renovating the Marquette Hotel within 90 days, says the head of the company that now owns the historic building. Vaughn Prost, chairman of the board of Jefferson City, Mo.-based Prost Builders, said a sign soon will go up soliciting private tenants for the building. The state will be the building's primary lessee, occupying offices on three of the renovated floors...

Leadership Cape, an annually revolving group of up-and-comers from various business and education organizations throughout the community, sets out every year to come up with new concepts that will make Cape Girardeau a better place to live and visit...

Reverend paraphrases the Bible in everyday language On the Net: NavPress: www.navpress.com By Tom Laceky ~ The Associated Press HELENA, Mont. -- In the Rev. Eugene H. Peterson's retelling of the Bible, when Jesus raises a young girl from the dead, he first has to work his way through neighbors bringing casseroles to the grieving family's home...

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. -- Steve Lowery, getting positive vibes from his victory here in 1994, carded seven birdies and one bogey to claim the second-round lead Friday in The International. Lowery, who began the day with 8 points under the modified Stableford scoring system used in this event, overcame windy conditions to score 13 points and boost his total to 21...

PITTSBURGH -- Brian Giles's two-run double won it in the ninth after San Francisco closer Robb Nen was within one strike of his 300th save three times, and the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied past the Giants 6-5 Friday night. The Giants lost their eighth in 11 games and missed a chance to tie Los Angeles for the NL wild card lead...

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Derek Lowe allowed two hits in seven innings to become the AL's second 15-game winner as the Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 13-0 Friday night. Trot Nixon hit a three-run homer and a two-run shot, tying his career high with five RBIs. Brian Daubach also had a two-run homer for the Red Sox, who recovered from a 19-7 loss to Texas on Thursday night...

Atlanta wins opener of series between division leaders 11-5. By Tom Saladino ~ The Associated Press ATLANTA -- Wes Helms hit his first career grand slam, and Chipper Jones added a three-run homer as the Atlanta Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-5 Friday night in a matchup of division leaders...

RAMS GET MORE TIME OFF DUE TO HEAT St. Louis Rams players are getting a break from the heat wave, with one practice called off for Saturday and a full day off scheduled on Sunday. "It has been very, very hot," coach Mike Martz said Friday. "Our trainers and doctors have monitored the players closely. We're giving them some well-earned time off...

VENICE, Italy -- There could be even more changes in figure skating results from the Salt Lake City Olympics. They might even be thrown out. Two top IOC officials on Friday left open the possibility of changing final scores in pairs and ice dancing from the games, depending on the investigation into an alleged vote-swapping deal orchestrated by a reputed Russian mobster...

MACOMB, Ill. -- Every play Ryan Pickett is on the field, he hears the words: "Come on Grease!" The St. Louis Rams' second-year defensive tackle with the distinctive nickname can't escape the scrutiny of line coach Bill Kollar. And it's working...

NEW YORK -- With a pivotal week of talks upcoming, baseball players hope there's enough progress in negotiations to make setting a strike deadline unnecessary. The union's executive board will meet by telephone conference call Tuesday, but a decision on setting a strike date is unlikely then, two people familiar with the union's deliberations said Friday on the condition they not be identified...

Southeast soccer team taking trip to Canada The Southeast Missouri State University women's soccer team is getting ready for an 11-day tour of Canada to play exhibition games in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, from Aug. 7-17. Seventeen returning players will face various squads, including several from the Canada West Conference, a semi-pro team and the U-19 Australian National team...

Briefly Baseball Expos president Tony Tavares and general manager Omar Minaya asked New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to apologize for his criticism of the deal that sent Cliff Floyd to Boston...

For Chris Sledge, playing baseball for the Capahas isn't all about being discovered any more, he simply loves to play the game. Sledge, 24, an offensive catalyst in Monday's victory over the Austin (Texas) Gold Sox in the first round of the National Baseball Congress World Series, is one of the so-called old guys on the team. ...

Nathan Baker will attend Southeast Missouri State University on a baseball scholarship. Friday, the recent Kennett High School graduate turned in quite a performance on the field he plans to be calling home for the next several years. Baker pitched a complete-game shutout and went 4-for-4 at the plate as he led Dunklin County past Festus 8-0 in a winner's bracket game of the American Legion Zone 4 Tournament at Capaha Field...

Cape Girardeau Ford & Sons entered the American Legion Zone 4 Tournament with high hopes of proving that it belonged in the field. Instead, Cape had two of its worst performances of the season and was the first squad to be eliminated from the five-team event, courtesy of Friday's ugly 15-9 loss to Anheuser-Busch at Capaha Field...

