Stories from Saturday, September 14, 2002

NAPLES, Fla. -- Three men reportedly overheard talking about a terrorist plot were pulled over and detained for 17 hours Friday before authorities said the men were apparently kidding around and released them. "If this was a hoax, they will be charged," Collier County Sheriff Don Hunter said angrily after an all-day search of the men's two cars turned up no sign of explosives...

WASHINGTON -- Two Air Force F-16 pilots have been charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault for recklessly dropping a bomb in April on Canadian troops engaged in live fire training exercise near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, the Air Force announced Friday...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Don't spend it all in one place! More than a million Missourians will be receiving small refund checks -- averaging about $2 each -- from the state in the next five weeks thanks to a Missouri Supreme Court ruling last year, state officials said Friday...

MIAMI -- The Florida elections board rejected Janet Reno's request Friday for a statewide recount in the gubernatorial primary, but the secretary of state said counties can continue searching for uncounted votes that could erase Bill McBride's lead...

HOUSTON -- Edgar Renteria hit an RBI single in the 10th inning as the Cardinals beat the Astros 3-2 Friday night to extend their lead in the NL Central. Renteria had three hits and two RBIs for the Cardinals, who lead second-place Houston by 6 1/2 games...

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Missouri coach Gary Pinkel doesn't need or want any more proof about the strength of the Mid-American Conference. Not after 18 years as a player and coach in the MAC and last season's 20-13 loss to Bowling Green in his opening game with the Tigers...

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Scotty Bowman is gone. So is Dominik Hasek. Team captain Steve Yzerman won't play until early 2003. When the Detroit Red Wings opened camp Friday, they didn't look like the team that won the Stanley Cup last season. As longtime stars Sergei Fedorov, Brendan Shanahan and Nicklas Lidstrom glided across the ice during morning scrimmages, the Wings have several questions to answer this season...

WASHINGTON -- It isn't the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, but serious drought is afflicting nearly half the country after the hottest summer since then. It has wilted crops and lawns, parched pastureland and forced communities to impose water restrictions...

The Missouri Division of Highway Safety, the Missouri Police Chief's Association and the Missouri Safety Center recently awarded the Cape Girardeau Police Department a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program grant of $2,500 to assist in a statewide effort to combat aggressive driving and increase seat belt use in Missouri...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Three women were arrested Sept. 3 by the Perry County Sheriff's Department on distributing a controlled substance. Members of the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and the sheriff's office conducted a three-month investigation that resulted in the arrest of Dorothy J. Falkner, 51, of Longtown, Mo., on four counts of distributing OxyContin. Also charged with distribution and delivery of the drug were Judy C. Combs, 49, and Dawn M. Cline, 34, both of Perryville, Mo...

THE HEAT IS ON Since 1993, weather during the SEMO District Fair, held the first full week after Labor Day each year: Average high: 81.9 Average low: 57.4 Highest high: 94, Sept.10, 11, 2002...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Sept. 14 Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: At 4:47 p.m., emergency medical service at 235 Notre Dame. At 10:19 p.m., emergency medical service at 510 N. Fountain. At 11:49 p.m., emergency medical service at 505 N. Kingshighway...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Sept. 14 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI David B. Branum, 45, of 1706 Brookwood was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Arrests Stephen D. Barnett, 21, of Portageville, Mo., and Christopher S. Bailey, 24, of Lilbourn, Mo., were arrested together Friday on suspicion of property damage and tampering...

It's the same old reminder every year: Change your smoke detector batteries when you set your clocks forward or backward for daylight-saving time. Maybe it's tiresome to hear these messages, much less heed them. If so, they should look to the Keller family's story for inspiration...

Remembering their roots and honoring early settlers will be the emphasis for worshippers during the annual Old McKendree Day Sept. 22 at Old McKendree Chapel outside Jackson, Mo. The Rev. Rhymes H. Moncure Jr. will speak during the 3 p.m. service at the chapel grounds. ...

QALAT, Afghanistan -- A girls' school is rocketed. Television sets once openly displayed are again tucked away. The Taliban are here, pamphlets announce, waiting to restore their harsh brand of Islam. And if the Taliban or people like them return to power, many in this deeply conservative region say they will not resist -- they are fed up with lawlessness, feel ignored by the central government and fear U.S. forces...

