Stories from Friday, November 1, 2002

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Helen H. Morgan, 94, of Perryville died Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2002, at Perry County Nursing Home. She was born May 17, 1908, in Perry County, Mo., daughter of Henry F. and Helena C. Schott Weiss. She and George N. Morgan were married July 23, 1931. He died Feb. 25, 1995...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Democratic Sen. Jean Carnahan campaigned among senior citizens in Kansas City and Columbia, Mo., Thursday alongside colleague Joseph Lieberman, her party's unsuccessful vice presidential nominee. Lieberman and Vice President Dick Cheney, who spoke in Cape Girardeau Thursday on behalf of Republican U.S. ...

JERUSALEM -- As Israel's army chief, Shaul Mofaz sent troops to reoccupy West Bank towns, hunt down militants and besiege Yasser Arafat's headquarters -- seemingly always a step ahead of Israel's politicians with ever-harsher measures against the Palestinians...

WASHINGTON -- It could take days or weeks to declare a winner in the U.S. Senate race in Missouri, which could leave control of the Senate in question for the rest of 2002. Democratic Sen. Jean Carnahan and Republican challenger Jim Talent are running in a close race at the top of the state's ticket. ...

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Russia sought the extradition Thursday of a Chechen rebel envoy accused of planning last week's deadly hostage crisis, as the Danish government faced criticism for bowing to diplomatic pressure. Akhmed Zakayev, a top aide of Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, was arrested Wednesday in Copenhagen and jailed until Nov. 12 pending an investigation...

MOSCOW -- The day after terrorists seized a Moscow theater, taking hundreds of people hostage, police armed with automatic rifles came to Elita Usmanova's apartment and took away her two teenage sons for questioning. Chechens in Moscow say they've been subjected to unannounced police visits, document checks and harassment since last week's hostage drama, which ended Saturday when Russian troops stormed the theater. ...

PARIS -- Halloween in France took a new twist Thursday, with the Catholic Church sending protesters into Paris and launching a campaign with rock music to refocus attention on All Saints' Day -- a religious holiday a day after Halloween. Television talk shows turned their attention to the subject. Bakeries passed out fliers about the holiday's patron saints, and a small group of protesters gathered outside Planet Hollywood on the Champs-Elysees to denounce the Halloween-mania...

Anti-war protesters march against U.S. in Athens ATHENS, Greece -- Thousands of protesters opposing a possible U.S. attack on Iraq marched to the U.S. Embassy on Thursday, chanting anti-American slogans and burning flags. Police used tear gas to disperse a small group of stone-throwing demonstrators among the more than 8,000 marchers. The youths later set fire to a parked car and damaged three other vehicles, police said...

MANAMA, Bahrain -- Secular candidates won a slight majority over Islamists in voting for 21 seats in Bahrain's parliament, while two women who hoped to make history by getting elected both lost, according to preliminary results announced Thursday. Preliminary results showed that 12 secularists and nine Islamic candidates won seats, making the 40-seat legislature representative of the tiny kingdom's political spectrum...

WASHINGTON -- Every time the U.S. economy seems to be picking up, it loses momentum. It grew at a respectable 3.1 percent annual rate this summer, the federal government reported Thursday, but other indicators say the recovery is petering out again this fall...

NEW YORK -- Wall Street closed out its first winning month since spring, a feat that vastly overshadowed a lackluster session. Stocks ended Thursday's session mixed, but the Dow Jones industrials had their second-best October on record. Stocks struggled Thursday after the latest batch of discouraging economic data. But analysts said investors are still feeling upbeat after the market's three-week rally on better-than-expected earnings news and have growing hopes the bear market was over...

NEW YORK -- While police investigated whether a feud led to the fatal shooting of hip-hop pioneer Jam Master Jay, friends and family mourned him Thursday and puzzled over the slaying. The 37-year-old rap star, whose real name was Jason Mizell, was shot once in the head at close range with a .40-caliber semiautomatic in the Wednesday night attack on the second floor of his recording studio, police said...

WASHINGTON -- Better weapons and training will help Americans if they are drawn into an urban war against Saddam Hussein, but averting civilian casualties among Iraqis will be hard, Army Secretary Thomas E. White said Thursday. "You can look back through history to see that civilian casualties are very difficult to avoid, just because of the proximity of the combat activity to where people are living in these urban areas," he said...

