Stories from Friday, September 6, 2002

BATON ROUGE, La. -- A day after it fired Dr. Steven J. Hatfill, a researcher under scrutiny in last fall's anthrax attacks, Louisiana State University fired the head of the biomedical research center that had employed him. Stephen L. Guillot, who was director of both the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training and the Academy for Counter-Terrorist Education, was dismissed Wednesday, LSU spokesman Gene Sands said Thursday...

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- In a rare interview with foreign journalists, President Robert Mugabe defended Zimbabwe's land redistribution program Thursday and denied that his seizure of white-owned commercial farms had worsened the nation's hunger crisis...

The Associated Press LONDON -- Fox hunting does little to reduce the animal's population, a scientific study published Thursday concludes, contradicting a cherished belief among farmers and fox hunters. Hunting supporters, who are fighting a potential government ban of the centuries-old pastime, say the research, funded by animal welfare groups, is flawed...

TEL AVIV, Israel -- During the tumultuous opening of his trial, a leader of the Palestinian uprising told an Israeli court Thursday that it did not have the right to prosecute him because he is an elected political figure, not a criminal. Marwan Barghouti, 43, is the most senior Palestinian to be tried by Israel. He said he is representing himself to underscore claims that the court does not have jurisdiction...

MOSCOW -- A fire and explosion killed seven workers and injured three others during repairs at a sports complex in the industrial Volga River city of Togliatti, officials said. Polyurethane caught fire while workers were renovating a building at the complex and that welding fuel canisters exploded, an emergency official said...

TOKYO - By the standards of industrialized countries, Japan is incredibly safe. Few areas are too dangerous to walk at night, lost purses and wallets generally are returned with valuables intact, and missing bicycles often turn up the next day, after being "borrowed" by drunken businessmen...

QOM, Iran -- Fixing her black head-to-toe cloak, Zahra Langroudi settles in behind the wheel and pulls away from the curb with her first passenger, officially becoming Iran's first female taxi driver. Langroudi and nine other women represent the private Nesa Taxi Service, the first in Iran and in the unlikely location of the country's holy city of Qom, which is also known as Iran's "Vatican City."...

MOSCOW -- Smog shrouded buildings, cars crawled on highways and pedestrians pressed wet handkerchiefs to their mouths Thursday as smoke from forest and peat bog fires in the region filled Moscow, seeping even into the subway. The area has registered its lowest rainfall in a century, Russian media reported, and the smog was at the highest level in 30 years...

CROFTON, Md. -- Environmental officials in yellow plastic jumpsuits and gas masks sprayed fish poison into a pond, spelling the end for a school of notorious northern snakeheads. Snakeheads and other fish jumped and flopped around shortly after crews began applying the poison Wednesday morning. The poison, rotenone, is absorbed through the gills and kills fish by interfering with the ability of their cells to use oxygen...

VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II said Thursday that men with "obvious signs of deviations" must be barred from becoming priests, alluding to the risk of further sex abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church. The pope also reaffirmed the Church's requirement that priests be celibate, saying that candidates for the priesthood must understand that celibacy "is not a useless element."...

NEW DELHI, India -- Despite a delay of 18 years, the Indian government is preparing to seek the extradition of the American who headed Union Carbide Corp. when a gas leak killed thousands in India in 1984, a top official said Thursday. The government was processing evidence gathered against Warren Anderson, former chairman of the company, before seeking his extradition from the United States to face trial in India, the official told reporters...

Dexter teen named duck-calling champion DEXTER, Mo. -- Theron Woods of Dexter won the Missouri state title in duck-calling at the Grand Slam Waterfowl Wekend held Aug. 23-24 in Overland Park, Kan. As a winner, Woods qualified to compete in the world championship duck-calling competition to be held Thanksgiving weekend in Stuttgart, Ark...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A police officer from suburban Independence was charged Thursday in federal court with attempting to distribute anabolic steroids. Prosecutors allege that in February, Timothy M. Kamer, 29, offered to purchase steroids for a fellow law enforcement officer to enhance bodybuilding results...

ST. LOUIS -- In what police say may have been a mercy killing, a licensed practical nurse is accused of suffocating a 91-year-old resident of a St. Louis County nursing home. The nurse, Donna Hohl, 51, of St. Louis, was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder. Officials said that Hohl, being held on $250,000 bail, admitted to detectives that she killed Helen Schreiber at the Bethesda Southgate Nursing Home on May 1, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported...

CHICAGO -- Law enforcement agencies nationwide and in Illinois have logged a jump in hate crimes against Muslims, Arabs and people perceived to be of Middle Eastern descent. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Illinois incidents ranging from harassment to fights or threats involving knives or baseball bats have increased, and federal reports of discrimination have doubled, according to records...