TBILISI, Georgia -- Georgia said Friday that a Russian warning of possible military action to flush out Chechen rebels was a threat of aggression against a neighbor and could not be justified as part of the international anti-terror campaign. Russia has pressured Georgia for months to take action against militants in the Pankisi Gorge, saying they use it as a base to launch attacks against Russia...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Nine months ago, authorities foiled an al-Qaida-linked plot to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Singapore using trucks loaded with explosives made from ammonium nitrate, a chemical fertilizer. Dozens of Islamic militants were arrested, but the four tons of ammonium nitrate were never recovered and slipped from the public consciousness -- until the anniversary of the Sept. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Deep in the bowels in the Missouri Capitol sat the first security door of its kind to be permanently installed in the United States. The mission: Prevent more than one person from entering the building at a time. The justification: Increased security resulting from the Sept. 11 attacks. The cost: $16,000. The reaction: Angry state workers and lawmakers...

The unusually warm, late summer sun on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday made the hay and straw just a little bit more scratchy. It made the show cattle a little bit more lazy, the cotton candy a bit more sticky, the grills and the fryers a bit more sultry and the brows of fair workers a bit more sweaty...

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- The Central Tigers left little doubt Friday night. The Eagles have landed. After suffering losses to New Madrid County Central the past three years, Central decided it was payback time Friday night, handing last year's Class 3 state finalist a decisive 31-0 loss...

ROCKWOOD, Mo. -- The tough start to Jackson High School's football season continued Friday night as the Indians were blanked 18-0 by Rockwood Summit. Jackson, which lost to Sikeston in last week's opener, fell to 0-2. Summit improved to 1-1. "They totally outplayed us. It's very disappointing," Jackson coach Carl Gross said. "We came out totally flat, with no emotion. Maybe I left it on the practice field this week. Maybe we went too hard and too long."...

NORMAN, Okla. -- Try as he might, Oklahoma quarterback Nate Hybl couldn't shield himself completely from the things written and said about him last year. Despite starting 11 games in 2001 -- the Sooners won 10 of them -- Oklahoma fans and some in the media never warmed to Hybl. Too slow afoot, they said. Takes too many sacks. Makes poor decisions under pressure...

Southeast Missouri State University nearly upset Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti a year ago. Eagles coach Jeff Woodruff said he would be surprised if today's contest isn't just as competitive. That probably says more about the state of EMU's program than about the progress made by Southeast...

Jagger's knighthood angered other Stones LONDON -- Mick Jagger's knighthood caused a rocky patch for the Rolling Stones, with guitarist Keith Richards saying he went "berserk" when he heard the news. In an interview with the music magazine Mojo, Richards said he reacted with "cold, cold rage at his blind stupidity."...

Federal judge upholds Arthur Andersen guilty verdict The Associated PressHOUSTON -- A federal judge upheld a verdict finding Enron Corp. auditor Arthur Andersen guilty of obstruction of justice, clearing the way for the accounting firm's sentencing next month...

CHICAGO -- A federal judge on Friday dismissed a perjury indictment against an Islamic charity accused of lying about its ties to Osama bin Laden, saying the alleged conduct didn't violate the law. U.S. District Judge Joan Gottschall's 22-page decision left no charges pending against Benevolence International Foundation or its executive director, Enaam Arnaout...

CARSON CITY, Nev. -- In Nevada, they love gambling and tolerate prostitution. Now they are talking about legalizing pot. A measure on the ballot Nov. 5 would make Nevada the first state to allow adults to possess marijuana -- up to 3 ounces, enough for maybe 100 joints...

Judge upholds verdict against Enron auditor HOUSTON -- A federal judge upheld a verdict finding Enron Corp. auditor Arthur Andersen guilty of obstruction of justice, clearing the way for the accounting firm's sentencing next month. Lawyers for Andersen had asked U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon to overturn the jury's June 15 verdict, arguing that the government had presented insufficient evidence and jurors had based their decision on actions that were not criminal...

CHICAGO -- A federal judge on Friday dismissed a perjury indictment against an Islamic charity accused of lying about its ties to Osama bin Laden, saying the alleged conduct didn't violate the law. The 22-page decision left no charges against Benevolence International Foundation, whose assets were frozen Dec. 14 when federal agents raided headquarters...

Natalie Krinsky dares to go public on a topic most of her college classmates keep between friends -- sex in the Elm City, otherwise known as New Haven, Conn. The 19-year-old junior is the resident "sexpert" at Yale University's student newspaper, one of a small but growing number of college publications with writers who detail the trials and tribulations of a favorite college pastime...

"One nation under God." That phrase isn't part of the Constitution, and may not be constitutional in the Pledge of Allegiance, but Americans have made it clear those four words embody their feelings toward the nation -- no matter what the courts say...

Do you have a bird feeder outside your window and enjoy watching birds as they drop by for a meal? I recently developed an incurable addiction to observing those fascinating feathered creatures as they expected to be welcomed as guests at my table. After watching them dine, I became interested in their origins, and found through reading Scripture that birds served in various prominent positions -- as messengers, symbols and examples of faith in God's provision for our needs. ...