WASHINGTON -- Smokers trying to quit will soon be able to try a nicotine-containing lozenge to help reduce their cigarette cravings. The Food and Drug Administration approved GlaxoSmithKline's Commit lozenge for over-the-counter sales Thursday. It marks the first nicotine-containing lozenge to win the agency's approval...

Beginning to question ALL THOSE protesters over the weekend got me to thinking about President Bush's war. I know we need oil, but is it really worth all that it's going to cost? I guess, I'm just beginning to question this whole thing. Unreported epidemic...

To the editor: I am a captain with the Cape Girardeau Fire Department and president of Cape Girardeau Firefighters Association Local 1084. I would like to respond to opposition regarding Amendment 2 on Tuesday's ballot. We are seeking a constitutional amendment because it is the only road open to us. ...

To the editor: Personally, I do not care whether or not Proposition A passes. I quit tobacco years ago. What concerns me is the track records of past revenue-enhancement proposals. I recall a governor saying in TV ads that income from lottery and gambling boats would help schools. I also recall the citizens' outrage when it was learned that almost all of the revenue was going into the general fund...

To the editor: Though I do not smoke, I have found good reason to vote no on Proposition A. I see discrimination in it, and here's how. What is the legal age to buy alcohol? 21. What is the legal age to buy tobacco? 18. What is the legal age to buy condoms?...

To the editor: Jackson High School does have many space issues. As a former student I understand what areas are cramped the most. One of the worst space problems that was overlooked in the Oct. 28 article is the ag department. The FFA is one of the largest organizations in the school, but it has the same building and shop that my father used as a student back in 1960s. They must not forget about the ag kids...

Archery deer season is open and firearms deer season is not far away. It is an annual rite of passage in which thousands of successful deer hunters enjoy the "fruits" of their hunt by cooking tasty venison delights. Some hunters even keep a memento of that hunt by saving antlers or getting a taxidermy mount. ...

Hundreds of individuals around Southeast Missouri took part in Make a Difference Day last Saturday. The event, which was created by USA Weekend magazine a dozen years ago, encourages both individuals and organizations to undertake community-based projects that address local problems...

The refrain is being repeated around the world. In Bali, the killing of more than 200 young people -- mainly Australian tourists -- at a disco has been called the "Indonesian 9-11." Now tragedy has struck Russia, where more than 110 men, women and children attending a popular Western-style musical were killed during a terrorist hostage-taking last week...

Cape Girardeau Friday, Nov. 1 Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: At 7:29 a.m., an emergency medical service at 510 N. Fountain. At 8:41 a.m., an emergency medical service at 2746 Gordonville Rd. At 1:17 p.m., an emergency medical service at 511 Themis Apt. 2...

Cape Girardeau Friday, Nov. 1 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Michael Eugene Young, 40, of 5384 County Road 525, Jackson, was arrested Wednesday on a Cape Girardeau warrant for failure to appear...

Bowles will be guest speaker at First Friday School superintendent Mark Bowles will be the guest speaker at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee. The event will be held at 7:30 a.m. at the Show Me Center. Chamber president and CEO John Mehner said that Bowles will be discussing issues pertaining to the Cape Girardeau school district...

PHILADELPHIA -- State officials are creating a new safety manual for horse-drawn buggy drivers, hoping it helps them avoid crashes with fast-moving cars and trucks on winding Amish country roads. Seven members of an Amish family, including five children from ages 3 to 11, remained hospitalized Wednesday after the latest such accident...

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- In a partial victory for the Democrats, Minnesota's Supreme Court ordered local election officials Thursday to send out new absentee ballots to people who ask to change their Senate vote in the wake of Sen. Paul Wellstone's death...

NEW YORK -- Martha Stewart's multimedia empire reported a sharp drop in quarterly earnings Thursday and its namesake chief executive acknowledged her legal woes are affecting the company. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., which produces magazines, TV shows, and merchandise under Stewart's name, also warned Thursday that fourth-quarter profits will fall well short of Wall Street earnings expectations...

School superintendent Mark Bowles will be the guest speaker at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee. The event will be held at 7:30 a.m. at the Show Me Center. Chamber president and CEO John Mehner said that Bowles will be discussing issues pertaining the Cape Girardeau school district...