SLIDELL, La. -- An outbreak of West Nile virus has infected 58 Louisiana residents and killed four, prompting the governor to declare an emergency Friday and ask for federal aid for more mosquito spraying across this hot, humid and swampy state. The West Nile deaths are the first in the country this year and raise the national toll to 22 since 1999, when the mosquito-borne virus was first detected in the United States...

WASHINGTON -- Some members of a congressional inquiry into the Sept. 11 attacks are rejecting FBI suggestions they undergo lie detector tests as part of an investigation into leaks from the panel -- a probe they had requested. Among those objecting are two leaders of the inquiry: House Democratic Whip Nancy Pelosi of California and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., who have said the tests intrude on the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches...

The Students of Missouri Assisting Rural and Urban Transportation, or SMART, were joined by Gov. Bob Holden in Cape Girardeau Friday as a part of the students' continuing efforts to promote Proposition B. The SMART group was formed more than two years ago by a group of Canton, Mo., students after a classmate was killed on a two-lane stretch of Highway 61...

WASHINGTON -- The government must reveal the names of those held in the investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks, a federal judge ruled Friday, rejecting claims terrorists could use the information to plot new crimes. The Justice Department has not justified a blanket policy of secrecy about more than 1,000 people picked up since the jetliner attacks, U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler ruled. She gave the government 15 days to provide the names...

WASHINGTON -- The nation's unemployment rate remained stuck at 5.9 percent in July with a disappointing 6,000 new jobs created, increasing worries that the fledgling recovery could be in danger of stalling out. Friday's report by the Labor Department capped a week of dismal data in which economists' hopes for signs of a rebound were dashed. Analysts had expected about 60,2000 new jobs for July instead of the meager 6,000...

WASHINGTON -- There's little artful about the federal budget book -- it's thick, heavy and plain-looking. But in the Italian city-state of Siena during the 1200s, lawmakers made government balance sheets a work of art. The unusual artwork is on display at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. It's the first time the items have been shown outside Italy...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Ralph Lee Lape Jr., 54, of Jackson died Thursday, Aug. 1, 2002, near Portageville, Mo. He was born April 13, 1948, at Cape Girardeau, son of the late Ralph and Edna Marie Graser Lape Sr. Ralph was a retired railroad conductor with the Burlington Northern Railway Co. in Chaffee. He served in the U.S. Air Force...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Sarah Volkerding, 33, of Jackson died Friday, Aug. 2, 2002, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

JACKSON, Mo. -- Martha Lou Kelley, 62, of Jackson died Friday, Aug. 2, 2002, at her son's home in O'Fallon, Mo. She was born Aug. 18, 1939, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Charley Lee and Lelia O. Statler Seabaugh. She had lived in Jackson all her life and was a member of First Baptist Church. She was a graduate of Jackson High School in 1957 and attended Southeast Missouri State University for two years...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Kenneth Leslie Buck, 68, of Jackson died Friday, Aug. 2, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 19, 1933, in Cape Girardeau, son of Dorman and Georgia Smith Buck. He and Bessie Daniel were married April 3, 1953, in St. Louis...

The funeral for the Rev. John H. Walker of Cape Girardeau will be held at 2 p.m. today at Vinyard Funeral Home in Festus, Mo. Dr. Clayton Smith will officiate. Burial will be in Festus Methodist Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from noon until time of service...

ORAN, Mo. -- Myrtle May McClain, 72, of Oran died Thursday, Aug. 1, 2002, at her home. She was born Feb. 24, 1930, at Chaffee, Mo., daughter of Carl and Annie Brown Hubbard. She and Millard A. McClain were married March 1, 1946. He died Feb. 25, 1979...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Frank L. Crider, 73, formerly of Tamms, died Thursday, Aug. 1, 2002, at Illinois Veterans Home in Anna, Ill. He was born Sept. 6, 1928, at Tamms, son of John Logan and Dora Hardy Crider. His wife, Frances Mary "Susie" Crider, died in 1987...

ANNA, Ill. -- The funeral for Helen L. Caraker of Lake Placid, Fla., will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Lutz and Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna. The Rev. Dewayne Taylor will officiate. Burial will be in Anna Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- James Dale Talley, 48, of Advance died Friday, Aug. 2, 2002, at his home. He was born July 30, 1954, in Advance, son of August and Merlene Rea Talley. Talley was a painter. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. Survivors include three sons, Jeremy Talley of Farmington, Mo., Jody Talley of Brownwood, Mo., Travis Talley of Advance; a daughter, April Robinson of California; his mother, Merlene Hill of Advance; five brothers, Sammy Talley of Cape Girardeau, Kenny Talley and Michael Sparkman of Brownwood, Mo., Tooter Talley of Dexter, Mo., Terry Sparkman of Sikeston, Mo.; a sister, Cindy Umfleet of Brownwood; and a grandchild.. ...