ST.LOUIS -- Notre Dame's softball team (8-2) won its opening round game in the Incarnate Word Tournament, beating St. Joseph Academy 3-2 Friday. Whitney Ostendorf broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fifth inning with a two-run single. Lindsay Reinagel (7-2) pitched a complete game, allowing seven hits...

Southeast Missouri State University may close its swimming pool as a budget-cutting move. But the idea doesn't float with students who like to swim at the 39-year-old pool. The issue surfaced at the university's fourth and final forum Friday on possible ways to cut costs or raise revenue to make up for decreased state funding...

Boots were tapping at the SEMO District Fair Friday night to the tunes of three country music performers who have filled the record charts with several top hits. As part of their Honky-Tonk Tailgate Party tour, singers Rhett Akins, Daryle Singletary and Wade Hayes entertained the grandstand crowds with songs about finding love, losing love and when love goes wrong...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A decision that will determine whether a proposed power plant can be built in Cape Girardeau County will likely not be made until December. For almost two years, Colorado-based Kinder Morgan Power Co. has been seeking approval to build a 530-megawatt facility near Crump, Mo. ...

Friday is their holy day, so area Muslims chose that day to again denounce terrorism, preach a sermon of peace and forgiveness and hold a moment of silence for those who lost their lives on Sept. 11 last year and their loved ones. "This sad act has affected us all," said Dr. ...

Once a Southeast Missouri State University epidemiologist discovered West Nile virus in local mosquitos earlier this summer, and as veterinarians reported the disease in horses, all we could do is sit back and wait for the first human cases to pop up...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri statehouse hopefuls on Friday gave Department of Transportation officials an earful concerning the agency's credibility problem with voters. However, MoDOT director Henry Hungerbeeler defended the department's recent record of delivering promised projects and said its poor image is partly a product of faulty public perception...

When games began Friday in the B.A. Sports Volleyball Classic, the Central Tigers were looking for their first win this season. More importantly they were looking for signs of improvement. After the team finished last season with a 2-21-1 record in its first year with coach Sheila Midgett, she is trying to bring the Tigers' volleyball program back to life...

Just talking about leaving Cape Girardeau and the congregation at Hanover Lutheran Church can bring tears to his eyes, but the Rev. Jeffrey Sippy knows that he must take a step in faith. Sippy is leaving Hanover after 12 years as the congregation's pastor to take a new assignment as the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church and school in Springfield, Mo...

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff Saturday, Sept. 14 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Tabitha A. Rainey, 28, of Jackson, Mo., was arrested Sept. 7 at County Road 647 and 643 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...

A vigorous American church debate is breaking out on Iraq policy, with the Southern Baptist Convention's chief social-issues spokesman saying there's just cause to remove Saddam Hussein and leaders in the United Methodist Church and other faiths warning against armed conflict...

WASHINGTON -- The United States has evidence Iraq has mobile laboratories to make chemical or biological weapons, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Friday. Gen. Richard Myers also said the Pentagon probably would move a regional military headquarters to the Persian Gulf from their current base in Tampa, Fla...

The Washington Post UNITED NATIONS -- President Bush said Friday he is "highly doubtful" that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein will end 11 years of defiance of the United Nations, while a top Iraqi official made clear that Iraq will not yield easily to the growing international pressure...

State Rep. Tom Burcham is dropping his re-election bid following his second arrest in five months for driving while intoxicated. Burcham, R-Farmington, was arrested Tuesday by the Missouri State Highway Patrol for driving while intoxicated in Gasconade County. The 35-year-old lawyer, who was elected to the House in 2000, also was arrested for drunken driving in April in Jefferson City, Mo...

To the editor: In a Sept. 12 editorial, you mentioned that Republican candidate Scott Lipke will face Democratic candidate Chuck Miller in the race for state representative in the 157th District. You neglected to mention that he will also face Libertarian candidate Timothy Doubledee...

Today Mud volleyball from 1 to 3 p.m. at La Croix United Methodist Church. There is no charge or registration. Barbecue dinner at Bald Knob Cross at Alto Pass, Ill. Serving from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Adult tickets are $7 and for children under 6 tickets are $3. Carryouts are available...

Preachers bring three generations to revival Jackson Free Will Baptist Church will host a revival Sunday through Wednesday with three generations of preachers as featured speakers. The Rev. Truman Huffman, now retired as a pastor of a Free Will Baptist church, will speak at the 10:45 a.m. ...