MARION, Ill. -- A Herrin man has been convicted a second time for the stabbing death of a Southern Illinois University-Carbondale student. A Williamson County jury convicted Steven M. Crutchfield, 33, of first-degree murder for the 1999 killing of Chicagoan Michael Sasso...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Bodies lay amid pools of blood and twisted wreckage after a powerful car bomb ripped through Kabul's busy downtown market Thursday in the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since the fall of the Taliban regime. Shoppers, some in bloodied and torn clothes, fled across streets littered with shattered glass as Afghan security forces toting rocket launchers and automatic weapons rushed to the scene. ...

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A prosecutor urged jurors Thursday to put aside any sympathy for two boys because of their ages, then 12 and 13, when deciding whether they beat their father to death with a baseball bat last year. The jury will begin deliberating Friday whether Alex and Derek King, now 13 and 14, are guilty of first-degree murder, a verdict that would send them to prison for the rest of their lives...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- President Hamid Karzai survived an assassination attempt Thursday by an Afghan security guard who fired on his convoy, and a large explosion in the capital killed at least 10 people. Afghan officials blamed Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network for both attacks...

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The American flag that was raised by three firefighters over the wreckage of the World Trade Center, one of the most enduring images of Sept. 11, has disappeared. After it was removed from the site during cleanup, the flag was believed to have been flown on U.S. ships serving in the war in Afghanistan, then returned to New York City officials in March...

GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- A student pilot who skirted the edge of restricted air space around Washington was ordered to land immediately Thursday and military jets were sent to intercept the small plane, officials said. Secret Service spokesman John Gill said the plane turned out of the restricted area before military jets reached it and it landed in nearby Montgomery County, where the pilot was questioned...

The Cape Girardeau County Commission -- to pave the way for road improvements for a new nature center -- plans to buy the home of its parks superintendent and allow him to live in the house at Cape Girardeau County Park North for as long as he remains in his current job...

RANDLES, Mo. -- A smoke alarm costing less than $8 saved five lives in Randles, Mo., early Thursday morning. Eric and Jerri Keller rushed their three children out of their brick home after waking at 3 a.m. to the beeping of their smoke alarm. They ran next door to the home of Eric's mother, Evelyn Ricketts, to call 911...

The experts were expecting it to happen and said they weren't surprised when it did: The first human infection of West Nile virus in Cape Girardeau has been confirmed. Walter Gawrych, 29, learned Thursday morning during a phone call from his doctor he had the virus...

The United States has yet to catch Osama bin Laden and other senior al-Qaida leaders, and the terrorist network responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks remains a threat despite 20,000 American bombs dropped on Afghanistan in a war now costing $2 billion a month...

The maker of the most popular hormone therapies for post-menopausal women has told doctors that there are possibly increased risks from all its estrogen-based products, and that their labels will now reflect that concern. The new company information will state that estrogen products shouldn't be taken to prevent heart disease and should be taken for as short a time as possible. ...

Pat Reagan's fiber art exhibition inspired by Sept. 11 By Sam Blackwell ~ Southeast Missourian Powerful artistic messages about Sept. 11 are being revealed as the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States nears. ...

If I can remember, I'm going to tell you the tale of my ongoing effort to win the memory marathon. Most of you, I'm sure, have had those nagging occasions when a tune pops into your head -- but you can't remember its name. As my gray cells struggle for survival, I find myself confronted more and more often with memory challenges. So far I haven't wound up in a strange town wondering how I got there. I'm not saying it couldn't happen. I'm just saying it hasn't happened yet...

Seymour to design clothing line for Saks LOS ANGELES -- Jane Seymour, best known for her TV series "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," will design clothing and accessories for girls and boys in a new line for Saks. Seymour, who also has written the children's book "This One 'N That One," has been designing clothes since 2000. ...

After more than seven years of enrollment jumps, the Jackson School District is facing the possibility of no growth or even a decrease this year. Meanwhile, its neighboring school district to the east, Cape Girardeau, broke a long string of enrollment decreases with an increase of 18 students so far...

ST. LOUIS -- These days, the St. Louis Rams don't consider John St. Clair such a liability. The offensive tackle isn't a major concern heading into the opener -- and his NFL debut -- on Sunday at Denver, even if he has to take on three-time Pro Bowler Trevor Pryce...

TOOELE, Utah -- Officials at an Army depot where nerve gas and other chemical weapons are stored found no trace of a reported intruder after a terrorist alert was sounded Thursday. Col. Peter Cooper, commander of the Deseret Chemical Depot, said the security of the depot was never at risk and that the person didn't get close to the chemical storage area...