William Malcom "Bill" Willett, 73, of Cedar Hill, Mo., died Friday, Aug. 2, 2002, at his home. He was born March 24, 1929, in Detroit, Mich., son of Merlin Charles and Mary Cordelia Roberts Willett. He and Margie Collins were married in St. Louis...

ANNA, Ill. -- Paul Stanley Pearce, 86, of Anna died Friday, Aug. 2, 2002, at Illinois Veterans Home in Anna. He was born Oct. 10, 1915, in Anna, son of William Elijah and Amanda Pyles Pearce. He married Gladys N. Bean, who preceded him in death. Pearce was a barber in Anna from 1951 until retiring. He was a member of Anna United Methodist Church...

Robert G. Landers, 70, of Downers Grove, Ill., formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Thursday, Aug. 1, 2002, at his home. Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Wanda Mae Huffman, 69, of Marble Hill died Friday, Aug. 2, 2002, at Elder Care of Marble Hill. She was born Aug. 21, 1932, daughter of Henry Washington and Beulah Mae Jacobs Fox. She and Melvin M. Huffman were married March 12, 1949, in Piggott, Ark. He died Jan. 5, 1990...

10 years ago: Aug. 3, 1992 Fueled by high-profile race for governor and heated races for local offices, voter turnout in Tuesday's primary is expected to be high; among those running for governor are Republicans State Treasure Wendell Bailey, Secretary of State Roy Blunt and Attorney General William Webster, and Democrats Lt. Gov. Mel Carnahan and St. Louis Mayor Vince Schoemehl...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Local narcotics officers hope fingerprints may lead them to the alleged methamphetamine manufacturers that recently left their labs abandoned. SEMO Drug Task Force officer P.R. Neely said the recovery of abandoned labs and lab materials is a common occurrence...

Perhaps the fact that three of the 13 members of Cape Girardeau's Citizens Finance Task Force missed even the group's inaugural meeting was indicative of things to come. The idea for the task force was a good one. Cape Girardeau, city officials say, is in deep financial trouble. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- While the federal government is trying to slow recruitment of veterans into the department's already overwhelmed healthcare system, Missouri is taking the opposite approach. Gov. Bob Holden has announced that a new, toll-free state hot line has been created to improve veterans' access to all benefits, including health care. The number is 1 (866) 838-4636...

MORLEY, Mo. -- Elena M. Peer, 98, of Memphis, Tenn., formerly of Chaffee, Mo., died Thursday, Aug. 1, 2002, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis. She was born Oct. 7, 1903, at Morehouse, Mo., daughter of Adolphus and Ollie Bratton Moseley. She and Armon L. Peer were married Oct. 12, 1922. He died Dec. 3, 1982...

Florence M. Carr, 77, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Aug. 2, 2002, at the Lutheran Home. She was born March 14, 1925, at Birds Point, Mo., daughter of Emory E. and Rosa E. Baugh Brown. She married Benjamin F. "Bud" Carr Dec. 24, 1948, in Cairo, Ill. He died March 19, 1988...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Honey "Lou" Haley, 72, of Pflugerville, Texas, and formerly of Scott City, Mo., passed away Saturday, July 27, 2002. The daughter of the late Jack Hill and Cele Potter-Strieff, she was born Jan. 7, 1930, in Cook County, Ill. She graduated from Central High School in Cape Girardeau...

WASHINGTON -- More than 2 million documents filed by foreigners, from change of address forms to requests for benefits, have been piling up for years and only now are being reviewed by the government, senior U.S. officials said Friday. Immigrant advocates say that raises the possibility some foreigners deported in secret after Sept. 11 were in compliance with laws they were expelled for breaking. INS officials say that has not occurred...

WASHINGTON -- A friend of Attorney General John Ashcroft who tried to win government compensation for Oklahoma City victims also lobbied Ashcroft's agency to get an antitrust case started on behalf of one of his clients, officials said Friday. Attorney Charles Polk met and discussed the matter with at least two Ashcroft staffers in Washington, but the request was referred to a Justice Department career lawyer in Chicago and ultimately rejected last week...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri ranks only slightly ahead of last-place Arkansas in its participation of a federal funding program to help fund telecommunication improvements in rural schools, libraries and healthcare facilities. Six years ago Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, designed to deregulate the telecom industry and promote competition in a market that had operated as a monopoly in the past. ...

