Stories from September 2002

THEBES, Ill. -- Willie Miller, 54, of Ullin, Ill., squatted down and traced his finger up and down the black, polished wall which seemed misplaced in the middle of a grassy baseball field. The wall didn't seem to match the backdrop of the Mississippi River, the old railroad bridge, the campground and the older homes in the historic river town...

Dropping the prescription requirement for a drug usually means the price comes down and people can treat themselves for common ailments without seeing the doctor. But it can also mean paying more for the drug and facing the danger of misdiagnosing themselves...

History was pitching a shutout against baseball last week until the MLBPA and the owners hit a home run in the ninth inning. About 210 minutes away from baseball's ninth work stoppage the players and owners stepped up to the plate and got the job done. Like any professional would. They worked long into the night and that was evident on the fatigued faces that appeared in front of the world at the news conference Friday...

It's generally not wise to try and read too much into any one game, particularly a season-opening contest. But I came away from Southeast Missouri State University's 42-41 double-overtime football victory over Arkansas-Monticello Thursday thinking one primary thing:...

veryone has a television moment he or she will never forget. For some it's a somber one: For 86-year-old Sydney Richards -- and many of her generation -- it is the 1963 assassination of JFK and the subsequent shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald. "I was glued to the television," said Richards of Cape Girardeau. "Everyone was. We were afraid to look away. It was a terrible time."...

It's one thing to raise the revenue needed to build roads and bridges and maintain those already in existence. If Proposition B, a plan to raise sales and fuel taxes, had been approved last month, where to spend the extra revenue would have been guided by project lists developed prior to the Aug. 6 vote...

MIAMI -- Health officials said Saturday they are investigating the possibility that a 63-year-old man contracted West Nile virus from a heart transplant or a blood transfusion. It would be the first time such a method of transmission was recorded, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All cases of West Nile virus in the United States have come from contact with a mosquito, according to the CDC...

Jill Allison Weber and Joshua Rayburn were married Sept. 9, 2001, at Mission Point Resort, Mackinac Island, Mich. Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Weber of Cape Girardeau are parents of the bride. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Loggins of Angleton, Texas...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Shannon Hood and Keith Thomas Urhahn were married Sept. 22, 2001, at La Croix United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Ron Watts performed the double ring ceremony. Music was by Chris Nall and Geoff Smith of Cape Girardeau and Jill Prince of Jackson...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Amy Renee Goetz and Matthew Ray Richter were married March 2, 2002, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, Mo. The Rev. Walter Patzwitz performed the double ring ceremony. Organist was Susan Ludwig of Shawneetown, Mo., trumpeter was Jennifer Zoellner of Farrar, Mo., and soloist was Joleta Ludwig of Shawneetown...

Kimberly Ann Fehr and Marvin E. Adams exchanged vows April 6, 2002, at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. The Rev. Charlie Prost performed the double ring ceremony. Organist was Valerie Schaefer, flutist was Christina Van Nostrand, and soloist was Mike Renick...

Lisa Michelle Daugherty and Michael Joseph Gladden were married May 25, 2002, at Cape Bible Chapel. Fred Burgard performed the double ring ceremony. Pianist was Philip Redmond and soloist was Wendy Taliaferro, both of Cape Girardeau. Parents of the bride are William and Bonnie Daugherty of Cape Girardeau. The groom is the son of Joe and Debbie Gladden of Fenton, Mo...

Jill Renee Johnson and Shawn Lane Neumeyer were united in marriage June 1, 2002, at St. Mary's Cathedral. Msgr. Richard Rolwing performed the ceremony. Organist was Brenda Neumeyer, aunt of the groom, and soloist was Christy Shinn. The bride is the daughter of Joyce Johnson of Cape Girardeau, and the late James W. "Jay" Johnson. The groom is the son of Glenn and Pat Neumeyer of Jackson, Mo...

BURFORDVILLE, Mo. -- Jennifer Lynn Banger and Timothy Scott Proctor were married June 1, 2002, at the home of her aunt and uncle in Winterset, Iowa. Doug Helton performed the double ring ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Bob and Linda Banger of Burfordville, formerly of New Virginia, Iowa. Robert and Pat Proctor of Alpha, Iowa, are parents of the groom...

Hobbs Chapel United Methodist Church was the setting June 9, 2002, for the wedding of Crystal Diane Annable and Brian Anthony Hite. Bendi Burgin performed the double ring ceremony. Parents of the bride are Paul and Diana Annable of Washington, Mo. The groom is the son of Judy Hite of Cape Girardeau, and the late Tony Hite...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Deanna Dockins and Brad Richardson were married Aug. 10, 2002, in Chaffee, The Rev. Jim Hatley, uncle of the groom, performed the ceremony. Music was by Wayne McAlister of Chaffee, and soloist was Becky Bentley of Jackson, Mo. Parents of the couple are Laddie and Annette Bridwell and Danny and Linda Lindy, all of Chaffee...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Mr. and Mrs. John Bustos of San Antonio, Texas, announce the engagement of their daughter, Jaime Vaness Bustos, to Kenneth Dean Merideth. He is the son of Mary Merideth of Sikeston and Kenneth Merideth of Essex, Mo. Bustos attended Incarnate Word High School in San Antonio and the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. She is a power scheduler at Calpine Energy Services in Houston...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- David and Phyllis Bruch of Sikeston announce the engagement of their daughter, Sabrina Alane Bruch, to Terry Joseph Burford of Benton, Mo. He is the son of Ron Burford of McClure, Ill., and Gerri Powell of Benton. Bruch is a 2001 graduate of Kelly High School, and is attending Trend Setters School of Cosmetology...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Leo and Pamela Goolsby of Advance announce the engagement of their daughter, Brandi Dawn Goolsby, to Riche D. Weissenborn. He is the son of Jimmy and Linda Weissenborn of Advance. Goolsby is a 1995 graduate of Advance High School. She is employed in accounts receivable at Schott Farms Trucking Inc...

MCCLURE, Ill. -- Dennis Taylor and Cynthia Taylor of McClure announce the engagement of their daughter, Candace Renee Taylor, to Raymond Charles Halter. He is the son of Bill and Rose Halter of Benton, Mo. Taylor is a 1997 graduate of Shawnee High School, and a 1998 graduate of Stage One the Hair School. She is employed at Great Clips for Hair in Cape Girardeau...

BENTON, Mo. -- Carol Gosche of Benton and Richard Daniel of Oran, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Crissy Michele Daniel, to Craig Allen Campbell. He is the son of Robert and Joyce Campbell of Hazelwood, Mo. Daniel received a bachelor of arts degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia in May. She is employed with the family business, Morley Building Supply...

Arthur and Judy Jackson of Cape Girardeau celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary with a dinner Aug. 17, 2002, in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. The Jacksons were married Aug. 17, 1947, in the Academy Building at Ste. Genevieve, the home of her parents at that time...

Department of Conservation/Peter Latourette The Missouri dove hunting season opens today and runs through Nov. 9. Missouri hunters' average annual take is 1.2 million doves.By Jeremy Joffray ~ Southeast Missourian Today marks the start of hunting season for local hunters with the opening of dove season...

10 years ago: Sept. 1, 1992 Less than 48 hours after his selection to run as Republican candidate for vacant circuit judgeship, Missouri Gov. John Ashcroft appointed William L. Syler to fill the vacancy; his appointment is effective Oct. 1, and he will serve until end of year; if he is successful in Nov. 3 general election, Syler will serve remaining four years of term of Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr...

James Ward of Malden, Mo., and Linda and Willard Cohen of Linn Creek, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Shawna R. Ward, to Justin H. Hanks, both of Eldon, Mo. He is the son of Steve and Marsha Hanks of Eldon. Ward is a 1993 graduate of Central High School, and received a manicuring license from the state of Missouri in 1997. She is employed at Windjammer Spa and Salon at Tan-Tara Resort in Osage Beach, Mo...

MORLEY, Mo. -- Charles McCann, 71, of Morley died Saturday, Aug. 31, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomple at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Oran, Mo.

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Robert Mitchell Reed, 63, of Marble Hill died Friday, Aug. 30, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 19, 1939, at Brookins, Ark., son of Joseph and Gladys M. James Reed. Reed worked for the VIP Industries for several years...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- William L. Bohannon Jr., 78, of Sikeston died Friday, Aug. 30, 2002, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born Sept. 19, 1923, north of Sikeston, son of William Lee and Iva Mae Gray Bohannon. He and Willa "Billie" Menz were married Nov. 16, 1946, at Sikeston...

Hazel L. Davis, 92, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Aug. 31, 2002, at her home. She was born July 7, 1910, in Cape Girardeau County, daughter of Roy "Price" and Rozena Jane O'Guin Knight. She and James "Mack" Matthew Davis were married Feb. 8, 1930, at Cairo, Ill...

Sharon Kay Moore, 59, of Cape Girardeau died Friday Aug. 30, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 30, 1942, at St. Louis, daughter of Curtis Jefferson and Florence Ethel Benson Rose. She and Harold A. Moore were married May 2, 1959, at Scott City, Mo...

Shirley Clara Klipfel, 63, of Benton, Mo., died Saturday, Aug. 31, 2002, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 16, 1939, at Kelso, Mo., daughter of Marcus and Clara Johanna Compas Schaefer. She and Lawrence James Klipfel were married June 14, 1958, at Kelso...

Keep the lights on I WAS disappointed to notice that SEMO is no longer lighting their entrance signs and that lights on the Academic Building dome are burned out. While this certainly isn't a time for expansion in light of the budget situation, it is important for SEMO to maintain what it has. The entrance signs and the lighted dome are important symbols of the vitality of the school. I hope this will be addressed prior to family weekend and homecoming...

Otahkians remain winless on season SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Otahkians fell to 0-3 on the season after being swept t3-0 by Utah State and the host Lady Bears at the Conoco/SMS Fall Invitational on Saturday. In their first match of the day the Otahkians fell 30-25, 30-17, 30-25 to the host Lady Bears. Senior Bobby Carlisle led the charge for the Otahkians, but was outmatched by the play of Southwest Missouri State's Erin Murphy and Linette White who had 12 and 11 kills respectively...

Homes can be much like jewels. The quality of the gem is of the utmost importance, but setting can determine the overall beauty of the jewel. The house at 2745 Caufield is like a jewel in a perfect setting. This is a 4-year-old structure in an older, more established neighborhood -- a rare combination. The owner will have the advantage of modern design and convenience coupled with a lovely yard and friendly neighbors who have lived there for years...

To celebrate Labor Day, some of us will participate in activities that recall the roots of this holiday in the labor movement. But for most Americans, this weekend is a time to celebrate the unofficial end of summer and the start of the school year...

Cape Girardeau Sunday, Sept. 1 Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday: At 11:49 a.m., an emergency medical service at 15 S. Pacific. At 4:13 p.m., an illegal burn at 133 S. Pacific. At 4:44, an emergency medical service at a motor vehicle accident at the 1700 block of William...

Cape Girardeau Sunday, Sept. 1 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Michele Andrea Satre, 38, of Sikeston, Mo., was arrested Friday on a Charleston warrant for failure to appear...

MOSCOW -- Belarus, the Soviet throwback sandwiched between Russia and Poland, is resisting efforts by McDonald's to turn it into a fast-food nation. The fast-food giant filed a lawsuit in August month in a land dispute with authorities -- the latest in a string of problems it has had since it opened for business in Belarus in 1996...

Dr. Sara Edgerton, director of the Southeast Missouri Symphony Orchestra, will be the guest on KRCU'S "Going Public" radio show today. The show will focus on the growth of the orchestra and its upcoming concert season. The public affairs show will air at 3 p.m. on 90.9 FM, the region's Public Radio affiliate station...

WASHINGTON-- The dark spicy sauce that adds a kick to stir-fry or a tang to grilled salmon is a new source of conflict between Japan and the United States. Japan wants soy sauce labeled, particularly unfermented U.S.-made brands that some food purists contend are only an imitation of the Japanese brew...

WASHINGTON -- Consumers are unlikely to see changes in gas prices or brand names resulting from the $15.1 billion merger of Phillips Petroleum Co. and Conoco Inc., regulators and company officials say. The companies completed the deal creating the third-largest U.S. ...

WASHINGTON -- U.S.-based airlines are inspecting 1,400 Boeing jets to determine if they have a potentially faulty fuel pump that could cause an explosion. In an emergency order issued Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration stressed that no serious incidents have been linked to problems with the pumps, which are made by Hydro-Aire Inc. of Burbank, Calif., and installed since January on Boeing 737s, 747s and 757s...

WASHINGTON -- John Walker Lindh's attorneys say he is telling federal agents everything he knows, and he wants Americans to forgive him for joining the Taliban military. The United States would be interested in Lindh's knowledge of other fighters he met as well as places he had been in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Before his military training in Afghanistan, he spent time in a pro-Taliban border region of Pakistan...

WASHINGTON -- Christine Frank knew one thing for certain on that horrible day when she was told neither of her teenage sons would survive a car accident. "I said, 'Listen to me now. They are to be organ donors. That was their wish,"' said Frank, who lost James, 18, and Christopher, 15, in 1998. "When you're hit with tragedy, if you're any kind of survivor, you're going to find something to hold on to, to find it made sense."...

Sicily looks to burnish its image and attract more tourists ROME -- Sicily's government, determined to quash the image of the island as a Mafia backwater with scant tourist appeal, is launching a major campaign next month to persuade travelers worldwide to come visit...

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- They stumble along the path of their ancestors, some barefoot, coughing and crying as they trudge toward Indian territory. Wrapped in thin blankets, they shiver as they pretend to walk on frozen earth and through icy rivers. Some fall to the ground, as if they are too weak and too sick with measles and dysentery to go any farther...

INDIANAPOLIS -- It's a devilish trick: Take unsuspecting out-of-towners to St. Elmo Steak House for the spicy shrimp cocktail and watch them take their first bite. Even Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has duped his guests into trying the mostly horseradish concoction with the bite that many hate to love, and a reputation that stretches from coast to coast...

ST. LOUIS -- All Rams coach Mike Martz wanted from the preseason was to enter the regular season with his starters healthy. Mission accomplished. The Rams lost no one to injury in a 23-16 loss to the Chiefs Friday night in the annual Governor's Cup game in Kansas City. The loss ended a winless preseason for the Rams (0-4)...

SURREY, British Columbia -- Gene Sauers shot a 5-under-par 66 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after the third round of the Air Canada Championship. The 40-year-old Sauers, who won the last of his two PGA Tour titles in 1989 and hasn't had a full tour card since 1996, had a 13-under 200 total Australians Peter Lonard and Robert Allenby were a stroke back after 68s...

Now that the Masters has eliminated its television sponsors, the leader of a national women's group said Saturday she will urge CBS Sports to drop coverage of golf's most watched tournament until Augusta National has a female member. Martha Burk, chairwoman of the National Council of Women's Organizations, said she will not give up the fight until the Masters fades away as a major championship or until the club admits a woman...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- His political consultants said he should have hidden his bald spot in a commercial with a little spray. How about a downgrade for those thick, big-framed glasses? Erskine Bowles said no thanks to both. "They said I look like Harry Potter," he said to howls at a recent Young Democrats meeting at the University of North Carolina. "I told them I'm not changing my glasses, and I'm not changing my principles."...