ATLANTA -- Workers at buildings contaminated with anthrax should receive a vaccine, not just antibiotics, to protect them from the deadly agent, the government announced Thursday. Federal health officials issued new guidelines specifically for anthrax cleanup cases, saying the existing rules for work in hazardous sites don't go far enough to protect those workers...

While visiting in Wisconsin recently, I came across the following letter to the editor in the Manitowoc County, Wis., Herald Times Reporter. Being much impressed with the content of the letter, I thought it deserved wider dissemination. -- Vance Combs...

Ten years ago, explaining the difference between USA basketball and the rest of the world was simple. We had Michael Jordan. They had guys wearing Air Jordans. Man, how times have changed. One night after Argentina beat the United States and ended one of the most impressive runs in sports, Yugoslavia piled on a second helping, squeezing out an 81-78 quarterfinal win Thursday night over Team NBA -- er, USA -- at the World Championships...

Jeromy McDowell received the news that he hoped would not come but pretty much expected. Late Thursday afternoon, Southeast Missouri State University's sophomore quarterback learned that he will miss the rest of the season after tests revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament -- the dreaded ACL -- in his left knee...

Southeast soccer team travels to Arkansas Southeast Missouri State University's women's soccer team will put its 2-0 record on the line today as the Otahkians face Arkansas in a 7 p.m. match in Fayetteville, Ark. The Otahkians opened the season last weekend with two victories in the Southeast Labor Day Tournament, beating Indiana State 2-0 and Belmont 8-0...

Sikeston at Jackson Records last year: Sikeston (6-4), Jackson (12-1) Last year: Jackson 34, Sikeston 7 Notes: Jackson has beaten Sikeston in season-openers the last three years and won five of the past six meetings. Sikeston senior tailback Lavar Morgan (6-2, 205) rushed for 733 yards after getting starting spot in fourth week of last season. ...

There aren't a lot of Hallmark moments in the game of football. But after Central High School coach Lawrence Brookins came home after a disappointing performance in last week's jamboree, his wife, Willetta, thought the occasion might be appropriate...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A weak economy and larger population of 18-year-olds are driving up college enrollment across the state, including at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where officials are trying to reverse a decline in student numbers. SIU-C's student tally increased by 1 percent this fall over last year, a modest gain but one that Chancellor Walter Wendler heralded as good news for a school out to rebound from last year's 4 percent dip...

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- A Madison store manager who shot a customer to death two years ago will spend 38 years in prison, a Madison County judge decided. A jury convicted 28-year-old Baha "Bob" Hamdallah of first-degree murder in the October, 2000 killing of 33-year-old Madison resident Robert Steptoe. Hamdallah had argued that he and Steptoe were struggling over the weapon when it fired, but prosecutors said the shot came from several feet away...

NEW YORK -- As Pete Sampras pumped his fist to celebrate a volley winner that closed the second set, Andy Roddick flashed an admiring thumbs up and then bowed, acknowledging that his idol still has what it takes. This cross-generational matchup was no match at all...

10 years ago: Sept. 6, 1992 Operators of only Mississippi River boat ramp in Cape Girardeau say they can't make major improvements to their facility because they can't get long-term lease on property; boat ramp and dock, operated by Honker's Boat Club, are located in 1000 block of Water Street, north of Sloan's Creek; club spokesman says club has the money and is ready to begin major improvements to dock and boat ramp facilities...

Horrell Daughter to Kaed Lee and Brandi Rae Horrell of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 5:36 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2002. Name, Hannah Marie. Weight, 8 pounds 3 1/2 ounces. First child. Mrs. Horrell is the former Brandi Dannenmueller, daughter of Jerome and Martha Dannenmueller of Scott City, Mo. ...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Lois "Toots" Morton, 79, of Jackson died Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002, at Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Services of Cape Girardeau. She was born July 19, 1923, near Oriole, Mo., daughter of Alexander "Alex" and Lucy Cotner Whitledge. She and Woodrow H. Clifton were married May 28, 1941. He died Nov. 3, 1982. She and Charles Morton were married July 21, 1987...

BRAZEAU, Mo. -- Leonard O. Hoehne, 85, of Brazeau died Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 26, 1917, at Wittenberg, Mo., son of Joseph and Johanna Ahner Hoehne. He and Leona A. Riske were married Sept. 14, 1940...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Hope Martha Tracy, 95, of Perryville died Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002, at Beauvais Manor in St. Louis. She was born Sept. 4, 1907, in Mexico, daughter of Walter and Martha Maisel Middaugh. She and John J. Tracy were married in 1948. He died in 1952...