Scott City was quiet on offense as they suffered their second straight shutout, this time 39-0 against Portageville on Friday night. Turnovers hurt the Rams, who had six in the game, including five fumbles. Coach Jason Burkman said he was pleased with the way his younger players stepped up physically, but knows they have a long way to go...

Baseball Montreal's Tomo Ohka was suspended for six games and Atlanta's Chris Hammond for three by baseball vice president Bob Watson, who accused the two of intentionally throwing at batters last weekend...

To the editor: This latest shenanigan is truly unbelievable. I watched the interview on the evening news of Cape Girardeau County Commissioner Joe Gamble explaining this latest boondoggle. County residents have purchased a home and two acres for a quarter of a million dollars. ...

To the editor: It is a common sentiment among Americans that our nation and the world changed as a result of Sept. 11, 2001. At least for a while, Americans were more compassionate. It seems obvious that things were and are different in our country. As our country changes, so too does the world...

Pay the police I HAVEN'T been a friend of the Cape Girardeau Police Department, the way they play hide and seek, but I will say they need a living salary for their families. If you don't give them a cost-of-living raise, the police department will become training grounds. ...

MORLEY, Mo. -- Jerry T. Crites, 61, of Morley was born Oct. 10, 1940, near Sturdivant, Mo., son of Ernest B. Crites of Puxico, Mo., and the late Hazel Cooper Crites. He passed away Thursday, Sept. 12, 2002, at his home. Jerry was a 1958 graduate of Puxico High School. He earned a bachelor of science and master of arts degree in counseling education from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girar-deau...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- James W. Guy, 90, of Clinton, Ky., formerly of Villa Ridge, Ill., and Mounds, died Friday, Sept. 13, 2002, at Clinton-Hickman County Intensive Care Facility in Clinton. He was born Aug. 26, 1912, in Pulaski, Ill., son of Joseph Arlet and Julia Etta Britt Guy. He was married to Mildred Virginia Guy, who preceded him in death...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Freddie L. Ashley, 74, of West Frankfort, Ill., formerly of Jonesboro, died Friday, Sept. 13, 2002, at Herrin Hospital. Hileman and Parr Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

JONESBORO, Ill. -- The funeral for Lester E. Davis of Jonesboro will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Hileman and Parr Funeral Home. The Rev. James Hardway will officiate. Burial will be in Jonesboro Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home from 5 to 8 p.m. today...

Kenneth R. Poole, 57, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Sept. 12, 2002, at his home. He was born Sept. 5, 1945, in Cape Girardeau, son of Jesse and Eva Burgens Poole. He and Mima B. Mayberry were married Dec. 13, 1963, in Jackson, Mo. Poole was a harbor mate with Ingram Barge Line 16 years. He previously worked for Coast Towing Co. 11 years and had also worked for Apex Oil...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Thomas Paul Bly, 55, of Altamont, Ill., died Friday, Sept. 13, 2002, at his home. He was born Nov. 25, 1946, in Decatur, Ill., son of N. Thomas and Betty Smallwood Bly. He and Betty Taylor were married July 31, 1975. Bly was a lieutenant with the Altamont Police Department. He was a patrolman with Decatur, Ill., Police Department nine years, and had been a major and assistant chief of police with Perryville Police Department...

Brashear Son to Scott William and Debbie Louise Brashear of Scott City, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 9:07 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002. Name, Tyler Scott. Weight, 8 pounds 8 1/2 ounces. Third child, second son. Mrs. Brashear is the former Debbie Kurtz, daughter of Alfred and Judy Kurtz of Scott City. Brashear is the son of Dick and Judy Brashear of Scott City. He is a carpenter with Miller Drywall Inc...

10 years ago: Sept. 14, 1992 Fair officials are pleased with Sunday's attendance at SEMO District Fair; they estimate that between 9,000 and 10,000 people took part in Sneak-A-Peek Day; that number is about double attendance during first day of last year's fair...

Southeast Missourian Today top endurance athletes from around the three-state area will compete today in the Trail of Tears Triathlon, an event that combines a half-mile swim, a 15-mile bike ride and four-mile run at Trail of Tears State Park...

CORNING, Ark. -- The Chaffee Red Devils fell to 0-2 after a 40-25 loss to Corning on Friday night. Chaffee held a 19-14 lead at the half but two quick Corning scores, including a fumble recovery on a lateral pass, erased the Red Devil lead. Chaffee (0-2) never could recover...

The Washington Post TOKYO -- North Korea's leader is seeking an estimated $10 billion in World War II reparations in his historic summit with Japan's prime minister on Tuesday to bolster his impoverished nation, according to officials and analysts here...