ST. LOUIS -- A jury has awarded $8.5 million in a case where a faulty car seat failed to protect a 2-year-old child in a one-car accident, leaving him a paraplegic. The St. Louis Circuit Court jury awarded the money Friday to Damon Steele, whose son, D.J. Steele, was riding in an Evenflo car seat in the accident Nov. 26, 1996, on Highway J near Fredericktown, Mo...

LITTLE ROCK -- His car windshield is cracked. The taillights are splintered. The hood is cratered with hundreds of dings. "Every little possible thing on the car is damaged," Scott Blair says proudly. "This car's been through hell and back." It's just one of the hazards that go with being a storm chaser...

ST. LOUIS -- Late paperwork cost the St. Louis City Department of Health $207,000 in federal funds for HIV and AIDS services, an audit showed Friday. Failure to meet reimbursement deadlines nearly forced the city to forfeit an additional $3 million...

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. -- Penny-pinchers. Cheapskates. Tightwads. Spendthrifts. Go ahead, call Bob Sadrakula, Keith Gann and Don Burns anything you want. All they know is, they get the most for their buck when they go fishing. "It gripes me to pay full price for anything," said Burns, 58, who lives in Olathe, Kan. "To me, it's fun to save money. Let's face it, we're just cheap."...

The Associated PRess HEMATITE, Mo. -- Two more private wells near the closed Westinghouse Electric Co. nuclear fuel plant in this Jefferson County town contain chemical contaminants, company officials said. The discovery brings to eight the number of wells found to contain non-radiological contaminants from the plant. Seven of those wells are in a subdivision southeast of the plant, in this community about 35 miles south of St. Louis...

NEELYVILLE, Mo. -- A pedestrian from Neelyville in Butler County died after stepping into the path of a car on Saturday, the state highway patrol said. The victim was identified as Toby A. Sampson, 35, of Neelyville.

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- The legend that a $20 gold coin stopped a Minie ball at the Battle of Shiloh saving the life of the man who later commanded the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley appears to be true. Scientists at the Hunley lab conducted forensic tests on the left thighbone of Lt. George Dixon and say the bone shows signs of being hit by a Minie ball...

The traditional colors of autumn might be the reds, yellows and oranges of the falling leaves, but when it comes to color cosmetics, the season is bursting with deep greens, purples and browns. Some of the new colors and products from makeup manufacturers include:...

"Should I stick with 35mm film or should I get a digital camera and go totally digital?" seems to be the big photography question these days. Personally, I like shooting with both types of cameras -- film for stock- and book photography, and digital for magazine- and newspaper work. For my fun shots, I use a one-time-use camera and a 3-megapixel camera...

NEW YORK To match the mix of opulence and richness that she is seeing in fall fashions, makeup artist Charlie Green says she's using color cosmetics to create exotic tapestries in shades of green, wine, purple and "mochaccino." The baroque look lends itself to deeper color, she explains...

MEIVAND, Afghanistan -- The raid of a local police station by Afghan soldiers and U.S. Special Forces has fired emotions in this southwestern town, with provincial officials saying the 170 men arrested were renegades, while residents said they worked for the new government...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Eager to shake off his pariah image, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi said Saturday his country is no longer a rogue state and has even detained some Islamists suspected of links with the al-Qaida terror network. In a two-hour speech on Libyan national television, Gadhafi condemned the Sept. 11 attacks, saying: "We have never seen such a horrific and terrifying act performed in such an exhibitionist manner."...

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Thousands of peaceful demonstrators, disillusioned by squabbling and compromise, marched to the World Summit on Saturday, demanding immediate action to save the planet and its poor. Inside the summit building, negotiators slogged through a sixth day in an elusive hunt for language to protect the environment and get clean water, sanitation and health care to more than a billion people who live without them...

BERLIN -- Germany has told the United States it will withhold evidence against Sept. 11 conspiracy defendant Zacarias Moussaoui unless it receives assurances that the material won't be used to secure a death penalty against him, Germany's justice minister said in remarks released Saturday...

HELSINGOER, Denmark -- The European Union showed a new willingness Saturday to compromise on U.S. demands that it exempt Americans from prosecutions at the international court on war crimes. Italy and Britain have already indicated they are ready to break ranks with their EU partners and sign bilateral deals granting Washington's wish...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- An Israeli helicopter fired missiles at a car Saturday, killing five Palestinians including a militant and two children, witnesses said. Elsewhere in the West Bank, a Palestinian gunman infiltrated a Jewish settlement, wounding two people before he was killed...

LONDON -- Five years after Princess Diana's death prompted an astonishing public outpouring of grief, Britain remembered her Saturday in far more subdued fashion, marking a sad anniversary with small, personal gestures and private recollections. Hundreds of bouquets piled up outside Kensington Palace, Diana's former home, far fewer than the thousands that formed an ocean of floral tributes when the palace's ornate iron gates were a focal point for national mourning in 1997...

BUNOL, Spain -- Tens of thousands of people stripped off their shirts and hurled tons of ripe, juicy tomatoes at each other in the annual Tomatina food fight, creating knee-deep rivers of tomato sauce on the streets of this Spanish town. The festival, which has its roots in a food fight between childhood friends, is gaining in popularity. Wednesday's crowd numbered around 38,000 -- more than four times the population of Bunol -- and 8,000 more than last year, Spanish news agency Efe reported...

After typhoon, two U.S. Marines missing in Japan SEOUL, South Korea -- Typhoon Rusa caused floods and landslides across South Korea on Saturday, killing at least three people after whipping up waves that swept away two U.S. Marines in Japan. Five others were missing in southern South Korea after being carried away by floodwaters, while rescuers in the east were trying to reach people trapped inside 10 cars buried in a mudslide...

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- If the tabloid empire of American Media Inc. wrote the headline for the latest act in its own disaster, it might read: "Space aliens search for hidden killer in eerie ghost town!" But for this story, the company that publishes The National Enquirer and other supermarket tabloids wants the bizarre headlines to go away...

CRAWFORD, Texas - After 26 days away from the White House, President Bush returns today to the nation's capital facing an intense period of political maneuvering and policy debate that is likely to shape the second half of his term. Since leaving Washington on Aug. ...

Private contractors hired to decontaminate postal facilities last fall cleaned up more than just anthrax: They billed the government for at least $50 million in unexplained cost overruns and $40 million for mail-irradiation machines that have yet to be used, federal auditors found...

AMARILLO, Texas -- Few places have been hit harder by the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church than the Diocese of Amarillo, where eight priests have resigned after being accused of abuse. Eleven of the 35 parishes in the sprawling 26-county diocese do not have full-time priests. Retired priests are celebrating Mass on Sundays and hearing confessions, and deacons are assisting with administrative duties to serve the diocese's 56,000 Catholics...

CHICAGO -- After 89 years in business, Arthur Andersen LLP on Saturday ended its role as auditor of public companies. The Chicago-based company was convicted in June of obstruction of justice for shredding and doctoring documents related to Enron audits. Afterward, Andersen told the Securities and Exchange Commission it would cease auditing public companies. It already had given up its license to practice in several states...

MILWAUKEE -- Midwest Express flight attendants will be locked out if they walk off their jobs as threatened, an airline attorney says. Carol Skornicka, senior vice president and general counsel for Midwest Express, said the airline has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, contending the walkouts would not be protected under federal labor laws...

NEW YORK -- There was more than musical magic on stage that day in 1936 when Lionel Hampton joined Benny Goodman in a Manhattan ballroom -- it was a breakthrough in American race relations. Hampton, a vibraphone virtuoso who died Saturday, broke a barrier that had kept black and white musicians from performing together in public. Through a six-decade career, he continued to build a name for himself as one of the greats in jazz history...

LOS ANGELES -- A 9-year-old boy who was abducted from his father's home in the middle of the night by two men has been reunited with his father, authorities said Saturday. "He's very exhausted from the whole ordeal," said Lisa McConnell, a spokeswoman for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. "He seemed very happy to be back with Dad last night."...

ABOARD THE USCGC HEALY -- Great chunks of sea ice knock against the bow of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, jolting the ship like a series of moderate earthquakes. The constant thumping soon fades to background noise as the 420-foot vessel plows through ice floes before its next stop in the Arctic Ocean beyond Alaska's northwestern coast. ...

LOS ANGELES -- An experimental nerve-graft surgery allowed a paraplegic woman whose spinal cord was severed in an automobile accident to reacquire limited use of her legs, an Italian doctor reported last week at a conference in California. In a 14-hour surgery performed in July 2000, Dr. ...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A federal judge Friday ordered the U.S. government to let scientists study the bones of Kennewick Man, an ancient skeleton that could offer rare clues to how the first people arrived in America. The 9,300-year-old bones have been the center of an intense legal battle between scientists, who want to study the remains, and the federal government, which had ruled the bones belong to Northwest tribes who claim the remains as an ancient tribal member...

NEW YORK -- Listening to a newborn's plaintive squall, parents hear the hungry promise of a life to come. In the babbling that precedes an infant's first halting attempts to talk, however, scientists are discovering crucial clues to how children master the languages that connect humans to one another...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Wal-Mart executives said it was a mistake to mail a company publication featuring Republican Senate candidate Elizabeth Dole on the cover less than two weeks before the GOP primary. The publication, sent to nearly 200,000 North Carolina residents, was meant to promote literacy -- not Dole's candidacy, they say...

Directors to be honored at Marrakech festival CASABLANCA, Morocco -- Movie directors David Lynch, Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola will be guests of honor at next month's Marrakech International Film Festival. Scorsese, who filmed scenes for "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "Kundun" in Morocco, will be given the country's highest award, the Wissam alaouite, by King Mohammed VI at the Sept. 18-22 festival, organizers said...

Outhouse built to protest city rules CRESAPTOWN, Md. -- A property owner who thinks state building regulations stink is sending a message with his latest construction project: an outhouse. Gene Pratt said he built the nonfunctional privy along U.S. 220 to protest rules that would add $2,000 to the cost of putting a small office building on the site...

NEW MARKET, Va. -- What do you do when the colors fade, when your pathways are in perpetual shade? If you're at least partially sighted, you continue to garden, of course. Gardening can be great therapy for the roughly 12 to 14 million Americans who are visually impaired, or for those with other disabilities or special needs...

LUANDA, Angola -- If not for its oil, Angola would scarcely warrant a second look from most potential investors. Riven by Africa's longest postcolonial war, the country has distinguished itself mainly for poverty, corruption and, most recently, the threat of famine...

MALONGO, Angola -- The heart of Angola's booming petroleum industry beats in Cabinda, a detached fragment of Angolan territory where soldiers from Cuba once guarded American oil men against attack -- by U.S.-backed guerrillas. Within this strategically important enclave, U.S. ...

WORCESTER, Mass. -- It hangs in the daytime sky like a dirty curtain filtering sunlight into a toxic gray haze, choking throats and burning eyes. But what smog-causing pollution does when the sun sets is still a mystery to scientists, and one they say needs to be solved if pollution regulation is going to work...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The mystery of what makes geckos stick to just about anything -- a question that has puzzled scientific minds since Aristotle -- finally has been solved, according to a new study. The answer involves the geometry, not the biochemistry, of the lizard's feet, meaning scientists may be able to duplicate the same geometric principles to create things such as robots that can walk on any surface in any direction, the researchers say. ...

LONDON -- In the quiet stone halls of Cambridge University, a distinctly 21st century battle is brewing over a question that has vexed academic institutions around the world. Who owns faculty members' ideas -- some of them very profitable? Cambridge has angered some of its professors by proposing a very American notion: that it should hold the rights and patents to all the concepts and inventions they create...

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Two years ago, LM Ericsson was Sweden's biggest business, the main private employer, foreign exchange earner and bulwark of the stock exchange. Shares of the wireless equipment company, the world's largest, traded at $24 apiece...

MIAMI -- After Sept. 11, Dezer Hotels saw a four-year streak of double-digit growth vanish along with international tourists and Americans' appetite for taking to the skies. The South Florida hotel chain's occupancy rate, which measures how close a hotel comes to filling its rooms, dropped by 50 percent for three months following the terrorist attacks. ...

Something as simple as jumping off and onto low platforms can make a child's bones stronger, and it can be accomplished in as little as 10 minutes three times a week, researchers say. The exercise program requires nothing more high-tech than platforms 4-20 inches in height...

WASHINGTON -- The federal agency that tracks anthrax and other killer microbes is spending at least $125 million to tell kids, nicely, to go outside and play. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is funding a national ad campaign to encourage children ages 9 to 13, called tweens, to be more physically active. The CDC hopes to set kids on the path to health now so they don't wind up later in its statistics on obesity, diabetes, heart disease and early death...

PITTSBURGH -- Nearly a decade ago, a young doctor dressed in an old shirt and torn jeans started making trips to Pittsburgh's alleys, overpasses and bridge abutments, a bag of medical supplies at the ready. Dr. James Withers took to the streets to start one of the few programs in the country offering street-level health care to the homeless. Braving 90-degree heat, rain and snow, he has treated head colds, broken arms, pregnancies, heart attacks and maggot-infested wounds...

BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. -- Among the rugged and scraped boats that drowsily rumble down the bayou that gives this seafaring town its name are vessels with names many folks here can't pronounce: Mui Ten, To Giay Bac, Bo Duc. Multicolored, writhing dragons adorn the prows of some, but most of these boats are as sullen and unassuming as the other vessels here. It's as if they're politely requesting anonymity...

ALBANY, Ga. -- Drought, a cooler-than-expected summer and the natural rhythms of nut-bearing trees will likely lead to a smaller pecan crop this year in Georgia and across the South. "Pecans like it hot," said Darrell Sparks, a University of Georgia pecan specialist. "Last year was relatively cool. You have to have a lot of heat to get a return bloom" the following year...

By Gary W. Crafton VAN BUREN, Mo. -- Missouri requires owners of vehicles registered in the state to have their vehicles inspected every two years. The purpose is to promote safety on the highways. If this is true, then why are federal government vehicles exempted from this law? Why did Missouri decide to go to a two-year inspection instead of every year? Why is it every time a vehicle is sold, the new owner has to have it re-inspected, even though it has a current safety inspection?. ...

Scavenger hunters wandered around Trail of Tears State Park grounds Friday night playing a tape that kept repeating "who cooks for you, who cooks for you all." That's the call for the barred owl, one of several types of owls in the area. Scavenger hunter Shelia Saffel of Cape Girardeau said they got a taker after learning about owls in a program Friday night...

Organizers of the SEMO District Fair hope this year's event has something for everyone -- from mud drag races, a demolition derby and tractor pull to deep-fried candy bars. Volunteers spent much of Saturday preparing the fairgrounds for opening day. Workers installed new metal benches in the grandstand to replace old wooden ones. Others landscaped the FFA barn or installed bricks on the commemorative walkway...