MINNITH, Mo. -- Douglas J. "Bud" Brewster, 87, of Minnith died Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002, at his home. He was born April 2, 1915, at Minnith, son of George W. and Rosa Schaaf Brewster. He and Roela V. Counts were married Sept. 22, 1938. She died Dec. 12, 1990...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Charles Joseph Scordato, 80, of Jackson died Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002, at his home. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Mabel Louise Hunter, 87, of Sikeston died Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born Dec. 8, 1914, at Benton, Mo., daughter of William J. and Ida May Wise Hunter. She and A. Jackson Hunter were married March 24, 1934. He preceded her in death Aug. 20, 1992...

These are the 10 songs Dr. Elizabeth Horton of Cape Girardeau wouldn't want to live without: 1. "Rhapsody in Blue" -- George GershwinAn entire story in this song. 2. "Tracks of My Tears" -- Smokey RobinsonA good wailing song. 3. "When a Man Loves a Woman" -- Percy Sledge Sledge and no one else...

NEW YORK -- A funny thing happened on the way to Broadway's fall season: Two of its biggest hits arrived in August. As the New York theater nervously awaits Sept. 11 and the uncertainty the anniversary of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks may produce on box-office receipts, two productions -- one play, one musical -- opened on Broadway and promptly became the hottest tickets in town...

In six years, the city of Cape Girardeau will be operating $1.8 million in the red if nothing changes, according to figures provided by city finance director John Richbourg to the Citizens Finance Task Force Thursday night. And that figure, according to Richbourg, is based on higher tax revenue increases than what the city has seen the last three years. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Advocates for poor, disabled residents turned in more than 3,000 petition signatures Thursday to Gov. Bob Holden asking him to suspend a budget-cutting provision that would force them to spend more of their own money before qualifying for Medicaid...

The latest national survey of health insurance trends is drearily familiar. Employers faced another year of double-digit rate increases -- 12.7 percent this year, the largest since 1990. And there's also less coverage for retirees and for small-business workers...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Arab states solidly backed Iraq on Thursday in its showdown with Washington, and a top official said a U.S. attack against Saddam Hussein would "open the gates of hell in the Middle East." The Arab League leader also called for Baghdad to readmit U.N. weapons inspectors to cool the crisis...

NEW YORK - A lawsuit filed Wednesday on behalf of 1,400 victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks charged Wednesday that Iraq had advance knowledge that al-Qaida was planning to launch strikes against targets in New York City and the Washington area...

Notre Dame, Cape Girardeau Central and Jackson were among the winners Thursday in the openers of the eight-team Notre Dame Soccerfest. Notre Dame opened its season with a 1-0 victory over Marion (Ill.). Adam Prasanphanich scored the goal on a free kick midway in the first half. Travis Siebert had the shutout...

Sept. 6, 2002 Broken Grass at River City Yacht Club Broken Grass, a Carbondale, Ill., band that combines bluegrass with rock and jazz, will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday Sept. 7 at the River City Yacht Club. The band includes guitarist Adam Kaczmaret, mandolinist Sam Boss, bassist Deven Kulkarni, drummer John Brejc, fiddler Rick Johnson and electric guitarist Zacc Harris...

One star I thought "Serving Sara" starring Matthew Perry and Elizabeth Hurley looked pretty good. I like them both as actors, and the previews made the movie seem funny. That part did hold true because my friends and I laughed -- them more so than me...

To the editor: Let is be known that I will not vote for any candidate who does not openly, persistently and with vigor condemn all people who use fraud and violations of laws and ethics for self gain, either private or government workers or politicians...

Underage smoking I'D LIKE to talk about smoking. It is illegal for those under the age of 18 to buy cigarettes, but is it illegal for them to have them? I've seen too many parents allowing their children to smoke cigarettes in front of them. If it's illegal to buy them, shouldn't it be illegal to possess them? And if it is, why isn't there something being done about it? And the parents that are allowing their children to smoke in front of them and in public places -- should they be allowed to have that right, or are they endangering the welfare of that child by giving that child the opportunity to endanger his life?. ...

WASHINGTON -- Health officials are investigating whether a Mississippi woman contracted the West Nile virus through a blood transfusion, the second suspected case of West Nile transmission through blood. With no blood screen test for West Nile available, the investigations are prompting concern that the virus could travel through the blood supply undetected. Still, health experts said, any risk is minimal and far outweighed by the medical need for blood...