When 8-year-old Andriel Young of Poplar Bluff, Mo., was asked why she came to Jim Talent's campaign rally, she said it was to see the president. Well, close enough. The presence of the nation's vice president, Dick Cheney, drew the younger crowd to the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport Thursday. The hangar was filled with an estimated 2,000 people, hundreds of them not old enough to vote...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- If money makes a difference in the closing days of an election campaign, Republican state Rep. Lanie Black had a six-fold advantage over Democrat Wayne Petitt in the 161st District House race as of last week. According to the final campaign finance disclosure reports to be filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission before the Tuesday's election, Black, of Charleston, had $27,751 in campaign cash on hand at the close of the last reporting period, which covered Oct. ...

Boosting the economy, fighting terrorism and speeding up judicial confirmations are why Missourians should elect Republican Jim Talent to the U.S. Senate on Nov. 5, said Vice President Dick Cheney to more than 2,000 people gathered at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport on Thursday...

Sixty-three trees were planted in Jackson's Litz Park two years ago through a Branch Out Missouri grant. Now a new recreational trail circles the lake in the park with more than half the cost paid by a state wildlife conservation grant. It's all part of a master plan to develop the 35 acres as a spot where visitors can stop and smell the wildflowers...

St. Vincent falls to Valle in district semifinals IRONTON, Mo. -- St. Vincent pushed top-seeded Valle to the limit Thursday in a three-game district semifinal loss at Arcadia Valley High School. Valle won 15-9, 12-15, 15-9 in the Class 2, District 3 semifinal to end St. Vincent's season at 11-18-2...

The University of Missouri volleyball team opened its trick-or-treat bags at the steps of the Show Me Center Thursday night. Southeast Missouri State University could only let the Tigers choose what would satisfy them. The 21st-ranked Tigers picked away at the Otahkians and slammed the door in a sweep, 30-18, 30-19, 30-16...

Class 1, District 1 Chaffee (1-7, 0-1) at St. Vincent (5-3, 0-1) Other district game: Valle (5-3, 1-0) at Hayti (6-1, 1-0) Last week: Valle 42, Chaffee 15; Hayti 7, St. Vincent 6 Last year: St. Vincent 28, Chaffee 0 Notes: St. Vincent has won last eight against Chaffee. Red Devils last win was 27-22 in 1993. Indians have won last two meetings by shutout and won last three years by a combined 104-7. CLASS 2, DISTRICT 2...

Central, ranked ninth in Class 4 and No. 2 in Southeast Missouri, will shoot for its eighth straight district victory tonight when it hosts struggling Perryville at Houck Stadium. The Tigers enter at 7-1, their best start in 15 years, but will miss three starters due to disciplinary action. The Tigers will play without their leading tackler in middle linebacker Jeremiah Dukes, sacks leader and defensive end Adrian Wren and offensive tackle Ricky Williams...

When Jackson running back Stuart McIntosh discusses the last two games, his words sound much like you would expect from any Indian in the locker room. "I didn't know I had that in me," McIntosh tells of a sudden life found by himself and the Indians...

ST. LOUIS -- Andy Benes was mulling the next stage of his career Thursday after the Cardinals declined a $6 million option on his contract. The team wants to sign Benes, 35, but at a lower salary. The right-hander, who lives in St. Louis County, filed for free agency to keep his options open...

Cape Girardeau area businessmen and women received a glimpse of the country's economic future through the eyes of Commerce Bank officials during a luncheon meeting Thursday at Drury Lodge. The meeting was hosted by David Kemper, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Commerce Bancshares Inc., and Roger Tolliver of Jackson, president of Commerce Community Bank...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The State Highways and Transportation Commission on Thursday decided to approve the latest version of its five-year road construction plan without specifying projects for the fifth year. Since dropping its ambitious 15-year plan in 1998, the Department of Transportation has operated on rolling five-year plans. ...

NEW YORK -- Tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds smuggled cigarettes into Iraq in a scheme that violated U.S. sanctions and enriched both Saddam Hussein's regime and a Kurdish separatist group accused of terrorism, the European Union alleges in a lawsuit. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in New York, accuses the tobacco company of working with organized crime and terror organizations and laundering the profits through New York banks. ...

LAGUNA HILLS, Calif. -- A man who posted bail, then broke into his ex-wife's home and attacked her and her family with a hatchet was shot to death early Thursday by her boyfriend, authorities said. Eric Kiefer, 35, had been in custody for violating a restraining order by breaking into the home Sunday and assaulting the woman and their 10-year-old daughter, Orange County Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said...