Many Americans this Labor Day are just thankful to have a job. The nation's unemployment rate is hovering near a seven-year high, and new jobs are not being created as the bleak economy teeters on the cusp of recovery and recession. "To working families, it looks a heck of a lot like a recession," said Jared Bernstein, an economist at the union-supported Economic Policy Institute in Washington and an author of "The State of Working America 2002-03."...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Philip Brabbs kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired to give 13th-ranked Michigan a 31-29 victory over No. 11 Washington in the opener Saturday. No. 1 Miami 63, Florida A&M 17 MIAMI -- Ken Dorsey threw for 110 yards and three touchdowns as Miami overwhelmed Division I-AA Florida A&M...

HOUSTON -- Omar Daal allowed two hits over 6 2-3 innings to beat Houston for the first time in seven decisions as Los Angeles beat the Astros 4-0 on Saturday. Daal entered the game 0-6 in 22 appearances against the Astros, but he retired 18 of the first 19 batters...

NEW YORK The hot looks for fall this year are all looks we've seen before -- ethnic embellishments, romantic tops, chunky knit sweaters, pencil skirts and suede anything. What makes them very 2002 is how they're put together, says Elaine Farley, beauty and fashion director at Cosmopolitan magazine...

The economy may be in a shambles down on Earth, but for $20 million it will look a whole lot better from space. At least, Russia's financially strapped space agency is banking on it -- getting some good old capitalistic cash from boy band pop star Lance Bass who is training for a road trip to the international space station this fall. At 23, Bass is vying to become the youngest person to really space out. He also would be the first celebrity space tourist...

KENNETT, Mo. -- In a few days, our nation will observe the first anniversary of a horrendous event, the slaughter of more than 3,000 innocent citizens who died in the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. It will be a time of reflection on the part of most Americans, a time when our leaders will ask us to renew our patriotism, our faith in our governments and our support of any plans proposed by the powers that be to eradicate the threats of the future...

This is part of a series of fall sports previews for area high schools. Information was provided by the coaches of each school. All schools did not provide information. Previews of other fall sports will be published as those seasons begin. Jackson...

This is part of a series of fall sports previews for area high schools. Information was provided by the coaches of each school. Previews of other fall sports will be published as those seasons begin.Central Head coach: Tom Doyle Assistant coach: Josh Crowell...

10 years ago: Sept. 3, 1992 City council Tuesday unanimously approved placing on Nov. 3 election ballot issue of whether to switch from at-large council elections to zone representation; there was no discussion by council members on ordinance to place issue - prompted by citywide petition drive - on ballot...

Jackson Mary Kay director receives awards Wilma Dooley, a Mary Kay director, was awarded a diamond ring with 15 diamonds for oustanding sales for the past year. This past week at Royal N'Orleans restaurant in Cape Girardeau, Dooley announced and presented awards to the following consultants for sales: Debbie Balsman of Perryville, Mo.; Sheila Hahs of Sedgewickville, Mo.; Kelly Hartmann of Cape Girardeau, Mo.; Sue Gloth of Chaffee, Mo.; Tammy Van Gennip of Advance, Mo.; Sue Zoll of Jackson, Mo.; and Tammy Richardet of Perryville.. ...

Vietnam's government tries to block its citizens from such U.S.-based Web sites as the one run by expatriate Pham Ngoc whose pro-democracy rantings it considers dangerous and subversive. The ruling Communist Party doesn't like the dissident writings and other postings on his Thong Luan site, shortened from the Vietnamese for "information debate." No matter. ...

Ask someone under 40 who Dave Mason is and the reaction often is a shrug. Say "Traffic," and the light goes on. In the late '60s, Mason and Stevie Winwood joined with Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi to form the legendary British band that recorded such hits as "Dear Mr. ...

DYERSBURG, Tenn. -- Rosemary Millar, 58, of Dyersburg died Friday, Aug. 30, 2002, at Dyersburg Methodist Hospital. She was born July 11, 1944, in Sikeston, Mo., the daughter of John and Mary Francis Welsh Hooper. She married Bob Millar on Dec. 23, 1966, in Sikeston. He survives of Dyersburg...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Berenetta L. Elfrink, 62, of Leopold died Sunday, Sept. 1, 2002, at her home following an illness. She was born Jan. 5, 1940, at Glenallen, Mo., the daughter of Jim R. and Hazel Sitze Moore. She married Fred J. Elfrink June 21, 1957. He preceded her in death Dec. 25, 1998...

Jeanette Ervin, 89, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Sept. 2, 2002, at the Lutheran Home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford & Sons Funeral Home.

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- Bobby C. Owens, 69, of East Prairie died Saturday, Aug. 31, 2002, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born Dec. 15, 1932, in Mississippi County, the son of George Holloway and Virgie Mae Husk Owens. He married Doris Evelyn Marshall on Feb. 15, 1952, in Las Vegas, Nev., who survives...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Otha "Gene" McKee, 65, of Olive Branch died Saturday, Aug. 31, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 13, 1937, at Olive Branch, the son of Otha and Addie Madora Connel McKee. He married Loawana "Dottie" Bregger on Nov. 16, 1957. She survives...

ANNA, Ill. -- John Patrick "Jack" Kelley, 74, a lifelong resident of Union County, died Monday, Sept. 2, 2002, at the City Care Center in Anna. He was born Nov. 25, 1927, in Jonesboro, Ill., the son of John Van Kelley and Maude Marie Morse Kelley...

M.J. Quick, 72, died Monday, Sept. 2, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Arrangements are incomplete at Ford & Sons Funeral Home.

KARNAK, Ill. -- Leota Johnson Mathis, 82, of Karnak died Saturday, Aug. 31, 2002, at Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Ky. She was born Dec. 26, 1919, in Wilson, Ark., the daughter of Issac and Maude Annable Johnson. She married Jacob Mathis. He preceded her in death...

WYATT, Mo. -- Thelma Louise Murphy Litchford, 77, of Wyatt died Saturday, Aug. 31, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 29, 1925, in Mississippi County, daughter of Tandy Baxter and Elsie Mae Sinclair Murphy. She married Dale Reeves Litchford on Aug. 5, 1941. He preceded her in death...

MORLEY, Mo. -- Charles C. McCann, 71, of Morley died Saturday, Aug. 31, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 20, 1931, in Sikeston, Mo., the son of Tricie and Edna Counsil McCann. He married Annette Childers on March 17, 1978. She survives...

50-50 split is working LIVING IN a rural area , I feel like the Missouri Department of Transportation 50-50 funding split is fair. St. Louis has heavy, super-duper traffic all the time. It takes a lot of money to keep our cities running. We all like to go to St. ...

To the editor: Rather than criticizing Cape Girardeau's leadership and begrudging the officers of the Cape Girardeau Police Department, outspoken opponents of the raises awarded to the city's most important public servants should consider themselves lucky. Citizens fail to appreciate the level of excellence exhibited by the police department despite a lack of resources, sufficient manpower and competitive salaries...

Southeast soccer team rolls past Belmont 8-0 Southeast Missouri State University's women's soccer team completed a successful opening weekend of play Sunday with an 8-0 romp past Belmont at Houck Stadium. The Otahkians finished the Southeast Labor Day Tournament with a 2-0 record, having beaten Indiana State 2-0 in Friday's season opener...

7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3 5 p.m. study session City Hall, 401 Independence Public Hearings A public hearing regarding a petition for annexation from Aaron's Properties, L.L.C., for a 2.68-acre tract located on the west side of Route W adjacent to the northwest limits of the city...

7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 3 Action Items Power and Light Committee Consider resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an application for a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant. Consider bill proposing an ordinance accepting the dedication of Sanitary Sewer Easement Deeds from Oak Enterprises, L.L.C., Don and Donna Voorhes and Joseph and Frances Willenbring.Street Committee...

Jackson has established itself as Southeast Missouri's growth capital. People flocked to Jackson in the 1990s, building homes and opening businesses and spurring population growth that makes other cities in the area look on in wonder. The population grew by a more-than-impressive 29 percent between 1990 and 2000, the latest census figures show. The total is approaching 12,000. Cape Girardeau, in contrast, grew by 2.5 percent...

No one can argue that periodic reviews of state agencies and public systems is one of the best ways to make sure they're doing what taxpayers have entrusted them to do. So no doubt many read with interest State Auditor Claire McCaskill's report based on statistics from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The points it made were surprising and disappointing...

Jackson Tuesday, Sept. 3 Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: An emergency medical service on Hillside Drive. An alarm on East Jackson Boulevard. An alarm at Bent Creek Golf Course. Firefighters responded to the following call Monday: A motor vehicle accident at Georgia and Main streets...

Cape Girardeau Tuesday, Sept. 3The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau PoliceDepartment. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Howard W. Pikey, 33, of Bell City, Mo., was arrested Sunday at 524 Albert St. on warrants for parole and probation violation...

BEIJING -- If drinking tea is China's favorite activity, then reading the leaves may come in second. That propensity was on display last week after the ruling communists finally announced, after much delay, that they would convene their party congress Nov. 8 -- a highly anticipated event that could see the first orderly turnover of power in modern Chinese history...

WASHINGTON -- Congress returns today to a backlog of major issues -- including U.S. policy toward Iraq, homeland security and the federal budget -- a pile of unfinished business so vast that many lawmakers are resigned to holding a lame-duck session after the November elections...

WASHINGTON -- Students in charter schools, often seen as an alternative to failing neighborhood schools, are scoring significantly below public school pupils in basic reading and math skills, a new study shows. Charter school students were anywhere from a half year to a full year behind their public school peers, researchers at the Brookings Institution concluded after reviewing 1999-2000 reading and math achievement test scores of 376 charter schools in 10 states...

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Colin Powell, whose rhetoric on Saddam Hussein has been more muted than that of President Bush and other administration leaders, is heading to an international economic and environmental summit where he will press U.S. concerns with leaders of Africa, Europe and Asia...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The joke around Paul Hulshof's farm is that he got taxpayer-subsidized help with the corn harvest this year. That's what neighbors said when they spotted his son, U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, at the local grocery where farmers stop for lunch: Cheap labor, huh?...

The Associated Press ST. LOUIS -- World Bowl MVP Dane Looker was one of six players released by the St. Louis Rams on Sunday as the team reached the 53-man roster limit. The Rams also released defensive end Jonathan Brown, running back Mike Malan, offensive guards James Broyles and Andy King and tight end Dauntae' Finger. Brown was released with an injury settlement...

CHICAGO -- After all the concern about Mark Prior's innings and workload, the right-hander's rookie season is over because of a hamstring. The Chicago Cubs placed Prior on the disabled list Monday with a strained hamstring, an injury that will take at least three or four weeks to heal...

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Miami reclaimed sole possession of the top spot in The Associated Press Top 25 poll Monday, two days after a lopsided win over Division I-AA Florida A&M. The Hurricanes received 34 first-place votes, seven more than last week, when they were tied at No. 1 with Oklahoma. The Sooners were second with 21 first-place votes and 1,744 points, 39 less than Miami...

Basketball Paul Pierce had another one of his scoring blitzes Monday night, cementing his status as the best offensive player on the U.S. national team. Pierce made seven consecutive shots and scored 20 of his 27 points in the third quarter to lead the United States to a 106-82 victory over Russia at the World Championships in Indianapolis...

American Airlines tightens ticket policy American Airlines has tightened its policies on using nonrefundable tickets, and customers who miss their flight could be left with a worthless ticket. American and other carriers have long allowed people to convert unused tickets for other travel within one year...

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. -- Two women died when their personal watercraft hit a power boat on the Lake of the Ozarks over the weekend, according to the Missouri State Water Patrol. The patrol said Jennifer Stewart, 20, of Springfield, and Melissa Jordan, 20, of Rogersville died instantly from the impact with the 32-foot boat...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Springfield has been selected as one of five cities in the nation to participate in a federal anti-drug program that focuses on prevention rather than punishment. The Integrated Drug Enforcement Assistance Program involves sending a federal agent to Springfield to work with civic leaders, law enforcement agencies, schools and faith-based organizations...

ST. LOUIS -- The University of Missouri-St. Louis still plans to open its performing arts center next year, despite ongoing financial and personnel struggles. "We think we're going to start more slowly than we originally planned, but we're going to start," chancellor Blanche M. Touhill said...

A Doniphan, Mo., man died when his car ran off a state road and hit a tree, bringing the number of fatalities on Missouri roadways to three during the Labor Day holiday weekend. William A. Cook, 18, died at a hospital after the crash Sunday evening, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. The accident happened shortly after 8 p.m., about four miles south of Doniphan...

CHILLICOTHE, Mo. -- Faye Copeland, who was convicted along with her husband of killing five transients, has been paroled, a state official said Sunday night. Department of Corrections spokesman Tim Kniest said Cope-land was paroled on Friday because of a severe medical condition. ...

OLATHE, Kan. -- Lawyers for John E. Robinson Sr. have asked the judge in the case to delay the trial or remove them from the case. Robinson's court-appointed lawyers said they "cannot and will not" be ready to try the case if it starts as scheduled on Sept. 16...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Athletes sometimes add the natural supplement creatine to their diets to promote muscle growth. Now, researchers say creatine can help hogs yield more pork chops. University of Missouri-Columbia researchers has reported that their experiments included feeding hogs a diet of corn and soybean meal blended with creatine and dextrose -- a sugar -- for 30 days...

ST. LOUIS -- A 17-year-old is dead after a shooting during a confrontation Monday with St. Louis police. Police identified the dead youth as Stanley Parker of north St. Louis. The shooting occurred after police responded to a call about shots being fired in. Police said shots were fired toward the officers and officers returned fire, hitting one of five males present...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A group that purports to be a new "Secret Army of Mujahedeen" is claiming responsibility for attacks on U.S. troops in Arabic-language leaflets that have surfaced in eastern Afghanistan in recent days. The hitherto unknown group also vows to avenge the deaths of Afghans killed in what the United States refers to as "friendly fire" mishaps in the search for al-Qaida and Taliban...

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands -- Eight men have been arrested on suspicion of helping finance al-Qaida and recruit fighters for Osama bin Laden's network, Dutch prosecutors said Monday. The men, whose names have not been released, were detained Friday in different parts of the country. They appeared before a judge in Rotterdam and were charged with membership in a criminal organization. Investigators haven't determined the men's nationalities...

JERUSALEM -- Israel will not allow Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to return to the West Bank if he leaves the area, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's spokesman said Monday. The Palestinians have approached Israeli authorities about the possibility of Arafat attending international conferences, Raanan Gissin said...

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- With world leaders pushing for action, negotiators at the Earth Summit agreed on a plan Monday to protect the environment and fight poverty. "Humanity has a rendezvous with destiny," French President Jacques Chirac declared. Alarms are sounding across all the continents. We cannot say that we did not know!"...

Army negotiates for suspected al-Qaida men PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Hundreds of Pakistani soldiers were sent to a remote region of northwest Pakistan on Monday after tribesmen offered refuge to six suspected al-Qaida men, authorities said. The government was negotiating with the tribesmen to hand over the men...

LOS ANGELES -- On Wednesday, Justin Guarini or Kelly Clarkson will be anointed an "American Idol" by television viewers. The winner's first single will be out in less than two weeks, the first album two months after that. That's the certainty awaiting the finalists in Fox's hit talent competition, which started out with 10,000 aspiring pop stars hoping for a TV magic-carpet ride to fame...