LEADERSHIP CAPE The mission of the Leadership Cape Girardeau Program is to identify and motivate emerging leaders and to develop their potential for community leadership roles by exposing them to the opportunities, realities and challenges of our community. The following is a list of the 2002 Leadership Cape group and the projects they worked on:...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Jackson police are searching for a man who made off with $500 in a holdup at the Country Mart Store at 309 E. Jackson Boulevard early Friday. At 1:27 a.m., a 6-foot white male in a black ski mask and dark clothing displayed a handgun to a clerk and demanded money, police said. The man drove away in an older model flat-bed pickup truck. Witnesses said the truck might have had an old couch in back...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Aug. 3 ArrestsChanda Edmonds, 30, of 103 N. Clark, Apt. 103 was arrested Thursday for possession of a controlled substance. Curtis Skaggs, 37, of 407 Mount Auburn was arrested Friday on a state warrant for probation violation...

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff Saturday, Aug. 3 DWIWilliam D. Bollinger, 46, of Marble Hill, Mo., was arrested July 26 for driving while intoxicated, driving while revoked and operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner. Gregory S. Hill, 20, of Chaffee, Mo., was arrested July 26 for driving while intoxicated...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Aug. 3 Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday:At 5:27 p.m., after-hours burning, 840 S. Ellis St. At 6:38 p.m., an emergency medical service at 1717 College. At 9:05 p.m., an emergency medical service at motor vehicle accident at 712 Independence...

Cape Girardeau school superintendent Mark Bowles may be one of the most positive people on the planet. He's facing a difficult first day of school as a major reshuffling takes place with the opening of the new Central High School building. The new state-of-the-art building is on Silver Springs Road, but whether that road will be paved or still under construction is up in the air...

First Church of God sets Vacation Bible school First Church of God will hold its "Animal Planet" vacation Bible school from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday from Aug. 11 to 21. The events are open to children ages 5 to 12. The evening includes games, prizes and crafts...

London, July 29. A.D. 2002. Why, when I leave the stove for five minutes, does it burn every time, and yet a watched pot never boils? Why does a young child's summer holiday feel endless, and a trip seems over before it started? St. Augustine of Hippo in the 5th century posed a riddle: "What, then, is time? I know well enough what it is, provided that nobody asks me, but if I am asked what it is and try to explain, I am baffled."...

Sunday This Hope, a male group, will perform at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Jackson, Mo. The music includes a cappella and accompanied music. Special message Sunday at First Church of God is "The Lord is my shepherd." Mark Ramsey will preach...

BOSTON -- In his first public court appearance since the sexual abuse scandal erupted here in January, Cardinal Bernard Law insisted Friday that an announced multimillion-dollar settlement with dozens of alleged victims was never final. As the cardinal's defended the decision to back out of a $15 million to $30 million accord with 86 adults who claim they were molested by former priest John J. ...

What is your favorite season? "As long as the earth lasts, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter and day and night shall not cease" (Genesis 8). Do you believe life is about accomplishment and feel the lackadaisical atmosphere of summer is wasted? Perhaps you share my preference for fall and winter because of the brisk, productive atmosphere, and like me, have rarely relished the laziness of summer. ...

To the editor: Recently, Jeff Augustine wrote a letter regarding wiffleball and his tournament coming up in September. I would like to publicly thank Jeff for introducing me to this great game. It was years ago on a Sunday afternoon when I was invited to Sherwood Street for a weekly wiffleball pickup game. It was then that I fell in love with the sport. That evening I came home and threw down four bases in my backyard, and my own wiffleball field took off from there...

To the editor: I was really impressed with the article about Lindenwood University and its bartering system. I hope Southeast Missouri State University and other area colleges take a look at this option. It would not only help immensely with the budget problems that colleges are facing, but it also would make valuable use of area resources as well as helping provide good educations to people who otherwise might be struggling financially or would not otherwise be able to obtain further education...

Make it like jury duty I HAD to laugh when I read the article, "Counties wrestle with lack of labor for polls." One longtime poll worker says young adults don't want to work the polls because elections don't interest them. I'm in my 30s. My husband and I are very interested in elections. ...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Two Cape Girardeau men have been charged in the kidnapping and murder of Ralph L. Lape Jr., who investigators say was forced from his rural Jackson home, shot in the head and buried in a shallow grave near Portageville, Mo. Mark A. Gill, 31, of 2601 Janet Drive, and Justin M. ...