ABOARD THE USS CONSTELLATION -- As he prepared again for a voyage that would put his aircraft unit within striking distance of Iraq, Capt. Mark Fox wrote a letter to the wife of a shipmate from the Gulf War. On the first night of Desert Storm nearly 12 years ago, Fox's friend and fellow Navy pilot, Michael Scott Speicher, became the first American lost in the war...

HOUSTON -- Former Enron Corp. chief financial officer Andrew Fastow was indicted Thursday on 78 federal fraud, money laundering and other charges, making him the highest-ranking company official charged in the probe. The indictment, returned by a grand jury in Houston, alleges that Fastow masterminded schemes to artificially inflate the energy company's profits. If convicted, he faces hundreds of years in jail and millions of dollars in fines...

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Authorities charged the two sniper suspects with murder Thursday in a Louisiana attack that came just two days after a similar slaying in Alabama. John Lee Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, are now charged with a month-long series of killings stretching from the Gulf Coast to the suburbs around the nation's capital. Police nationwide are said to be looking for links to the two men, assisted by federal authorities...

Musician takes firm to court for back pay NEW YORK -- Rocker Joan Jett has filed a lawsuit against GMR Productions, claiming she didn't receive payment for her work on the movie "Prey for Rock & Roll." According to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Jett was to receive $100,000 for a cameo appearance in the film as well as proceeds from the sale of the soundtrack...

NEW YORK -- Until recently, it seemed only kids -- and music critics -- could love Eminem. Politicians condemned his obscenity-laced and violent lyrics. Gay and women's groups blasted him as a homophobe and misogynist. The Grammy-winning Detroit rapper had millions in album sales, but little love from mainstream America...

I can honestly say I never celebrated All Saints Day when I was growing up. Like most youngsters, I liked Halloween, the evening before All Saints Day, not just for the candy "treats," but because of the "tricks" you were entitled to perform if you didn't get any "treats."...

ST. LOUIS -- Equally gifted with a spatula and game of spades, Vallonia Smith wasn't dealt out of a fitting send-off cooked up after the homemaker died of heart disease at 59. In a Wade Funeral Home room dubbed Big Mama's Kitchen, loved ones played cards barely an arm's length from Smith's body in an open casket. The name of the game: celebrating without necessarily sobbing for someone headed for the hereafter...

A Democratic Party leader lashed out at U.S. Senate candidate Jim Talent on Thursday, accusing the Republican of trying to privatize Social Security and calling such plans "scary" for elderly Missourians. Democratic campaign consultant Roy Temple criticized Talent and Vice President Dick Cheney while stumping for U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan in Cape Girardeau...

TOKYO -- Former U.S. soldier Charles Jenkins and his Japanese wife, Hitomi Soga, were brought together decades ago in North Korea by a strange Cold War twist. He was an accused U.S. Army deserter, she was kidnapped from Japan by communist spies. Now, the couple could be torn apart by an equally unlikely turn of events -- an emerging tug-of-war over their fate between North Korea, Japan and its top ally, the United States...

ST. LOUIS -- The Blues' scintillating start is more about attitude adjustment than personnel changes. So far, they're proving the front office's decision to stand pat after a disappointing end to last season was a good one. The Blues are 6-1-1, the second-best start in franchise history, and can match the all-time best of 7-1-1 set in 1997-98 with a victory at the New York Islanders on Saturday night. They've won six in a row, twice scoring seven goals in that span...

HAYWOOD CITY, Mo. -- Charity M. Ward, 82, of Haywood City died Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2002, at the home of a son in Cape Girardeau. She was born Oct. 2, 1920, in Pickens, Miss., daughter of the Rev. Milton and Elizabeth Young Chappell. She and Robert Ward were married Dec. 6, 1941...

Briefly Baseball Pete Rose is in tax trouble again, and baseball's security department is investigating the career hits leader as he negotiates a possible end to his lifetime ban. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig's position on the talks -- and Rose's eligibility for the Hall of Fame -- could be affected by the tax revelations, a high-ranking baseball official said Friday on condition of anonymity. ...

Baseball The Phoenix Suns placed forward Alton Ford on the injured list Friday and filled his roster spot by activating guard Randy Brown. Brown averaged 1.3 points, 1.0 rebounds and 7.0 minutes in three games before developing tendinitis in his left knee. He went on the injured list Nov. 22...