'K-19' director rises to challenge VENICE, Italy -- Even for an experienced film director like Kathryn Bigelow of "K-19," working with longtime heartthrobs Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson was enough to make her sweat. Bigelow, who was promoting her submarine epic with both stars at the Venice Film Festival, said being around the two wasn't always easy...

LOS ANGELES -- The Fox network is looking for a rich family willing to move from the big city to the boondocks for a reality-TV version of the 1960s sitcom "Green Acres." Last week, CBS announced plans to turn "The Beverly Hillbillies" sitcom in to a reality show about poor people moving into a mansion...

SHREVEPORT, La. -- An 81-year-old woman dove into a pond and saved a fellow nursing home resident from drowning after a car she was in plunged into the water. "There wasn't anybody else around," said Carolyn Kelly, who heard the accident and ran to help. "I've done a lot of swimming in my time."...

SALT LAKE CITY -- The widow of the man police said was their top potential suspect in the unsolved Elizabeth Smart kidnapping said authorities were investigating the wrong man. Angela Ricci took her husband, Richard Albert Ricci, off of life support Friday night. He had suffered a massive brain hemorrhage Tuesday at the Utah State Prison, where he had been serving time on a parole violation. He never regained consciousness...

LOS ANGELES -- A majority of Americans support military action to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, although most want the United States to gain approval from other countries first, according to a Los Angeles Times poll. A survey of 1,372 adults nationwide taken last month found that 59 percent of Americans believe the United States should take military action to remove Hussein. Just 29 percent were opposed and 12 percent were unsure...

HONOLULU -- An unlikely group has become the target of a manhunt in Hawaii. Authorities say 10 teenage girls -- ages 14 to 17 -- escaped from the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility after overpowering a guard and stealing a van. They also cut phone lines so staff couldn't call for help...

FBI continues anthrax investigation in Florida BOCA RATON, Fla. -- FBI agents and scientists spent Monday combing the former headquarters of American Media Inc., searching for clues in last fall's anthrax attacks. Investigators have declined to say how many people are working inside the quarantined building or if any evidence has been discovered. Crews re-entered the building Friday...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- After two years of meeting nearly incessantly, North Carolina's state representatives may soon be willing to stop hanging around the House. The state Senate has tried to set limits on legislative sessions, but the House has never endorsed the idea...

LOS ANGELES -- The newest U.S. cathedral opened Monday amid prayers and controversy as protesters condemned the $195 million cost and Roman Catholics continued to struggle with a national sex abuse scandal. Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral was dedicated during a three-hour service that incorporated the many ethnic backgrounds of the community's faithful, from Vietnamese singing to African drumming to children in traditional Mexican dress...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Squeezed between a political ad and a weather update from the local news station, a bearded attorney appears on the television screen. "So you worked hard and socked your money away so that you could enjoy retirement," James Richard Hooper says. "You selected a major Wall Street brokerage firm to invest and protect your money and now, now you're left holding the bag. Your money is gone."...

NEVILLE ISLAND, Pa. -- President Bush, hoping to drive a wedge between Democrats and their big labor base, pledged Monday to fight recession and terrorism on behalf of American workers. "Congress needs to get moving," Bush said during a Labor Day address, urging lawmakers to stop blocking his efforts...

First of all, he's dead. On that, everyone agrees. But 27 years after James Riddle Hoffa set off for lunch and found oblivion instead, his remains have not been found. No one has been arrested for the union leader's murder. His final moments remain a secret, kept by a few -- and their ranks have been thinned by death, natural and not...

ATLANTA -- Public health officials on Monday sought to assure Americans that the blood supply was safe despite concerns that an organ donor who received a transfusion may have transmitted the disease to four transplant recipients. One of the four died of brain swelling that can be caused by the virus, which until now has been blamed on mosquito bites...

AZUSA, Calif. -- A wildfire spread rapidly across 10,000 acres of national forest, sending thousands of holiday campers fleeing. About 8,000 campers, hikers and residents had to leave the Angeles National Forest after the fire erupted Sunday afternoon. Several said they were separated from friends and family and had to leave their belongings behind...

Morley Swingle knows how to tell a good story. It's a skill the veteran Cape Girardeau County prosecutor honed in his opening and closing arguments at countless trials. But one of his personal trials comes to a close with the publication of his historical novel, set in his hometown of Cape Girardeau. Not surprisingly, courtroom drama plays a major role in the book, "The Gold of Cape Girardeau."...

Ten-year-old Kurt McDowell, a fourth-grader at West Lane Elementary in Jackson, Mo., knows exactly what happened Sept. 11, 2001. He can recite almost every detail of that day. So can all of his classmates. But as the anniversary of Sept. 11 approaches, local schools are planning a way to make the day about patriotism, not terrorism...

Rusedski falls in five sets as Sampras powers into fourth round.By Howard Fendrich The Associated Press NEW YORK -- Pete Sampras unfurled a backhand return winner down the line and let out an excited yell: "Aaahhh!" The fans responded, applauding and chanting support...

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Miguel Tejada and the Oakland Athletics simply refuse to lose -- even when the degree of difficulty gets higher and higher. Tejada got his second straight game-ending hit as the A's matched the longest winning streak in AL history with their 19th straight victory Monday, beating the Kansas City Royals 7-6...

DALLAS -- Football coaches always talk about trying to keep an even keel, never getting too high or too low. Missouri coach Gary Pinkel and Baylor coach Kevin Steele are both facing that challenge this week, albeit on different ends of the spectrum...

Rams forget about 0-4 showing, focus on Broncos.By R.B. Fallstrom The Associated Press ST. LOUIS -- Everywhere St. Louis Rams players go, the question hangs in the air: What's wrong with you guys? Linebacker Don Davis hears it even when he's at church...

Cincinnati breaks losing streak by beating St. Louis 5-3.By R.B. Fallstrom The Associated Press ST. LOUIS -- Aaron Boone gave the struggling Cincinnati Reds a little something to smile about. Boone homered for the first time in 20 games and had three RBIs Monday as the Reds ended a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals...

While most major advertisers are reluctant to run television commercials Sept. 11 for fear of being viewed as insensitive, other corporations are looking for "tasteful" ways to sponsor network programs. Nextel Communications Inc. announced last week that it would once again underwrite CBS' broadcast of "9/11" on Sept. ...

When the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center first surveyed communications companies last year to determine the number of women in their top ranks, Susan Ness, a visiting professor who guided this year's study, hoped it would embarrass some into improving their record...

When I was 19, I bought my first Cat Stevens record. With puffy, fat headphones over my ears, I spent hours listening to it, sitting cross-legged with the album cover in my lap. It was quite an experience. I found faith in his soulful "On the Road to Find Out" when I was on my own road to find out. I strummed my guitar ineptly along with "Wild World." When my dad and I couldn't talk to each other without shouting, Cat's "Father and Son" offered me answers...

U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan's campaign said Tuesday she has agreed to two late-October debates with Republican challenger Jim Talent. Talent's campaign pressed for more and earlier faceoffs. Talent, a former congressman from St. Louis County, has accepted eight debate invitations and would consider more, said campaign manager Lloyd Smith...

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Iraq said Tuesday it was ready to discuss a return of U.N. weapons inspectors, but only in a broader context of ending sanctions and restoring Iraqi sovereignty over all its territory. The comments -- repeating a stance that U.N. chief Kofi Annan has rejected in the past -- came at a World Summit here that has seen several world leaders sharply criticize U.S. threats to attack Iraq...

LONDON -- Prime Minister Tony Blair, besieged by critics in his own party and by opinion polls showing strong opposition to military action against Iraq, Tuesday forcefully articulated the case against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and delivered a spirited defense of the United States and President Bush...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration could lay out further evidence of the threat posed by Iraq in the coming days and weeks, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Tuesday. That information could be released during congressional hearings on Iraq planned for later this month, Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon briefing...

Whit Lynn and Trey Willis hooked up twice in Central's 3-0 boys' soccer win Tuesday over Jackson. Lynn scored at the 26-minute mark on a cross from Willis, then again on another long cross from Willis at the 59-minute mark. It took Aaron Bornstein just 12 minutes to score the first goal of the game and the season on a head ball from Bryan Ross...

Davidson Daughter to William Gregory and Rebecca Jo Davidson of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 3:58 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18, 2002. Name, Mollie Ione. Weight, 7 pounds 4 ounces. First child. Mrs. Davidson is the former Rebecca Burgess, daughter of Lois Burgess of Cape Girardeau, and the late Clint Burgess of Portageville, Mo. She is employed at JCPenney. Davidson is the son of Joan Davidson of Cape Girardeau and Jim Davidson of Jonesboro, Ark. He is employed by the U.S. Postal Service...

10 years ago: Sept. 4, 1992 Cape Girardeau Senior Center hopes to host big New Year's Eve bash at its new building; preliminary work has begun at site and construction should begin immediately; if all goes well, building at 921 N. Clark should be finished in about four months; contractor is E.R. Thompson Construction Inc...

Ruth Ann McDonney, 64, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2002, at her home. Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

JACKSON, Mo. -- Dr. Douglas Warren Salzmann of Jackson died Sunday, Sept. 1, 2002, at his home. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

The funeral for Jeanette M. Ervin of Cape Girardeau will be held at 11 a.m. today at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home. The Rev. Cy Smith will officiate. Burial will be in Cape County Memorial Park. Friends may call at the funeral home from 9 a.m. until service time...

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Graveside service for Lester "Cotton" Thompson of Olive Branch was held Tuesday at Rosehill Cemetery in Thebes, Ill. Audry "Lee" Thompson and the Rev. Leon Wilkins officiated. Crain Funeral Home in Tamms, Ill., was in charge of arrangements...

ANNA, Ill. -- Margaret Rhodes, 84, of Anna died Monday, Sept. 2, 2002, at Union County Hospital. She was born April 22, 1918, in Alto Pass, Ill., daughter of Albert and Lula Foster Rhodes. Survivors include two brothers, Carl Rhodes of Wolf Lake, Ill., and Billy Rhodes of Alto Pass...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Marilyn Gail Sexton, 56, of Sikeston died Monday, Sept. 2, 2002, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. She was born Dec. 3, 1945, in East Prairie, Mo., daughter of Leamon "Bud" and Opal Lyons Markland. Sexton had been a waitress at various restaurants in Sikeston. She was a member of Living Grave Fellowship Church, and had been involved with Meals on Wheels program...

POCAHONTAS, Mo. -- Dorothy Mae James, 70, of Pocahontas died Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 13, 1931, at Randles, Mo., daughter of John Henry and Rose Emily Breese Bonds. James was a retired sewing machine operator at Thorngate Ltd. in Chaffee, Mo. She was a member of First General Baptist Church in Jackson, Mo. She moved to Pocahontas 15 years ago from Bradley, Ill...

The funeral for M.J. Quick of Cape Girardeau will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Northside Gospel Church. The Revs. Winferd Wren, Roy Stafford and Bobby Mouser will officiate. Burial will be in Lorimier Cemetery. Friends may call at Ford and Sons Sprigg Street Funeral Home from 4 to 8 p.m. today...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Lowell E. Webb, 91, of Sikeston died Sunday, Sept. 1, 2002, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. He was born May 30, 1911, in Hartville, Mo., son of Jesse F. and Bertha Webb. He and Lou Etta McFall were married March 31, 1934. The Webbs moved to Sikeston in 1934, where they founded and owned Webb Electric until retiring in 1970. ...

ANNA, Ill. -- Faye Holmes, 79, of Anna died Sunday, Sept. 1, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born March 29, 1923, in Thebes, Ill., daughter of Hudson and Charolotty Spencer Fisher. She and Raymond Holmes were married Sept. 22, 1941, in Alexander County, Ill. He died Aug. 2, 1974...

Ellen Dean Vinyard, 80, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

BERWYN, Ill. -- Roy Kenneth Burns, 62, of Berwyn died Friday, Aug. 30, 2002, on his farm near Dongola, Ill. He was born Jan. 24, 1940, in Thebes, Ill., son of Houston Samuel and Wanda Violet Abernathie Burns. He and Patricia Lee Mair were married Sept. 3, 1960, in Cicero, Ill...

Thomas F. Waltz Jr., 93, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born July 13, 1909, in Boon-ville, Mo., son of Thomas F. and Ferda Rogers Waltz. He and Norma Peters were married in 1941. She died Nov. 17, 1970. He and Dorothy Beaver were married in 1972. She died March 23, 1995...

Downtown park REGARDING Eli Fishman's commentary that we need a park downtown: What, may I ask, is the matter with the Riverfront Park that everyone seems to be so proud of? Punishing the abettors YOUR EDITORIAL regarding the trillion-dollar lawsuit arising out of Sept. ...

To the editor: In response to the article "Portion of interstate named for trooper": Trooper James M. Froemsdorf's service weapon was purchased from donations made by Troop C officers in an effort initiated by the troop commander, Capt. Paul Parmenter, who also initiated the campaign to get the portion of I-55 in Perry County named after Froemsdorf...

To the editor: In response to a Speak Out comment: The caller who was critical of "a smoking area for teachers" in the schools seemed to imply that this was occurring in the Cape Girardeau School District. All schools in the district have had a "no smoking on campus" policy for everyone for at least the past 8 to 10 years. ...

Otahks top Arkansas St. for first volleyball win JONESBORO, Ark. -- Southeast captured its first victory of the season Tuesday with a three games to one victory over Arkansas State. After dropping their first three matches of the season at the Southwest Missouri State Invitational, the Otahkians cruised Tuesday. Bobbi Carlisle continued to lead the way for the Otahkians, banging out 26 kills. Jessica Houpt had 12 kills and Sarah Frost 11...

Baseball Bill Mueller is heading back to San Fransico. The Cubs dealt the third baseman to the Giants for a minor league pitcher late Tuesday. Baseball owners will meet Thursday in Chicago for a ratification vote on the labor contract agreed to by their negotiators last week...

JONESBORO, Ark. -- Southeast captured its first victory of the season on Tuesday with a three games to one victory over Arkansas State. After dropping their first three matches of the season at the Southwest Missouri State Invitational, the Otahkians cruised through Tuesday's match. Bobbi Carlisle continues to lead the way for the Otahkians, banging out 26 kills for the match. Jessica Houpt had 12 kills and Sarah Frost added 11...

BURKEVILLE, Va. -- James Beverly stands in a broken-down, vine-choked lean-to, surveying the rusting feed bins and stacks of moldering 2-by-4s that were supposed to be his pig-breeding farm. They've been sitting there for 20 years, waiting for a government loan that never came...

Action Items Power and Light Committee Authorized the mayor to execute an application for a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant. Accepted the dedication of Sanitary Sewer Easement Deeds from Oak Enterprises, L.L.C., Don and Donna Voorhes and Joseph and Frances Willenbring...

BANGALORE, India -- When an astrologer warned Anasuya Dhanrajgir that bad luck was on her horizon, she took the road increasingly traveled by modern Hindus looking to appease ancient divinities. Anasuya logged onto the Internet. In the old days, the astrologer's advice might have pushed the 39-year-old Anasuya to take a 900-mile journey to a temple on the southern tip of India. There, she'd pay respects to Shani -- the Hindu god the astrologer said she had angered...