WASHINGTON -- A competency evaluation was ordered Thursday for a man arrested with 16 guns in his car about two miles from the White House. Jeffrey Cloutier, 33, of Newport, N.H., was arrested Wednesday after the Secret Service received information suggesting a man was driving from Pennsylvania toward the White House with explosives...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to allow commercial pilots to carry weapons in the cockpit after the Bush administration dropped its opposition to the idea. The administration, though, said a number of safety and logistical issues needed to be resolved...

WASHINGTON -- The federal government on Thursday announced less stringent flight restrictions coinciding with ceremonies at the three Sept. 11 crash sites. New York will be affected far more than Washington or Somerset, Pa., said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Bill Shumann. Air traffic will be slowed in the city's airspace for three days, with some flights rerouted and others being held, he said...

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans moved Thursday to provide new tax relief to defray the education costs of low-income families, sending legislation to the House floor over the objections of Democrats saying the federal budget can't sustain another GOP-backed tax cut...

WASHINGTON -- People who want to stay healthy need to exercise for at least an hour a day -- double the previous workout recommendation -- according to new dietary guidelines on fat, protein and carbohydrate intake. Independent advisers to the government, in a report Thursday, avoided setting strict amounts for each of the three major components, proposing ranges so people can balance their diet...

By The Associated Press New dietary guidelines issued Thursday by the Institute of Medicine estimate the daily energy requirements, in calories, for people of various sizes and levels of activity. --Five-feet-one-inch, 98 to 132 pounds...

WASHINGTON -- State insurance regulators plan to examine recent increases in insurance prices including whether the Sept. 11 terror attacks triggered unjustified rate hikes. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners said Thursday that beginning next week it would study recommendations made by Americans for Insurance Reform, a coalition of consumer groups. The coalition says it wants stronger state regulations to protect people from excessive insurance rates...

Joseph Johnson, 29, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Rodney Sippel to 10 months in prison for possessing a firearm. On Dec. 1, 2000, Johnson was in possession of a 12-gauge shotgun. Johnson told a Sikeston, Mo., police officer the gun was his and that he bought it for $100...

A convicted felon from Perry County pleaded guilty Thursday to unlawfully possessing a firearm and making false statements. Joseph J. Little, 36, of Frohna, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel. In his plea, Little admitted that on Dec. 29, 2000, he agreed to acquire a firearm from B&R Guns and Pawn in Perryville, Mo. Little filled out an ATF form as required and answered "no" to the question asking if he had ever been convicted of a felony...

Food plots have become the mainstay of many private wildlife habitat management programs over the past 30 years. First recommended as a supplement to other wildlife management techniques, food plots have become the focus of most management programs. Now landowners and hunters spend millions on plantings each year in hopes of producing, attracting or luring more wildlife animals to their farms or lands they hunt...

Baseball Owners approved their new labor contract quickly and overwhelmingly, voting 29-1 Thursday to ratify the deal their negotiators struck last week to avert a strike. The Yankees, the team that stands to lose the most, voted against the deal, which ensures labor peace until December 2006. Approval by the executive board of the union is considered certain...

There used to be a joke about the official signs along some Missouri highways that read: "$100 fine for littering." The punch line went something like this: "I'm sorry, officer, but I can only afford to litter with $5 bills." Of course, if the only litter along our highways and streets were cash, no one would complain, because such litter wouldn't last long. ...

There are an estimated 200 million starlings in North America -- all of them descendants of the 100 birds let loose in New York's Central Park in 1890 by a well-intentioned society dedicated to introducing into America all of the birds mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare. If the bard of Avon could see what this handiwork hath wrought, he would roll over in his grave...

Cape Girardeau Friday, Sept. 6 Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: At 12:30 a.m., a medical assist at 536 Cape Meadows Circle. At 2:34 a.m., a medical assist at 1000 Towers Circle, Towers East. At 2: 44 a.m., a medical assist at 411 Themis...

Cape Girardeau Friday, Sept. 6 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Ronnie Joe Edwards, 43, of 103 East Cape Park, McClure, Ill., was arrested Thursday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Phillip Britt resigned his seat in the House of Representatives last month to become a drug court commissioner for Dunklin and Stoddard counties. Britt's resignation was effective Aug. 1, the day he started his new job. He informed Gov. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in case in which a white defendant is seeking a new trial because the prosecution disqualified the only black member of the jury pool. Troy Marlowe, formerly of Poplar Bluff, Mo., and two accomplices attempted to steal anhydrous ammonia, a key ingredient in the manufacture of methamphetamine, from the Whitewater Co-op on Nov. 15, 1999...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Supporters of a failed transportation tax increase on last month's ballot spent 300 times more than opponents, according to election finance reports. Despite losing by a margin of 3-to-1, the Time for Missouri Committee spent more than $3.7 million, Missouri Ethics Commission reports show...