Basketball Coach Lon Kruger was fired by the slumping Hawks on Thursday. Kruger said he knew he might be fired because of the Hawks' 11-16 record so far this season. Colleges Moving quickly to reward its championship coach, Georgia gave Mark Richt a new $1.5 million-a-year contract that will keep him with the Bulldogs through at least 2010. ...

Baseball Former Gold Glove infielder Neifi Perez is guaranteed $4.25 million under his two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants. The Giants claimed Perez off waivers from the Kansas City Royals last month and agreed to the contract Sunday. Perez gets $1.5 million next year and $2.75 million in 2004, and can earn $500,000 a year in performance bonuses...

Saxony Lutheran JV defeats Notre Dame Tim Lorenz and Loren Lueders each scored 13 points for Saxony Lutheran in a 49-45 win over the Notre Dame freshman team. Trey Maevers added 10 points for Saxony (6-3). Steven Eftink had 16 points and Frankie Ellis 10 for Notre Dame...

Baseball The Diamondbacks reached agreement Saturday on a one-year deal with first baseman Mark Grace. Terms of the contract, which includes a club option for the 2004 season, were not announced, but Grace was believed to have taken a pay cut from the $3 million he earned last season...

Baseball Two of the Cardinals' minor-league affiliates have switched cities for next season, the team said Friday. The Class AA team, formerly based in New Haven, Conn., now will play in Kodak, Tenn., as the Tennessee Smokies of the Southern League. ...

Baseball Greg Maddux accepted the Atlanta Braves' offer of salary arbitration, the equivalent of signing a one-year deal for the 2003 season. The four-time Cy Young Award winner had been a free agent. Tom Glavine already left the Braves, agreeing to a three-year contract with the New York Mets. ...

Baseball The two fans who claimed ownership of Barry Bonds' record 73rd home run ball were ordered by a judge Wednesday to sell the ball and split the money, worth perhaps more than $1 million. Bonds' homer came on the last day of the regular season in October 2001, setting off a long court battle. ...

Baseball Paul Byrd, who managed to win 17 games for a Kansas City Royals team that lost 100 in 2002, is latest good player to escape Kauffman Stadium. Byrd signed a two-year, $10 million deal with Atlanta on Tuesday, a move that's certain to further demoralize long-suffering Royals fans. Byrd was 17-11 last season with a 3.90 ERA for Kansas City...

WASHINGTON -- Researchers want to begin the first studies of the effects of a risky smallpox vaccine on toddlers and preschoolers -- a proposal that is raising thorny questions about safety and ethics. The vaccine is made of a live virus called vaccinia that can cause its own infections until the injection site scabs over, so researchers plan to keep inoculated children out of day care or school for a month. ...

Baseball Major league general managers probably will make a recommendation of a minimum age for bat boys when they meet Monday on the final day of the winter meetings. Ken Griffey Jr. telephoned his general manager Saturday and made it clear he didn't want Cincinnati to trade him. ...

Baseball The New York Mets found their temporary replacement for shortstop Rey Ordonez, agreeing to the structure of a one-year deal with free agent Rey Sanchez. Sanchez's deal will be finalized after he passes a physical Monday. He will serve as a caretaker at shortstop until top prospect Jose Reyes is ready to take over the job at some point next season...

Baseball Roger Clemens wants to say goodbye to baseball with the Yankees. The six-time Cy Young Award winner agreed Monday to a $10.1 million, one-year contract and probably will retire after next season, his 20th in the major leagues...

Briefly Baseball Right-hander James Baldwin agreed Thursday to a minor league contract with the Royals and was invited to spring training as a non-roster player. Colleges Running back Ibrahim Halsey, whose debut at Illinois was delayed while he fought statutory rape and related charges, is finally on the University of Illinois campus. ...

Briefly Baseball The committee on the future of the Montreal Expos will start meeting with interested community groups next week. The community groups were told to bring up to six people to the meetings, which will be get-acquainted sessions rather than formal presentations. The sessions will take place Tuesday or Wednesday, with the exact dates and times to be set later this week...

Briefly Baseball Tom Gordon agreed Monday to a $1.4 million, one-year contract with the White Sox following a 2002 season that was cut short by a muscle tear in his right shoulder. Basketball John Lucas couldn't make winners out of the Cavaliers, so Keith Smart is getting a shot. ...