PINDARI, India -- The goddess, they say, should not come to you easily. So the holy man seeks her every year by trekking for three days high into the Himalayas. He climbs to a hand-built hut 13,500 feet up, where oxygen fades and nothing grows but a few wisps of grass...

Advances in medical science have helped improve the quality of life in many fields, and criminal justice is no exception. So it is with the DNA testing that was unknown just a few years ago. As with all human artifacts, our system of criminal justice is imperfect. Although it is vastly more protective of the rights of the accused than most any other system -- and vastly more so today than it was 50 years ago -- flaws remain, as indeed they always will...

A trend toward naming highways for famous Missourians or for those law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty has been gathering speed in our state. More than 50 segments of state highways and bridges are named after people or events, most of which were approved in the last five years...

A formal dedication of the new 203,000-square-foot Central High School on Silver Springs Road will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, in the high school commons area. "We're trying to create a sense of sophistication and elegance that's fitting to such a major community accomplishment," said high school principal Mike Cowan. "We also wanted to say thank you. The community has obviously made a huge investment in secondary education with the new facility."...

Jackson Wednesday, Sept. 4 Firefighters responded to the following items Tuesday: Emergency medical service at South Farmington. Emergency medical service at East Main. Gas leak at Legion Drive. Emergency medical service at Abbie Court....

Cape Girardeau Wednesday, Sept. 4The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Eugene Haley, 24, of 518 S. Ellis, was arrested Tuesday on a Sikeston warrant for contempt of court. Sherry L. Gifford, 41, of 106 S. West Lane, Jackson, Mo., was arrested Monday on a Cape Girardeau County warrant for fraud...

Cape Girardeau Wednesday, Sept. 4 Firefighters responded to the following items Monday: At 5:05 p.m., alarm at 4680 Nash Road. At 7:18 p.m., emergency medical service at 619 Koch. At 7:30 p.m., illegal burn at 1900 William. At 9:56 p.m., alarm at 141 N. Silver Springs...

Consent Ordinances (Second and third readings) Approved an ordinance readopting Sections 2-76 to 2-83 of the City Code relating to conflicts of interest. Approved an ordinance approving the record plat of Woodland Place Eleventh Subdivision...

WASHINGTON -- Senators backing a national child abduction alert system said Tuesday that they predict quick passage. Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., introduced the Amber alert bill, which would set up a national network for distributing alerts when a child is abducted. They were joined by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over the bill...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush, who will mark the remembrance of Sept. 11 by visiting three terrorist attack sites, plans to start the observances in prayer and close them with a prime-time address to the nation. The White House on Tuesday released details of the president's Sept. ...

AREA EVENTS Four-person women's scramble, Fredericktown (Mo.) Country Club, Thursday. Two-person men's scramble, Lakeview Country Club, Neelyville, Mo., Saturday. Mixed scramble, Sikeston (Mo.) Country Club, Saturday and Sunday. Two-man four-ball, New Madrid (Mo.) Country Club, Saturday and Sunday...

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- A bizarre accident on Interstate 64 in suburban St. Louis during morning rush hour Tuesday left one man hospitalized, another at large, and both facing charges. Chesterfield police say the pair bailed out of their SUV when a tank in the back blew up. Two propane tanks were filled with anhydrous ammonia, a substance often used to produce methamphetamine, officers said...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- An Independence, Mo., man pleaded guilty Tuesday to unauthorized wearing of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Ralph Ervin Crowder, 46, was originally charged in a criminal complaint in U.S. District Court with impersonating an officer and a military hero...

ST. LOUIS -- One more weekend of clean air and St. Louis could survive the summer without violating federal clean air standards. Air-quality specialists were confident Monday that southwesterly breezes and ozone-conscious consumers helped ease the St. Louis area through the Labor Day weekend without violations...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- After waiting for more than two decades, Patty Buxton now has the final say about where legislation fits into Missouri's voluminous statutes. Buxton was recently named Missouri reviser of statutes and is the first woman to hold the position since Missouri's laws first were revised in 1825 -- just four years after statehood...

ST. LOUIS -- Preliminary tests show that nine more cases of West Nile virus have been reported in Missouri, health officials said Tuesday. That brings to 46 the number of cases of the mosquito-borne disease in the state. All nine of the new cases were from the St. Louis area -- seven from St. Louis city, one from St. Louis County and one from St. Charles County...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- An appeals court has sent the case of a Lee's Summit woman who won a libel award from Wal-Mart to the Missouri Supreme Court, saying the state's requirements for proving defamation need clarification. The Missouri Court of Appeals on Friday reversed a $425,833 award Carolyn Kenney won from Wal-Mart in December 2000, after the retailer posted a missing-child flier that pictured her and her 16-month-old granddaughter...

A man standing in a bus shelter in Kansas City was struck and killed Monday by a vehicle that ran off the road, police said. The victim was a Kansas City man whose identity was not released by police. He died at a hospital about 10:30 a.m. Police said the victim saw the vehicle coming and tried to escape...

MOSCOW -- To 'N Sync star Lance Bass' dream of becoming the youngest extraterrestrial traveler, the Russian Space Agency on Tuesday said: "Bye, bye, bye." Sponsors for the teen idol's October flight aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station failed to deliver the $20 million fare despite repeated extensions, space agency spokesman Sergei A. Gorbunov told reporters...

MOSCOW -- At a training center of the Russian fire service, intricate homemade models depict some of the worst emergencies a firefighter could ever imagine: an inferno raging at a soccer stadium, a blaze spreading through the aisles of a crowded theater, even a nuclear mushroom cloud hovering ominously over residential high-rises...

JERUSALEM -- In a potentially far-reaching case that pitted human rights against a nation's need for self-defense, Israel's highest court ruled Tuesday that the army can expel the relatives of alleged Palestinian militants. The army, backed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, maintained that banishing the families will deter potential suicide bombers from attacking Israelis. Human rights experts countered that targeting relatives is a form of collective punishment forbidden by international law...

London mayor: I feel safer in New York LONDON -- Mayor Ken Livingstone said Tuesday that he feels safer in New York than in London -- a surprising vote of no-confidence in his own city. "I do feel safe in London, but I don't feel as safe as I did when I went to New York," Livingstone told reporters, adding that crime seemed much worse now than when he was a child. "I want to be back to something more like I grew up with. We have lost the visible presence" of the police on the streets...

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Russia said Tuesday it will ratify an accord directing governments to reduce smokestack emissions and other causes of global warming -- a step that would make the agreement, which the United States rejected, law in much of the world...

NEW YORK -- Stocks tumbled Tuesday, as investors grew skittish over a series of developments ranging from lower-than-expected manufacturing activity to brokerage downgrades of Citigroup Inc. and Ford Motor Co. The Dow Jones industrials fell 355 points...

The appeal of seafood is perennial. In late summer, as the season changes, it keeps the flavors of the shore in mind -- and it's blissfully easy to make dishes such as the following, in which the seafood is given an extra lift with lively combinations of seasonings, including orange juice and peel, and hot pepper sauce...

STORM LAKE, Iowa -- In her dozen years as manager of a Planned Parenthood clinic in small-town Iowa, Sue Thayer thought she had seen it all -- pickets, threats and, locked away in a file cabinet, the records of women with problems she never imagined...

OAK BROOK, Ill. -- McDonald's plans to use a new cooking oil for its french fries that it says will do less damage to the diet. The nation's biggest hamburger restaurant chain said Tuesday the new oil will halve the trans fatty acid levels in its french fries while increasing the amount of the more beneficial polyunsaturated fat. Health experts say replacing saturated fats with unsaturated ones can help lower cholesterol levels...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush bore down on lawmakers Tuesday to approve his vision of a new Cabinet superagency to spearhead the nation's defense against terrorism, but a major dispute over executive power is brewing in the Senate. Next week's anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks is raising pressure on Congress to act on Bush's proposal for a Department of Homeland Security, much of which was included in a bill the House passed in late July...

New York City man dies of West Nile virus NEW YORK -- A man has died from the West Nile virus, the first known fatality from the disease in New York City this year, the city health department said. If confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the West Nile death would be the 32nd in the United States this year...

ATLANTA -- Government health officials confirmed Tuesday that the recipient of a donated organ died of the West Nile virus, raising concern it can spread through blood transfusions and other medical procedures. Federal officials said they were speeding development of a West Nile blood test...

WASHINGTON -- The Bethesda-Chevy Chase (Md.) High School team was on a roll in the first round of the Saturday morning television quiz competition "It's Academic." Although they won that day last winter, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase scholars had an embarrassing moment when host Mac McGarry asked what seemed like a fourth-grade question: "How much is a 4 percent sales tax if the purchase price is $90?"...

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The state went to court Tuesday to try to block any attempt by the charitable trust that controls Hershey Foods Corp. to sell the chocolate maker, warning that such a deal could lead to major layoffs in the town that bears the company's name...

When the first bell rang at 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, cars were still creeping through the only entrance into the new Central High School. Impatient-looking parents on their way to work sat for up to 30 minutes, hoping to drop their children off on the first day of classes. A few, frustrated with the long lines, simply let their children out on Mount Auburn Road and turned around...

A photograph of an event few people can capture was chosen as the People's Choice winner in the annual Foto Fest contest. Alvin Kamp's photo of a lightning flash received the most votes in the contest. His picture was chosen from the more than 1,200 entered in the six-week contest and displayed at Westfield Shoppingtown West Park...

Lone Star Industries sealed off a leak that had been spewing millions of gallons of Mississippi River water into the cement plant's 350-foot-deep quarry. "We continue to pump water from the quarry, but in the next 30 to 60 days, we should be back to regular operations," company spokeswoman Barbara Sinclair said Tuesday...

Editor's note: This column originally was published in the Southeast Missourian on Feb. 25, 1995. The Other Half adores the game of basketball. If he's not writing about it for a newspaper, he's watching it at a little high school gym somewhere. To him, small-town basketball is the best...

smcclanahan It simply did not seem possible that our Lexie walked in the doors of school to begin kindergarten yesterday. It seems like only a short time ago she was learning to walk and talk, and now she's in school. After she turned 5 years old, it was like this little girl unfolded with a whole new sense of responsibility. She learned to tie her shoes, brush her teeth without being asked and washes her hair all by herself now. Over the summer, she has really changed...

Southeast Missourian Jeromy McDowell's shoulder appears to be holding up fine, but his knee is not cooperating as well. Southeast Missouri State University football coach Tim Billings said McDowell, the Indians' sophomore quarterback, re-injured his knee during Monday's practice and is scheduled to have the knee examined today by his doctor in St. Louis...

If golfers find the sand at Bent Creek Golf Course in Jackson, Mo., less often these days, sorry to say, it may not be due to dramatic improvements in their game. The course has eliminated a half dozen bunkers this year as it has tackled its most glaring problem...

It started out as a plan for a mountain-biking event that would descend into an underground salt mine, but ended up with the people at Red Bull discovering underground caverns near Bonne Terre, Mo. That discovery culminates today with top wakeboarders like Shaun Murray and Parks Bonifay competing in the Red Bull Depth Charge event near Bonne Terre, Mo...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court building is home to two courts. There's the fancy place with red velvet curtains and robe-wearing justices. Then there's the one with bland concrete walls and backboards, where the attire is sweats and sneakers. The unofficial court is for basketball. It's located in a secluded area on the building's top floor, not listed in tourist information and closed to visitors...

OAKLAND, Calif. Oakland A's closer Billy Koch kept his hat tipped exactly halfway off his brow and held his hands motionless on his lap. His team was down a run in the ninth inning, and it needed all the good karma it could get. It's part of baseball's charm that any run of success turns millionaire players into Little Leaguers afraid to jinx their team. The A's 19-game winning streak is the majors' longest in 55 years -- which simply means there's much more cause for caution...

The Associated Press ST. LOUIS -- Woody Williams, a major reason for the Cardinals' playoff appearance last season, finally made a meaningful contribution to their stretch drive this year. Williams won for the first time in more than two months and Jim Edmonds hit a two-run home run in a 3-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds Tuesday night. Edmonds had three RBIs, and Williams (7-4) allowed one run on four hits for his first victory since beating San Diego on July 1...

JACKSON, Mo. -- If a grant the Board of Aldermen has agreed to apply for comes through, Jackson area youths could be playing on 19 new soccer fields a year from now. The Jackson Soccer Park Association plan calls for building the fields of varying size on 27 acres donated to the city earlier this year by the Jackson Industrial Development Corporation. The land is located on the south side of the city near the Coca-Cola plant...

A sobriety checkpoint conducted Friday by the Cape Girardeau Police Department resulted in seven suspects being arrested for driving while intoxicated. "We conduct sobriety checkpoints to scare the impaired drivers from the streets," said Lt. John Davis, one of the checkpoint supervisors...

Part of south Cape Girardeau is going to the birds. Hundreds of thousands of birds. Marcia Ritter, the Ward 6 representative on the Cape Girardeau City Council, said Tuesday night that she has received several phone calls about an annoying bird problem in the southwest corner of the city...

ROLLA, Mo. -- Anyone who doubts the power of water need look only at the devastation of a flood to become a believer. Now researchers are harnessing that power in an inch-wide stream strong enough to cut through concrete and steel yet so controlled and precise it does not disturb anything nearby...

According to Peter De Vries, the pictures in restaurants are on a par with the food in museums. As a general rule that may be true, but it's not the case at Chicago's Field Museum, at least not while its "Chocolate" exhibit is on display. Recently I toured the exhibit, which is replete with artifacts ranging from pre-Columbian ceramics to 20th-century advertising, and I came away not only visually satisfied but with my chocolate cravings abated as well...

WASHINGTON -- Republicans are saying they could regain control of the Senate before 2003, if Jim Talent unseats Democratic Sen. Jean Carnahan. A GOP senator raised the idea this week, saying that if Talent defeats Mrs. Carnahan, he will push for an immediate swearing-in. That would give Republicans an edge if they meet for a lame-duck session following the Nov. 5 election...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Tropical Storm Edouard was downgraded to a depression late Wednesday as it made landfall near Daytona Beach, causing forecasters to cancel warnings and watches. The storm's maximum wind speed dropped to about 35 mph, below the 39 mph threshold to be considered a tropical storm, said forecaster Richard Pasch at the National Hurricane Center in Miami...

'STIFFING THE WORLD' The president pledges to seek Congressional support for any U.S. action By James Gerstenzang and Janet Hook ~ Los Angeles Times WASHINGTON - President Bush said Wednesday he would seek congressional approval before taking action against Iraq, as he began a major drive to win support at home and abroad for removing Saddam Hussein from power...

Los Angeles Times LONDON -- In a sign of the political battle to precede any military strike against Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday encountered resistance at home and among European neighbors to his call for ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein...

TALKING BASEBALL By Marc Powers ~ Southeast Missourian JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- If the St. Louis Cardinals are serious about moving to a new home across the Mississippi River, Southern Illinois lawmakers say a ballpark funding package would pass easily in the Illinois General Assembly...

Two opening-round games were played in the Notre Dame Regional High School's Softballfest as the school's annual Sportsfest began. Notre Dame of St. Louis breezed by St. Vincent in five innings, 12-0. St. Vincent could only manage one hit off of starter Sara Dooley. Dooley struck out eight batters in four innings...

Prep football Top 10 The top 10 teams in the preseason SEMO Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association football poll, with first place votes in parentheses, records from last season, total points based on 15 points for a first place vote through one point for a 15th place vote:...

Boy Scout Troop 5 and Venture Crew 5, both sponsored by VFW Post 3838, recently traveled to North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee for five days. The group of 28 scouts and 17 adult leaders rafted, canoed and tubed Deep Creek, the Nantahala, Chattooga and Ocoee rivers, hiked the Appalachian Trail and visited Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. ...

The Cpl. Mason O. Yarbrough Detachment Marine Corps League Color Guard of Cape Girardeau presented the Colors last Thursday evening in Thebes, Ill., during opening ceremonies for The Wall That Heals. The guard began training about six months ago and demand for its services has grown rapidly. ...

Sunny Village Garden Club members Emma Frye, left, and Mary Sue Wright presented the July Yard of the Month Award to the Roger Noel residence, 522 Third St. East in Scott City, Mo. The club sponsors the award with the Scott City Area Chamber of Commerce...

Late model racer Mike Abney of Viburnum, Mo., put on one of the best shows of the weekend, and it wasn't even in a feature event. Abney, racing in the dash event Friday, slid into and then on top of the guardrail along the back straightaway, taking out three billboards in the process. But not only did Abney bring his No. 11A car back onto the track, he continued right along in second place...

10 years ago: Sept. 5, 1992 James L. "Jay" Thompson, who lost Aug. 4 Democratic primary for 8th District U.S. representative by just over 200 votes, has filed formal request for recount in Phelps County Circuit Court at Rolla; Jon Kiser, Piedmont lawyer who finished fourth in six-candidate race, filed petition on Thompson's behalf...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Mabel H. Smith, 91, of Jackson died Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 17, 1911, at Burfordville, Mo., daughter of Sylvanis Odney and Iva Craig Hutson. She and Luther R. Smith were married Aug. 10, 1953. He died April 22, 1971...

MILLERSVILLE, Mo. -- Ronnie K. Austin, 69, of Peoria, Ill., died Friday, Aug. 16, 2002, at his home. He was born Aug. 20, 1932, at Scopus, Mo., son of Cad Jefferson and Bertha Florence Huffman Austin. Formerly of Millersville, he was a 1949 graduate of Jackson High School in Jackson, Mo. ...

Arthur E. Vredenburgh, 89, of Imperial, Mo., died Monday, Sept. 2, 2002, at St. Anthony Medical Center in St. Louis. He was born Sept. 10, 1912, in Danbury, Conn., son of George and Lydia Miller Vredenburgh. He and Freda H. Skiles were married Sept. 24, 1960, in Detroit, Mich...

Ruth Ann McDonnell, 64, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2002, at her residence. She was born July 15, 1938, in Dubuque, Iowa, the daughter of Clyde and Esther Newkirk Palmer. She married Mac D. McDonnell on Oct. 23, 1959, at Dubuque. He survives...

BERTRAND, Mo. -- Mary Sue Medlin Stevens, 66, of Bertrand died Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 20, 1936, at Bernie, Mo., daughter of James Henry and Sara Elizabeth Boyt Stephens. Stevens retired as a cook at Gaslight Square. She was formerly of Benton, Ky., and a member of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church there. She lived in Dexter, Mo., several years and worked at Elder Manufacturing...

SCOTT CITY, Mo. -- Eugene Ivan "Gene" Holder Sr., 73, of Scott City died Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002, at Chaffee Nursing Center in Chaffee, Mo. He was born March 30, 1929, in St. Louis, son of James Tipton and Elsie May Taylor Holder II. He and Catherine Ann Harris were married Dec. 12, 1991, at Benton, Mo...

Ellen Dean Vinyard, 80, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born June 16, 1922, in Salem, Mo., daughter of Louie and Frances Elisabeth Underwood Hartsell. She and Walter Vinyard were married Oct. 13, 1943, in Poplar Bluff, Mo...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Nell Bullock, 94, passed away Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson from noon to 1:30 p.m. today. Funeral service will be at 1:30 p.m. today at the funeral home, with Dr. Brian Anderson officiating. Interment will be in Russell Heights Cemetery...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Dr. Douglas Warren Salzmann, Jackson chiropractor, 75, died at his home Sunday, Sept. 1, 2002. He was born April 11, 1927, at Shawano, Wis., son of John Gottlieb Salzman and Alma M. Raddant. He and Paula Strickland were married Jan. 23, 1949, at First Baptist Church in Kansas City, Mo...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Wilma G. Elfrink, 77, of Marble Hill died Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 25, 1925, at Leopold, Mo., daughter of Henry and Barbara Hinkebein Seesing. She and Thomas R. Elfrink were married Feb. 26, 1946, at Leopold...

Send your flags I WANT to encourage every American to participate in Operation U.S. Flags. I think it is a fantastic thought for complete strangers to want to honor a person serving in the military. Our Sunday school class is taking this on as one of our projects, so I'd hope that people of all faiths, in all businesses and in service organizations will get involved and send a flag to Afghanistan. ...

Cape racer wins in super pro class SIKESTON, Mo. -- Dave McDonald turned in a 6.28-second run on a 6.24 dial (103 mph) for his first win of the season in super pros Saturday at Sikeston Drag Strip. Point leader Ron Simmons of Cape Girardeau was second (6.27 seconds) at 108 mph...

To the editor: Vivid and cherished memories of Chick Hearn, longtime broadcaster for the Los Angeles Lakers, have not faded but will remain for a very long time. Hearn's career as a broadcaster stands out above all others in his field, drawing the attention and interest of fans far and wide to the NBA...

College Nebraska running back Thunder Collins said Wednesday his suspension from the football team had nothing to do with two charges of misdemeanor assault that have been refiled against him. Collins, who appeared in court Wednesday, said he could not comment on the suspension...

Cpl. Blaine Adams of the Missouri State Highway Patrol was recently promoted to sergeant. Adams is the zone commander of Zone 5, which consists of Cape Girardeau County. Adams is a graduate of Jackson High School and Southeast Missouri State University. He holds a degree in social work, with a minor in psychology and criminal justice...

The Fit to Print team earned 647 points for the past week. Our competitors: St. Andrew Lutheran: 850 Cape Girardeau Public Library: 347 Point totals: Sam Blackwell 98 Andrea Buchanan 48 Spencer Cramer 78 Heidi Hall 55 Jamie Hall 57 Gabe Hartwig 43 Laura Johnston 70...

Today Blood pressure screening from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Cape Girardeau Senior Center. The screening is sponsored by the Generations Center at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Breast Cancer Support Group meets at 6:30 p.m. in first floor of Regional Canter Center at Southeast Missouri Hospital. For information or to register, call 651-5825...

It's time for us all -- and especially seniors and those who love and care for them -- to be on guard: Mail and telemarketing fraud are up 27 percent this year, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Postal inspector Lee Heath said a shaky economy entices people to look for different ways to invest their money. ...

A new honor is being created by Southeast Missouri State University to be given to former students who attended the school but didn't graduate from the institution. The list of initial honorees to be given the university's first batch of Distinguished Service Awards is an impressive one. Included are two local men long active in business, professional and civic affairs...

Cape Girardeau Thursday, Sept. 5The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Brian Kirstein, 25, of 3006 Wisteria, Apt. C, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and traffic violations...

Judy Thrower and Glenneta Vogelsang, both of Cape Girardeau and members of the Clippard, Wilson, Taylor Auxiliary No. 3838, participated in the 89th National Convention of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) held Aug. 24-30 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn...

WASHINGTON -- A man who police said may have made threats against President Bush was arrested Wednesday about two miles from the White House after authorities discovered 16 guns in a car he was driving. The man was stopped around 12:30 p.m. EDT in the Adams Morgan section of Washington. Washington Police Chief Charles Ramsey said the suspect may have threatened Bush, but he offered no specifics...

WASHINGTON -- Against steadfast Democratic opposition, Senate Republicans prepared Wednesday for an all-out effort to give President Bush the management flexibility he seeks for the proposed Homeland Security Department. Republicans were preparing to offer two key amendments to a Democratic-written Homeland Security bill, but votes were not expected until next week. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott said the bill is unacceptable to Bush unless those changes are made...

WASHINGTON -- Mothers worried that their daughters are having sex have more influence than they might imagine. Teenage girls who are close to their moms are more likely to stay virgins, researchers reported Wednesday. The key for parents, experts say, is not just talking about sex, but being deeply involved in their children's lives...

WASHINGTON -- Health officials were trying to determine Wednesday if West Nile virus can be spread through blood transfusions. But any test to screen donated blood for the sometimes deadly disease is at least months, maybe years, away, they said. Still, they emphasized that the blood supply is very safe and the risk of contracting West Nile from blood is significantly lower than the risk of forgoing any procedure that would require a transfusion...

WASHINGTON -- Construction spending was flat in July as an increase in government work helped to blunt cutbacks in private builders' construction projects, which dropped to the lowest level in nearly six years. After declining for two months, the level of construction spending in July was unchanged at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $834.1 billion, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Argentina pulled off a victory that until recently seemed nearly impossible, defeating the United States 87-80 Wednesday night at the men's basketball World Championships. It was the first loss for a U.S. team in 59 games since the Americans began sending NBA players to international tournaments in 1992. The defeat did not knock the U.S. team out of the tournament, buy gave them a lower seed for the medal round where the nations could meet again...

PHOENIX -- Randy Johnson threw a three-hitter to earn his 20th victory and stem Arizona's slide in the NL West on Wednesday as the Diamondbacks beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-1. Johnson struck out eight to pass Bert Blyleven and move into fourth place on the career strikeout list with 3,705...

Rusty Wallace knows what it's like to lose -- his last victory was 51 races ago -- so the veteran driver has a warning to the rest of the field: If he's in a position to win, they better look out. Wallace won't be afraid to pull a bump-and-run with a win on the line, especially after Jeff Gordon did it to him two weeks ago at Bristol Motor Speedway to snap his own 31-race winless streak...

AREA EVENTS Late model, modified, hobby stock, pure stock and cruiser divisions, Malden Speedway, 7 p.m. Friday. Late model, pro stock and pure stock classes, Fredericktown Raceway, 7 p.m. Friday. ATV, motorcycle divisions at SEMO Motor Speedway, Sikeston, 8 p.m. Friday...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.Y. -- This is no ordinary season opener for the NFL. When the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants meet in the Meadowlands tonight in an unprecedented weekday start to the season, it will be just part of a huge celebration honoring those who died Sept. 11...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The fight over who should be Miss North Carolina grew more complicated Wednesday when a judge said the woman who stepped down because of topless photos should keep her crown and the runner-up filed suit to be declared the winner. Rebekah Revels, 24, smiled slightly as Superior Court Judge Narley Cashwell announced his ruling in her favor. Seated directly behind her, first runner-up Misty Clymer sat silently, her mouth open...

LUVERNE, Ala. -- Six caskets lined the front of a packed, sweltering school auditorium Wednesday as hundreds bid farewell to three generations of a family gunned down at their rural home. The overflow crowd of more than 800 included 16-year-old Janice Ball, the only member of the family to survive. Her boyfriend, 22-year-old Westley Devone Harris, is accused of shooting the six to death in an Aug. 26 rampage, then fleeing with her and her 1 1/2-year-old baby, Neshea...

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Unfurling banners and shouting "Shame on Bush," dozens of activists at the World Summit heckled Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday as he defended America's record on the environment and helping the developing world. Thirteen activists were dragged from the room...

Canadian Parliament calls for legalizing marijuana TORONTO -- A parliamentary committee called for legalizing marijuana use among adults, increasing pressure on the government to shift drug laws away from the zero-tolerance policy of the United States...

TOKYO -- In London, mourners plan to gather at a cathedral where one year ago Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair joined hundreds of Americans at a service for those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 attacks. In Tokyo, there will be a simpler ceremony -- the planting of a lone maple and a moment of silent prayer...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghanistan's transitional government will soon introduce new bank notes to boost economic growth and make small transactions that now require stacks of bills easier, officials said Wednesday. "The objective is really to add to the stability of the currency, the stability of the afghani, and to make it easier for people to engage in economic transactions," said Anwar ul-Haq-Ahady, the governor of the central bank...

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Israel expelled two Palestinians from the West Bank, driving them blindfolded into the Gaza Strip and leaving them at a deserted fig orchard Wednesday -- the first time Israel has forced relatives of militants to leave their home areas...

NEW YORK -- Kelly Clarkson, a cocktail waitress from Texas whose signature song was Aretha Franklin's "Respect," was judged America's next pop star Wednesday by the viewers of "American Idol." After more than 15 million telephone votes were cast by viewers, the 20-year-old Clarkson beat out Justin Guarini, the big-haired crooner from outside Philadelphia...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Hoping to find a way out of the Iraq crisis, Arab ministers urged Baghdad on Wednesday to negotiate a return of weapons inspectors and warned Washington that an attack to oust Saddam Hussein would spark unrest across the Middle East...

Crites-Bollinger reunion set for Sunday at church The Crites-Bollinger reunion is set for noon on Sunday at the Post Oak Church on Highway 72. The church is located a short distance from Meadow Heights R-II School District. Attendees are invited to bring a food dish, chair, camera, family pictures, family histories and any other item they would like to share...

Damon, Affleck on campaign trail CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have landed bit parts in Massachusetts politics. The two actors are helping high school friend Marjorie Decker, a Democratic city councilor from Cambridge, as she campaigns for state representative...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Lead paint still sickens children every day, nearly a quarter of a century after it was banned, state lawyers told a jury Wednesday at the start of a landmark trial against eight former manufacturers. The lawsuit brought by Rhode Island marks the first attempt by a state to hold makers of lead paint accountable for decades of lead poisoning in youngsters. A verdict against the companies ultimately could cost them millions and lead to more lawsuits...

Sept. 5, 2002 Dear Julie, Something always seems to happen Labor Day weekend at the cabin on the Castor River. One year we were re-screening the front porch. The Labor Day before I joined the family, the cabin got re-roofed. One year, a copperhead bit DC's brother, Paul. Wild Kingdom usually can be counted on to come calling...

There is an old saying that a football team improves the most between the first and second game of the season. I certainly hope that is true because we have a lot of improving to do. I know we have better players than we have had in our first two years at Southeast, but the question is: Are we a better team? It takes more than just good players to have a good team...

After a 15-year wait, the Hurricanes and Gators resume their regular-season rivalry at The Swamp on Saturday with more than a national championship run riding on the outcome. There's bad blood between these rivals -- from the Florida Flop in 1971 to the flying peaches in 1980 to the Bourbon Street Brawl...

The early morning scene at Central High School had a distinct familiarity about it Wednesday for hundreds of students and parents waiting in bumper-to-bumper traffic for the second day in a row. With only one campus entrance accessible to most, school officials say they've done all they can to improve the flow of traffic -- which backed up several miles along Mount Auburn Road as 1,300 students arrived for their first day of school Tuesday...

ST. LOUIS -- It's time to go behind closed doors for the St. Louis Rams. Coach Mike Martz is locking out the media the first three weeks of the season, which began on Wednesday. The team stretched and did individual work outdoors on sleds and other apparatus before moving to their indoor facility for team preparation in secrecy...