Briefly Baseball Atlanta Braves pitcher Greg Maddux, a four-time Cy Young Award winner, asked for $16 million in arbitration, while the Braves countered with an offer of $13.5 million. The cost-cutting Braves want to keep Maddux's salary in line with the $13.1 million he made last season. The $2.5 million gap is the largest between any team and player...

Briefly Baseball Rocco Graziosa, who punched New York Yankees pitcher David Wells during a fight in a Manhattan diner, was granted $10,000 bail Friday while his lawyer appeals his misdemeanor assault conviction...

Briefly Baseball Right-hander Brett Tomko avoided arbitration and agreed to a one-year, $3.3 million contract on Thursday with the Cardinals. Tomko, 29, was acquired in a December trade with the Padres for reliever Luther Hackman. ...

Briefly Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig's plan to have the All-Star game winner get home-field advantage in the World Series is the top item on the agenda for the meeting of baseball owners that starts today in Scottsdale, Ariz. ...

Briefly Boxing Boxer Johnny Tapia was sent home from the hospital Monday, two days after collapsing at home with what had been described as a head injury. Tapia, 35, had been had been admitted to University Medical Center in critical condition early Saturday and spent the weekend on life support. Dr. Joaquim Tavares said that tests found no damage to Tapia's brain or heart...

Baseball Right-hander Paul Wilson agreed to a $4 million, two-year contract with Cincinnati on Sunday, a move that general manager Jim Bowden said will give the Reds a proven fourth starter. Wilson, 29, who was not offered a contract by Tampa Bay by the Dec.20 deadline, was 6-12 with a 4.83 ERA last season for the Devil Rays. He pitched a career-high 193 2/3 innings, including at least six innings in 23 of his 30 starts...

Baseball Left-hander Mark Redman joined the Florida Marlins from the Detroit Tigers in a five-player trade Saturday. The Marlins sent right-hander Gary Knotts and minor league left-handers Nate Robertson and Rob Henkel to the Tigers for Redman and minor league right-hander Jason Fuell...

Baseball The Chicago Cubs on Thursday agreed to a deal with free agent utility infielder Ramon Martinez and came to terms on a minor-league contract with former reliever Rod Beck. Beck, who saved 51 games for the Cubs in 1998, their last playoff appearance, will be invited to spring training as a non-roster player. ...

Basketball Hedo Turkoglu was activated from the Kings' injured list on Friday, and Scot Pollard was placed on the list. Jazz center Jarron Collins will miss the rest of the season after tearing ligaments in his right knee...

Baseball Todd Walker became Boston's regular second baseman Thursday when he was obtained from the Cincinnati Reds in Theo Epstein's first trade as the general manager of the Red Sox. Walker, only seven months older than the 28-year-old Epstein, replaces Rey Sanchez, who became a free agent after not being offered arbitration. ...

Baseball Jeff Kent is interested in returning to the Giants, and general manager Brian Sabean said there's a 50-50 chance of it happening. Sabean spoke Tuesday with the star second baseman, who has been offered arbitration by the club. Kent is discussing a long-term deal with the Giants and several other teams, his agent, Jeff Klein, said Wednesday night...

In cities with thriving art colonies, the monthly or sometimes weekly gallery walk to opening receptions is a tradition. Art lovers go from one gallery to the next sampling the creativity, wine and hors d'oeuvres. That opportunity presents itself tonight in Cape Girardeau with exhibitions opening in three different locations...

NEW YORK -- Sue Grafton needed a fresh plot for the 17th mystery in her alphabet series. So she turned to a real murder. "'Q' Is for Quarry," set in 1987, features Grafton's famous private eye, Kinsey Millhone. It involves a murder that took place in the summer of 1969. The body of a young, white woman was found with multiple stab wounds and a slit throat in a quarry outside Lompoc, Calif., about an hour north of Santa Barbara. The woman was never identified, the murderer never found...

Three stars Named for the Rolling Stones song that plays through the film, "Moonlight Mile" is about loving and losing love. Down the road the characters realize that they never lost that love at all but had grown from it and that love would be what they needed to love again...

Beasley Son to James David and Morgan Lee Beasley of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 6:50 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, 2002. Name, Brendan James. Weight, 7 pounds. Second child, first son. Mrs. Beasley is the former Morgan Marino, daughter of Frank and Bonnye Marino of Festus, Mo. She is a social worker at the Lutheran Home. Beasley is the son of Dave and Carolyn Beasley of Jackson. He is employed at the Cape Girardeau County Juvenile Office...

10 years ago: Nov. 1, 1992 Brad Grupe of Smithton and Sheila Higgs of Malden were named Man and Woman of the Year yesterday at half-time of Southeast Missouri State University's homecoming game; on gridiron Kelvin Anderson and his teammates found way to snip six-game losing streak...

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Bernice Pawlisch, 79, of Villa Ridge died Thursday, Oct. 31, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Dec. 26, 1922, in Arkansas, the daughter of Earl H. and Myrtle Elizabeth Cullen Johnson. She married Edward Pawlisch. He preceded her in death on Nov. 5, 1993...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- William Alford "Bill" Mannon, 51, of Fisk, Mo., died Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2002, at Three Rivers Healthcare North Campus in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He was born April 13, 1951, in East Prairie, son of William A. "Pete" and Ina L. Baty Mannon. He married Cheryl Bowers, who died Dec. 26, 2001...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- John Henry Cook, 72, of Marble Hill died Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Jan. 7, 1930, at Bessville, Mo., son of the Rev. John Elza and Hattie Adaline Cook. Cook worked at Barker Furniture Store several years. He was a member of Hurricane Fork General Baptist Church...

The funeral for Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Jerry Lee Obermiller of Jefferson City, Mo., was held Tuesday at First Presbyterian Church in Jefferson City. The Rev. Rudolph W. Beard officiated. Entombment was in Riverview Cemetery Mausoleum, with full military honors...

ULLIN, Ill. -- Calvin Dillman, 75, of Ullin died Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2002, at his home. He was born Aug. 1, 1927, in Olive Branch, Ill., son of William Roy and Mayme Douglas Dillman. He and Edith Mae Trexler were married Sept. 2, 1950. Dillman worked in construction as an operating engineer, and had been a member of Engineers Local 318 in Marion, Ill...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Gustavia Cavitt, 61, of Cairo died Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2002, at her home. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Massie Funeral Home. The Rev. J.L. Posey will officiate.

Swingle to sign book 'Gold of Cape Girardeau' Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle will sign copies of his first novel, "The Gold of Cape Girardeau," at events today and Saturday. The book, an historical novel, has just been published by the Southeast Missouri State University Press. It begins with a contemporary court case in Cape Girardeau and delves into the region's steamboat and Civil War history...

Dear Southeast Missouri, Greetings from Zambia! I've been here for nearly two months now as a student missionary and am loving every day of it. I am on a huge farm that employs 350 people, 100 of whom reside on the farm. There is a Bible school here for children and older students enroll in evangelistic training, lifestyle and tailoring classes. We have over 50,000 banana plants, along with tons of fruit trees and other gardens....

Baseball Jaret Wright will try to resurrect his career in San Diego after agreeing to a $725,000, one-year contract with the Padres on Tuesday. San Diego also agreed to a $1.3 million, two-year contract with free-agent infielder Dave Hansen. ...

Country music performer Neal McCoy returned to Cape Girardeau with his larger-than-life stage presence for a Christmas show Sunday night. Applause, whistles and cheers from the crowd of about 1,570 people drowned out all other noise as McCoy took the Show Me Center stage...

When adults go missing, most of the time they are found quickly. In rare cases, they go missing for months or years. Last year, approximately 70 adults were reported missing in Cape Girardeau County, according to Jackson and Cape Girardeau police and the sheriff's department. That number is consistent with the totals for the last several years, officers say...

CHICAGO -- United Airlines, unable to stanch more than two years of swelling losses and spurned in a plea for federal assistance, will file Monday for federal bankruptcy court protection, a source close to the company said Sunday. The Chapter 11 filing -- five days after a federal panel declined to help the world's No. 2 carrier cover its mounting debt -- would be the largest airline bankruptcy in U.S. history, and one of the nation's top 10 bankruptcies ever...

Baseball Pitcher Frank Castillo and the Boston Red Sox agreed Saturday to an $800,000, one-year contract. The Red Sox faced a midnight deadline for eight other of their former players who became free agents. If those players didn't sign or get offered arbitration, they would be unable to re-sign until May 1...