NEW YORK -- Venus Williams reduced her U.S. Open quarterfinal against Monica Seles to something akin to an instructional video. Want to see aces at more than 110 mph? Check. Some forehand winners? OK. Sure-handed volleying? There you go. The two-time defending champion simply had too much in every department and beat Seles 6-2, 6-3 Wednesday night to join younger sister Serena in the semifinals, putting each one victory away from a third consecutive all-Williams Grand Slam title match...

Renteria answers Cincinnati grand slam with clout of his own. The Associated Press ST. LOUIS -- Edgar Renteria had a grand slam and Scott Rolen hit the first pinch-hit homer of his career as the St. Louis Cardinals rallied from a five-run deficit to beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-5 Wednesday night...

Southeast Missouri State University officials are touting a new in-house, economic-benefit study in an effort to resell the city of Cape Girardeau and its taxpayers on the merits of the River Campus arts school project -- the subject of two failed lawsuits -- in an effort to get the four-year-old project rolling again...

SOLEMN EVENTS From staff and wire reports On the anniversary of a day that forever will be linked with terror, U.S. businesses are preparing -- publicly and privately -- to do the only thing that seems appropriate a year after. They will pause, once again. And this time the slowdown will be purposeful, with a sharpened sense of community and resolve...

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- The remnants of lunch were on Wilco Conradi's rosy cheeks when the 2-year-old grabbed a large ice cream and ran back to the table. "Let's see if this tastes OK," he said, climbing onto his mother's lap. This outing at the zoo once was unthinkable for the Dutch boy, who lived his first months in a germ-proof plastic enclosure after being born with severe combined immunodeficiency, or SCID. ...

Infamous tradition. Childish prank. Silly rite of passage. Whatever description is used, it's still theft. Once again, someone has stolen the bronze plaque at Cape Rock Park. Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation manager Dan Muser said the plaque was noticed missing earlier this summer, but officials have held off replacing it in hopes the historical marker would be found, such as it was last year when a Jackson, Mo., student found it lying next to the railroad tracks...

Sikeston man sentenced on firearms charge Southeast Missourian A Sikeston, Mo., man previously convicted of a felony was sentenced to six and a half years in prison Wednesday on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, said U.S. Attorney Raymond Gruender...

Southeast Missouri State University may eliminate some teaching positions as a budget-cutting move, school officials say, and just how that would be done is at the heart of campus discussions this fall. Possible budget-balancing moves were discussed at a campus meeting on Wednesday conducted by university administrators...

Doctor's orders: Don't worry, be happy. Keeping a positive attitude about aging can extend life by 7 1/2 years, which is longer than gains made by not smoking and exercising regularly, a study finds. "People's perception of aging predicted the length of their survival," said Dr. Suzanne Kunkel, director of the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University and co-author of the study...

Economic Impact of the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus A Report Prepared by Center for Economic & Business Research Donald L. Harrison College of Business Southeast Missouri State University Methodology...

It's a book lover's dream: Books, books everywhere, and cheap for the buying. The Friends of the Library Foundation will be holding its annual book sale this weekend at the Cape Girardeau Public Library, where a wide variety of books will be available...

LOS ANGELES -- Online subscription music sites have finally arrived. But there's been little fanfare, and so far almost no one is buying. Free music-swapping services continue to attract millions of new users despite the recording industry's legal efforts to shutter them, and few consumers are even aware of the handful of pay sites that have emerged over the last year...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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?. ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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."...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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. ...

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...

STATE CONSTITUTION By Marc Powers ~ Southeast Missourian JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri voters are being asked to make three changes to the state constitution on Nov. 5...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Two former state officials have lent their names to a campaign for a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would give city utilities the ability to cooperate in the construction of power plants. Supporters of proposed Amendment 4 announced a campaign committee Friday that is headed by former Republican State Auditor Margaret Kelly of Springfield and former Democratic Secretary of State Bekki Cook of Cape Girardeau...

WASHINGTON -- Democratic Sen. Jean Carnahan and her challenger, Republican Jim Talent, may have the opportunity to debate before a national audience. NBC's "Meet the Press" has invited them to square off on the weekly news show. Talent said Wednesday he accepted the offer. Carnahan's campaign spokesman said she was considering the invitation...

HOUSTON -- Tropical Storm Fay gathered strength Friday, shutting down schools and prompting evacuations, while the Texas coast braced for a weak but soggy hurricane that could dump 15 inches of rain. By early Friday evening, Fay was about 105 miles south of Galveston and stationary. Sustained wind approached 60 mph and prompted a hurricane watch for a 150-mile stretch of coastline...

By Karen DeYoung and Mike Allen ~ The Washington Post WASHINGTON - President Bush plans to tell world leaders at the United Nations next week that unless they take quick, unequivocally strong action to disarm Iraq, the United States will be forced to act on its own, senior administration officials said Friday...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq on Friday accused U.S. and British planes of striking civilian targets during an air raid southwest of Baghdad, and it claimed its anti-aircraft batteries chased off the attacking jets. The U.S. military said Thursday that American and British planes attacked an air defense command and control facility at a military airfield 240 miles southwest of Baghdad...

This is the last in a series of fall sports previews for area high schools. Information provided by the coaches of each school.Advance Coach: Nancy Lanpher Boys' returning runners: Levi Lanpher, sr.;Joseph Moroni, jr. Boys' key additions: Cody Roper, fresh.; Cory Roper, fresh.; Bobby Ranschburg, fresh.; Darrell Wade, fresh.; Garrett Jansen, soph.; Matt Ward, sr.; Eric Georger, fresh.; Garron Lewis, sr.; Kevin Adkins, fresh...

Carbondale (Ill.) outlasted Cape Girardeau Central 4-3 in double overtime and Notre Dame rolled past Jackson 4-0 in Friday's semifinals of the eight-team Notre Dame Soccerfest. Central (2-1) got a goal and two assists from Heath Orr. Grant Hengst and Aaron Bornstein also scored goals while Calen Wills had an assist...

The SEMO District Fair starts today. This annual event has tremendous impact on the region. The fair, which goes through Sept. 14, is almost as much a part of Cape Girardeau as the Mississippi River or Cape Rock. Thousands from the Bootheel to near St. Louis count it among their earliest memories. Countless new memories will be made for the thousands who attend this year. Maybe it will be the booths inside and outside of the A.C. Brase Arena Building. The food. The rides...

The Cape Girardeau Police Department will implement special traffic arrangements for the 2002 SEMO District Fair to assure the smooth and safe flow of vehicles entering and exiting the Arena Park area. "No Parking" signs were placed around the Arena Park area on Friday to restrict parking. The signs will be enforced today at 10 a.m. Any vehicles parked in the area will be towed away at the owner's expense and a ticket will be issued...

A thrilling new ride and many familiar favorites start running today as the 147th SEMO District Fair gets underway By Scott Moyers ~ Southeast Missourian It's 135 feet tall, requires a crane to assemble and those who attempt to conquer it will endure 4.5 g's and speeds of up to 60 mph as part of a two-second free fall that could transform stomach contents into airborne projectiles...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The Illinois Department of Public Health reported seven newly confirmed cases of West Nile virus in the state Friday, bringing the total to 224. So far the state has confirmed nine deaths attributed to the mosquito-borne illness. The nonfatal cases announced Friday were all from suburban Cook County...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Transportation commissioners need to re-evaulate leadership within the Missouri Department of Transportation and become more accountable to the public, Gov. Bob Holden said Friday. Commissioners and department director Henry Hungerbeeler said they were unclear what the governor hoped to accomplish. ...

Lynch Son to Timothy Shawn and Kirsten Ann Lynch of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:08 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2002. Name, Maxwell Ruger. Weight, 8 pounds 5 ounces. Third child, second son. Mrs. Lynch is the former Kirsten Benson-Adams, daughter of Dr. Riley and Connie Adams of Scopus, Mo. She is operations manager at Dominion Land Title. Lynch is the son of Robert and Gina Lynch of Mountain Home, Ark. He is a loan officer at Principal Residential Mortgage...

LAKE OZARK, Mo. -- The city of Lake Ozarks does not have the right to strictly regulate what dancers at a strip club are required to wear, the Missouri Court of Appeals has ruled. The appeals court last week overturned a Miller County judge's ruling upholding a Lake Ozark ordinance requiring the dancers at Gentlemen's Quarterly to wear opaque coverings over the lower half of their breasts...

MOSCOW -- Deep within a Russian television advertisement for a local beer, Klinskoye, lurked a split-second message for another thirst-quencher: Pepsi. An image of Palmolive Fruit Essentials soap was there and gone in a blink on the NTV television network. Young viewers of Russian MTV unconsciously absorbed marketing messages for Secret deodorant, the New Musical Express newspaper and the Red Hot Chili Peppers album, "By the Way."...

Local Muslims to hold open house on Sept. 29 The Islamic Center of Cape Girardeau will hold an open house for the community later this month. The center, at 298 N. West End Blvd., will be open for visitors from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 29. The event will feature discussions about Islamic beliefs, the role Muslims play in American society and displays of books and posters. Foods from the Islamic world also will be available as samples...

Saturday Women's retreat from 9:30 to noon at Father's Arms Fellowship in Scott City. Speakers are Ruth and Opal Eaker. Dinner at Bald Knob Cross at Alto Pass, Ill. The event is a fund-raising effort for the cross. Tickets are $7 for adults and $3.50 for children under age 10. Serving is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Carryouts are available...

CALDWELL, Mo. -- No charges have been filed as yet against Harvey Beasley of Cardwell, who authorities said was arrested Sunday afternoon for numerous game and other violations. "We're still sorting out which citations against Harvey will be federal and which will be state," Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Steve Sokoloff said Friday morning...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A proposed new 50-bed hospital in Poplar Bluff is another step closer to reality. "We have had a great deal of community support and physician support and encouragement," said Steven C. Bjelich, president of Saint Francis Healthcare System...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- In a brief court appearance Thursday afternoon a Poplar Bluff woman accused of covering up an alleged murder was bound over to stand trial. Laura Lee Hawkins, 39, of the 900 block of Cedar Street, appeared before Associate Circuit Judge John Bloodworth and told the court she wanted to waive her preliminary hearing...

BERNIE, Mo. -- Being proactive, not reactive, Stoddard County chief deputy Rick Cook Thursday expressed his concern for the fate of 50-year-old Bernie resident Claudia Sneed, who was reported missing by her family late Monday night. Wednesday afternoon a technical rescue team from St. ...

MOSCOW -- A day after acrid smoke from forest and peat fires blanketed Moscow, a light rain Friday cleared the air -- and the government claimed the credit. The Emergency Situations Ministry said it drew rain clouds to the smog-shrouded capital and created showers by switching on a cubical piece of equipment, 3 feet on each side, that sits atop a ministry building in western Moscow...

Country singer Rimes will try movie role LOS ANGELES -- Country star LeAnn Rimes is pitching herself as an actress. The 20-year-old Grammy-winner plans to star in the family-oriented baseball film "The Girl Who Struck Out Babe Ruth," The Hollywood Reporter reported Thursday...

10 years ago: Sept. 7, 1992 Labor Day. Supporters in Missouri and Illinois pledge more than $281,000 through this year's Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon, helping boost national total raised to nearly $46 million; local segments of telethon, annual event that is responsible for close to half of local MDA's yearly budget, are broadcast from West Park Mall...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Bobby Dean Ables, 73, of Sikeston died Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002, at the home of a daughter in Memphis, Tenn. She was born April 25, 1929, in St. Louis, daughter of George and Mary Bell Woolford. She and Clennis Ables were married Sept. 23, 1945. He died Dec. 23, 1966...

Anna "Virginia" Eachus, 87, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Sept. 6, 2002, at Riverview Manor Nursing Home in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. She was born June 1, 1915, at Hayti, Mo., daughter of Arthur Virgil and Amanda Polk McDonough Eachus. Eachus was a clerical worker with U.S. Civil Service in St. Louis. She was a member of Morley Baptist Church at Morley, Mo...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- George Edmond Shinn Jr., 77, of Farmington died Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002, at Parkland Hospital. He was born Sept. 6, 1924, in St. Francois County, son of George and Edna Mearl Thomas Shinn. He married Bernice Marie Mell. Shinn had worked at St. Joseph Lead Co. and later at Meramec Mining Co. He was involved in the construction of Taum Sauk electric generating facility in Iron County. He also raised livestock...

ST. MARY'S, Mo. -- Ira J. Franklin, 88, of St. Mary's died Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002, at his home. He was born Aug. 28, 1914, at Sereno, Mo., son of Charles William "Jack" and Elizabeth Cissell Franklin. He and Rose Emma Bruckerhoff were married July 25, 1936, at Sereno...

Joe F. Crader, 68, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born March 12, 1934, in Cape Girardeau, son of Wilson J. and Ella Amanda Fischer Crader. He and Edna M. Noel were married Sept. 24, 1966, in Jackson, Mo...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Anna Bidewell, 93, of Advance died Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002, at Advance Nursing Center. She was born March 21, 1909, near Advance, daughter of William and Maude Helderman Jenkins. She and Glen Bidewell were married April 12, 1928, near Bloomfield, Mo. He died Nov. 30, 1971...

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Charles Joseph Keltner, 57, of Villa Ridge died Thursday, Sept. 5, 2002, at the VA Medical Center in Marion, Ill. He was born July 19, 1945, at New Burnside, Ill., son of Lewis Clayton and Elsie Gertrude Watson Keltner. Keltner was a truck driver for Rex Wilburn Farms of Pulaski, Ill. He attended Boaz Pentecostal Church...

Tackling mosquitoes THE ATTEMPT to rid Cape of mosquitoes is about as useless as me throwing a rock at a million starlings. Can you believe anyone would say they are fighting the problem with one little sprayer, putting out a puff of smoke every month in the neighborhood? Saving just one person from getting a serious disease would be worth the effort to have a more serious and vigilant attitude to eliminate most of these pests. ...

To the editor: In response to the editorial "Conclusions of teacher audit remain unclear": I find it disingenuous you think the results of the audit by State Auditor Claire McCaskill are due to our mobile society. Do you really think 80 percent of all people who graduate with a teaching degree quit after seven years because they moved? Or chose not to move? Or even had the wrong area of expertise? Why do you ignore the facts as they are laid before you?...

Like most readers of your paper, I breeze through the Speak Out feature of the Southeast Missourian to see what the topic of the day is. Lately I have found that my name has been mentioned by callers in reference to the 1 percent cost-of-living raise that was approved by the Cape Girardeau City Council on June 17 for all city employees, not just the police department. ...

Baseball The Cardinals said Friday they have agreed to buy the Rangers' Single-A Florida State League minor-league franchise. Terms were not disclosed. The Cardinals said they plan to move the Charlotte Rangers franchise from Port Charlotte, Fla., to Palm Beach County, Fla., where the team would play at St. ...

WASA World Series today at Shawnee The WASA World Softball Tournament will kick off today at 9 a.m. at the Shawnee Sports Complex. The class D and E softball tournament will host teams from several states in the Midwest. Teams involved in the tournament had to qualify through state tournaments to participate...

It's natural for a teacher to think that September, and not Jan. 1, is the right time to mark the start of the year. So Harvey Cox, author and Harvard Divinity School professor, finds it fitting that this is the season when Jews begin their New Year (Rosh Hashana)...

Classes in the Cape Girardeau School District began Tuesday. If only construction on the road leading up to the new Central High School had gone as smoothly as construction on the school itself. But it didn't, so on the first day of classes an unfinished Silver Springs Road was off limits to cars, and parents and students sat in vehicles backed up more than a mile from the school. Students still poured into the parking lot a half-hour after the first bell...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Sept. 7 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Gregory I. Campbell, 39, of 1732 Northwood Court, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of burglary and assault...

Cape Girardeau Fire Department Saturday, Sept. 7 Firefighters responded to the following items Friday: At 2:49 p.m., emergency medical service at 3020 Boutin. At 3:35 p.m., emergency medical service at 2849 Vista Lane. At 6:52 p.m., citizen assistance at 1705 David....

WASHINGTON -- Thanks to an aggressive campaign of cost-cutting, including a major cut in staff, the Postal Service is finishing the fiscal year in better financial condition than anticipated. Postmaster General John E. Potter said Friday the agency expects to finish the fiscal year this month with a 1.2 billion loss...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is considering creation of a fund that would combine tax dollars and money from the technology industry to pay for Internet security enhancements, according to internal documents from the government's effort to develop a national cyberprotection plan...

WASHINGTON -- Easing fears of a dip back into recession, the nation's unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to a five-month low in August as companies added jobs for a fourth straight month. The jobless rate dropped to 5.7 percent last month, down from July's 5.9 percent and the lowest since March, the Labor Department reported Friday. Economists had expected the rate to remain unchanged or edge up slightly...

WASHINGTON -- A half dozen of the largest federal agencies squandered $19 billion in erroneous payments last year, and the total amount wasted is probably far greater, according to a report released Friday. Improper Medicare payments accounted for more than half the money, according to the study by the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress. The government also paid out more than it should in housing subsidies and tax refunds...

WASHINGTON -- Every day the Supreme Court receives formal legal briefs that cost thousands of dollars just to print. Then there's the larger group of homemade appeals, sometimes scrawled on torn-out notebook paper or held together with duct tape, making pleas that range from touching to odd...

ST. LOUIS -- This sibling rivalry was no contest. Andy Benes came within one out of a shutout and contributed to younger brother Alan's early exit with two hits during an 11-run third inning as the Cardinals beat Chicago 11-2 Friday night. "We were hoping for a 1-0 game," Andy Benes said. "I'll tell you what, the third inning just killed me watching it and I had to kind of regroup...

NEW YORK -- The streak of Sister Slams was under siege Friday. In one U.S. Open semifinal, Venus Williams, hampered by a blister on her hand, trailed 0-40 in the 10th game of the third set. In the other, Serena Williams was down 5-2 in the second set, and later faced three set points...

ST. LOUIS -- Suddenly, Marc Bulger is back to carrying a clipboard and wearing a baseball cap instead of leading the St. Louis Rams' offense. The lion's share of the playing time in the preseason went to the third-string quarterback, with Kurt Warner getting saved for the regular season and backup Jamie Martin out much of the time with an injured collarbone. He threw nearly twice as many passes as Warner, 85-46, in the games that don't count, with three touchdowns and three interceptions...

ST. LOUIS -- Preliminary tests show that 15 new human cases of West Nile virus have been reported in Missouri, health officials said Friday. That brings the state's number of human cases of the mosquito-borne disease to 67. All but one of the new cases were from the St. Louis area -- six from St. Louis County, eight from St. Louis city. One case was from Pulaski County...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A recently retired judge is mounting a campaign to oust a Supreme Court judge and four state appeals judges up for retention elections this November. Former Judge Ralph Voss says he has nothing against the sitting judges. His complaint is against Missouri's judicial system...

ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis pharmacist was arrested Friday and charged with 12 felony counts of Medicaid fraud, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon said. Charges against Bruce Greenwald, 45, were contained in an indictment returned by a grand jury at Nixon's request...

CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico -- With the global economy still sluggish a year after the Sept. 11 attacks, finance leaders are looking for ways to jump-start economic growth while expanding their fight to halt the flow of money used for terrorism. In closed meetings Friday at this Pacific coast resort, finance ministers from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum considered whether to adopt a U.S.-proposed action plan to fight terrorism financing...

JERUSALEM -- It's supposed to be a time of deep reflection -- of leaving behind past rancor, asking forgiveness, starting anew. But there's a decidedly unapologetic feeling in Israel this year on Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year that began at sundown Friday, exactly two years on the Jewish calendar since fighting erupted and torpedoed Mideast peace...

GAN YOSHIYA, Israel -- Few animals can match the donkey for its biblical reputation. In the Old Testament, a talking ass saved the prophet Balaam from doom as they plodded down a road toward the angel of the Lord. In the New Testament, Jesus made his final entry into Jerusalem seated on a young donkey as residents strewed palm fronds in their path...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- President Hamid Karzai asserted Friday that Afghanistan is not descending into chaos and lawlessness even as police rounded up 17 people for questioning in the assassination attempt on his life. Karzai said the attempt on his life and a bombing at a crowded market place on Thursday were "done by terrorists in an isolated manner. This means they are no longer capable of mobilizing as groups so they act as individuals."...

STUTTGART, Germany -- Tipped by U.S. authorities, German police arrested a Turkish man and his American fiancee for allegedly plotting to attack U.S. military bases in Heidelberg on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, German authorities said Friday...

MUNICH, Germany -- Thirty years after the massacre of 11 Israelis by Palestinian gunmen at the Olympic Games, Germany announced Friday that relatives had accepted $2.98 million in compensation -- far less than the $29 million they demanded and without an apology...

West Nile virus may have reached California LOS ANGELES -- A California woman has tested positive for the West Nile virus in what could be the first human case contracted in the western United States, health officials said Friday in announcing preliminary test results...

Separatist violence kills six in Kashmir SRINAGAR, India -- Suspected Islamic militants killed six people in attacks in disputed Kashmir on Friday, and separatists said four of their leaders were placed under house arrest to stop them from campaigning for a boycott of upcoming elections...

Frank Ochoa, imprisoned on an attempted carjacking conviction, thought he had the guards fooled. The inmate at a minimum-security prison in the California desert slipped his electronic bracelet around a hot cup of coffee and made a run for it. Ochoa apparently didn't know that by tampering with the tracking device, he had triggered an alarm at the Calipatria prison's security control center. Guards caught Ochoa less than a mile away...

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A jury convicted 13- and 14-year-old brothers Friday of murdering their sleeping father with a baseball bat and then setting fire to their home in hopes of covering up the crime. A short time later, a second jury in the unusual case acquitted a 40-year-old family friend,Ricky Chavis, of the slaying. Prosecutors had argued at his trial that he wielded the bat, then argued at the boys' trial that they struck the fatal blows to escape their controlling father...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A judge lost her patience with Zacarias Moussaoui's inflammatory rhetoric. Moussaoui's handwritten motions will no longer be released to the public unless he stops putting in political diatribes, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema says...

NEW YORK -- Congress paid homage Friday to the victims and heroes of last Sept. 11, convening blocks from where the World Trade Center towers once loomed and pledging the nation's determination to vanquish terrorism. Meeting outside Washington for only the second time since moving there in 1800, more than 300 lawmakers held a solemn 50-minute session that was a collage of speeches, poetry and music. ...

Nate Johnston once hoped to play for Southern Illinois. Tonight he will try to help Southeast Missouri State University knock off that same team. Johnston isn't scheduled to start in today's game, but figures to play quite a bit. Either way, the sophomore safety says he's excited about facing the Salukis in Carbondale, about 10 miles from his hometown of Carterville...

TIMELY DONATION By Mark Bliss ~ Southeast Missourian Southeast Missouri State University has received a $750,000 charitable gift to its Harrison College of Business, the largest scholarship endowment ever made to the business school...

It's a longtime tradition that has book lovers lining up year after year. The annual Cape Girardeau Public Library Book Sale opened at 5 p.m. Friday to dozens of literary enthusiasts, eager to take advantage of the bargains. Many visitors who weren't already members of the Friends of the Library Foundation paid $15 to join and be allowed to peruse books during the exclusive, members-only first hour of the sale...

By Laura Johnston ~ Southeast Missourian Whether they're standing in the checkout line at their local grocery store or waiting -- sometimes impatiently -- at a stoplight, people are praying. Everybody prays, whether they know it or not...

TACOMA, Wash. The first hate-crime at Temple Beth El happened right after Sept. 11 and just before the Jewish High Holy Days. Someone spray-painted "Zionism plus U.S. equals 5,000 dead" on the parking lot. The second occurred the following weekend. Two flaming, fire-starting logs were placed at the back of the synagogue -- one beneath a natural-gas line. No one was hurt...

tboswell When boys build a neat treehouse, "Members Only" is the first sign that goes up. Though, at the age when such things matter, the "s" in "members" may be printed backwards. You need a special handshake, maybe give a drop of blood. As for icky girls, they can't come in at all...

When a ship is listing, nothing can be more important than the wise direction of a captain. A struggling Cape Girardeau Central football team heeded the words of their newly appointed captains Friday night at Houck Stadium and survived some turbulent waters...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Jackson High couldn't have asked for more. With less then a minute left and the game on the line, the Indians had a fourth-and-goal situation at the 6-yard line with a chance to tie the game. But Friday wasn't the night. "We wore out and Sikeston beat us," Jackson coach Carl Gross said after his team's 21-14 season-opening loss. "They outcoached us and outplayed us."...

SEOUL, South Korea -- The United States joined Japan and South Korea on Saturday in backing new efforts to improve ties with North Korea, saying the communist regime in Pyongyang was showing signs of change. The joint overture comes at a critical time for diplomacy on the divided Korean peninsula. North Korea revived stalled moves toward reconciliation with Korea last month, and agreed to a landmark summit with Japan later in September...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- While Missouri's U.S. Senate candidates haggle about whether to share a stage before October, voters in other states with hot Senate races have already seen candidates side by side. Incumbent Democrats in Minnesota and South Dakota have debated their November opponents twice, with more forums expected. In Arkansas, the incumbent Republican senator, running behind in polls, squared off in late August on statewide TV with his Democratic challenger...

WASHINGTON -- Last year, Congress passed President Bush's 10-year, $1.35 trillion tax cut. This year, Bush tried but failed to make his tax cuts permanent. The difference is control of the U.S. Senate. Missouri voters will help decide which party governs the Senate when they vote Nov. 5 for Democratic Sen. Jean Carnahan or Republican Jim Talent...

U.S.-BRITISH SUMMIT By Jennifer Loven ~ The Associated Press CAMP DAVID, Md. -- President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Saturday the world must act against Saddam Hussein, arguing that the Iraqi leader has defied the United Nations and reneged on promises to destroy weapons of mass destruction...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Dr. Luay Qasha is preparing for a U.S. attack on Iraq by turning the basement of his Baghdad children's cancer hospital into a bomb shelter -- stocking enough food, medicine and water for 500 people. But in Italy, the potential for an attack was downplayed by the head of the Arab League, who said Saturday there is a "strong possibility" Iraq will allow U.N. weapons inspectors to return unconditionally in an effort to avoid U.S. action...

McCLURE, Ill. -- Two people from Cape Girardeau sustained major injuries Friday in a two-car collision on the Grapevine Trail. One of the drivers, Misty Conway, 20, was taken to St. Francis Medical Center with major injuries after the 2:30 p.m. accident...

Cape Girardeau Notre Dame defeated Dexter 15-5, 7-15, 15-11 on Saturday to place third in its own Volleyballfest. Earlier in the day, St. Louis Notre Dame handed Cape Notre Dame its first loss of the season, a 9-15, 12-15 setback in the semifinals. Duchesne, the Pool B champion, defeated St. Louis Notre Dame in the championship game in straight sets to win the eight-team tournament...

RUST IN THE DUST By Sam Blackwell ~ Southeast Missourian The first tractor Curt Palmer drove on the land his family leased near Egypt Mills, Mo., in the 1930s and 1940s had iron wheels instead of rubber tires...

NEW YORK -- Among the most mysterious stories of people listed as missing in the World Trade Center attack are a baby and his 4-year-old brother, who would be the only children killed in the towers if their deaths could be confirmed. Eleven-month-old Edward Vanvelzer, his brother, Barrett, and their father, Paul Herman Vanvelzer, were reported missing by the grandmother, who lives in California, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Much has happened in America and elsewhere since Sept. 11 plus 12 months, and some of it, thank heavens, has been for the better, which, of course, signals that matters were worse in the preceding era. Perhaps the best observation made from last September to this September is that the United States will never be the same, although the details of this transformation are a wee bit difficult to nail down, if only because the changes are still occurring with little sign of their ending soon.. ...

NEW YORK -- A new $800 million warship to be used in the fight against terrorism was named the USS New York on Saturday in honor of the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. "On Sept. 11, 2001 our nation's enemies brought their fight to New York ... The USS New York will now bring the fight to our nation's enemies well into the future," Gov. George Pataki said at a naming ceremony aboard the flight deck of the USS Intrepid, a floating museum on the Hudson River...

GENEVA -- Departing U.N. human rights chief Mary Robinson, in a bleak assessment of the state of human rights, accused governments of hiding behind the ongoing war on terrorism to trample civil liberties and crush troublesome opponents. "Suddenly the T-word is used all the time," Robinson said, referring to terrorism. "And that's the problem."...

The Washington Post "Everything's changed" became the American mantra immediately after Sept. 11. "Nothing's changed," came the echo back a few months later. But although the imprint of Sept. 11 on the public is largely fading, a year later it remains clearly visible in many of the ways Americans think about their country, their leaders and themselves, according to a Washington Post survey...

Sept. 11 events: All flags at state facilities shall be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset in memory of those who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks. A prayer service at 7:30 a.m. in the chapel at Centenary United Church...

NEW YORK Children need to talk about Sept. 11 and express their feelings about the tragic events of the day just as adults do, says a child development specialist. The conversation might happen now, on the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks; it might happen in a few weeks or months; and for some children, especially those who were either too close physically or emotionally, or too young to remember the actual events, the conversation might be years down the road...

RALEIGH, N.C. are she say it? Donna Nobles is fed up with being made to relive Sept. 11. The elementary school teacher's aide shared the fear Americans felt that day. She understands the need of families to memorialize loved ones who died. But she thinks the continuing hand-wringing is radiating an air of weakness to our enemies. And she says it's time to stop...

Writer Michael Crichton and wife splitting up LOS ANGELES -- Citing irreconcilable differences, the wife of "Jurassic Park" author Michael Crichton is seeking a divorce to end their 13-year marriage. Anne Marie Martin Crichton and her husband have lived apart since August 2001, when they moved from Bedford, N.Y., to Santa Monica, according to documents filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court...

A fierce gubernatorial battle between former attorney general Janet Reno and Democratic newcomer Bill McBride in Florida and a nasty feud between Republicans Sen. Robert Smith and Rep. John E. Sununu in New Hampshire top the list of races that will be decided Tuesday on the busiest primary election day of 2002...