Stories from Wednesday, November 27, 2002

ST. LOUIS -- The turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes: all delicious. It was the cranberry sauce that was the confusing part. "How do you eat this? With the turkey or alone?," asked Javier Lafuend, 23, a Spanish man who has only been in America for three months...

SRINAGAR, India -- Three schoolboys mistook a live grenade for a cricket ball, hitting it and blowing themselves up Tuesday. The incident raised the death toll to at least 50 in the latest surge of bloodshed over the contested state of Kashmir. Violence over the past four days set off a row between the government of Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the newly elected state government of Kashmir, which recently released several Islamic militants from jails...

BEIJING -- One day next week, three nurses will sit down at telephones in Beijing and do something that would have been unheard of in China just a decade ago: They'll try to stop anyone who calls from committing suicide. As 1.3 billion people cope with the most sweeping changes their nation has ever experienced, China's first suicide research and prevention center is opening in the capital with a lengthy list of priorities -- everything from intervening in emergencies to changing outdated attitudes about mental health.. ...

JAMMU, India -- India blamed Pakistan-based militants for the bloodiest weekend in Kashmir in months and the United States urged New Delhi to resolve the conflict over the divided territory by peaceful means. Thirty-seven people were killed in three major attacks in as many days in the Himalayan region that has been at the forefront of troubled India-Pakistan relations since the nations gained independence in 1947...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan authorities on Tuesday released 87 Pakistani prisoners they said had fought alongside the former Taliban government last year. The men were handed over to officials at Pakistan's embassy in Kabul and, in the presence of several delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross, were put on a bus destined for the Pakistan border...

JACKSON, Miss. -- Mississippi is capping punitive damages in product-liability cases and slapping other restrictions on lawsuits to try to erase the state's reputation as the place where plaintiffs' lawyers go to hit the jackpot. The legislation emerged from an 83-day special legislative session devoted entirely to legal reform...

NEW YORK -- A federal judge approved a settlement between WorldCom and federal regulators Tuesday that calls for an unspecified fine and continued government oversight of the telecommunications company. The settlement, stemming from civil fraud charges related to the company's $9 billion accounting scandal, includes a permanent injunction barring further violations of security laws, U.S. ...

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Who gets a piece of the half-million-dollar reward for the capture of the Washington-area sniper suspects may take awhile to decide, authorities said Tuesday. Montgomery County police chief Charles Moose, who led the investigation into the sniper shootings last month, will head the team that decides who gets the reward...

CHICAGO -- Donna Lucy strolled past a colorful display of Lands' End sweaters just inside Sears' main entrance and surveyed the other changes at a retail chain where she has shopped for years. "It's brighter, it's more wide open and they've got better-quality clothing," the suburban Chicago resident said approvingly. "And they've finally got shopping carts to help you out."...

As demand surges at food banks across the country, staff members are watching an unfortunate pattern unfold -- former donors are being forced by economic hard times to seek a helping hand themselves. "We're seeing a lot of our donors becoming clients," said Becky Guerra of Seattle's Northwest Harvest, which serves a half-million meals a month in Washington state. The charity says demand is up 10 percent and food donations are down 30 percent...

TOKYO -- Fires were blazing aboard two freighters in Asian waters Tuesday, outside Tokyo and Hong Kong, while Chinese authorities said they finally plugged an oil tanker leak that left an oil slick on miles of the mainland's coastal waters. In Japan, a grounded freighter carrying nearly 4,000 vehicles was blazing out of control near Izu-Oshima, an island about 80 miles south of Tokyo. ...

JERUSALEM -- Israeli aircraft firing a missile struck a building in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank late Tuesday, killing two local leaders of Palestinian militant groups, witnesses and doctors said. They were identified as Alah Sabbagh, of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades militia, affiliated with Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, and Imad Nasrti, leader of the Islamic group Hamas in the area. ...

BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- When Israeli troops stormed Bethlehem last week, they seized an unlikely suspect on Israel's most-wanted list: Jala Abu Ajamia, a 17-year-old schoolgirl with no record of violence or political activism. At least a dozen soldiers entered her home in the Dheisheh refugee camp at 3 a.m. Friday. After capturing Abu Ajamia in her pajamas, they searched the house and questioned relatives for five hours, then handed her over to Israel's Shin Bet security service...

ST. LOUIS -- Jerry Little has driven a truck long enough to know how things will play out on the roads over the Thanksgiving holiday, almost down to the hour. Little, 37, of Collinsville, Ill., drives for Pepsi. He figures that around noon, the highways will empty as families begin to gather their belongings "to head for Grandma or whatever. Then it booms up between 3 and 5:30" as they hit the road, he said Tuesday...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis area environmental groups on Monday claimed a court victory that could upset the area's attempt to win federal approval of its air quality. The area's air must now be reclassified as failing to meet the federal Environmental Protection Agency's standards for ozone, a key component of smog...

TORONTO -- Prime Minister Jean Chretien's communications director resigned Tuesday over a controversy caused by her private comment last week that President Bush is a moron. Francoise Ducros, who initially offered to quit but was kept on by Chretien, is leaving the prime minister's office after all, according to a statement issued by Chretien's chief of staff...

MEXICO CITY, Mexico -- Mexican President Vicente Fox, insisting that Mexicans in the United States pose no terror threat, called Tuesday for high-level discussions to give legal status to at least some of the more than 4 million undocumented Mexicans living north of the border...

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- Traffickers who force thousands of women and girls into prostitution in Bosnia rarely face justice, and some even serve with the U.N. peacekeeping force, Human Rights Watch said in a report released Tuesday. International officials in Bosnia who enjoy diplomatic immunity from criminal charges have created an environment in which trafficking and prostitution can thrive, said the 76-page report...

ROME -- An Italian fertility doctor who has claimed that several women are carrying cloned babies said Tuesday that one of the children would be born in early January. But as with earlier statements, he again offered no evidence. Dr. Severino Antinori told a news conference that a woman was about eight months pregnant with a cloned baby boy and that the child was developing in an "absolutely healthy" way...

PARIS -- A strike by French air traffic controllers forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights in and out of France on Tuesday, creating havoc for travelers across Europe during a nationwide walkout by civil servants. The air traffic controllers joined bus, subway and train drivers, hospital workers, and electricity and telephone utility staff in the strike over pay, retirement benefits and the French government's privatization plans...

LONDON -- For the first time in the 20-year history of the AIDS epidemic, about as many women as men are infected with HIV, a United Nations report says. The report, presented Tuesday in London, paints a dismal picture of a disease invading regions of the globe where it had for many years tricked experts into believing some populations might be less susceptible, or even immune, to infection...

BERLIN -- Germany has a "moral duty" to protect Israel and will provide Patriot anti-missile systems to help its defense against Iraq if war erupts in the Middle East, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said. "The security of the state of Israel and its citizens is extraordinarily important to us," Schroeder said in an interview Tuesday with the weekly newspaper Die Zeit...

NEW YORK -- Numerous consumers moved to try to protect their finances and credit lines Tuesday, a day after prosecutors warned that thousands of people were vulnerable to a high-tech assault on their identities after records were stolen from a software company...

Supermodel, hairstylist husband decide to split NEW YORK -- German supermodel Heidi Klum and her husband of five years, celebrity hairstylist Ric Pipino, have separated, a spokeswoman for Klum said. The split is "mutual and amicable" and the two have not divorced, Desiree Gruber said Monday...

Turkey and dressing on Bourbon Street might not be the way most college students spend their Thanksgiving, but it will have to do for the Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball team. The Indians will enjoy their holiday in New Orleans, where they will participate in the six-team University Hoops Classic hosted by Tulane. The tournament runs Thursday through Sunday...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. --A career-high 30 points from Southwest Missouri's Jenni Lingor helped the Lady Bears avoid the upset with a nine-point win Tuesday over Southeast Missouri State University. Southeast stayed close throughout the game, but with an 18-2 run midway through the second half SMS broke out of a 60-60 tie and held off a late surge to win 85-76...

A man from Yemen was acquitted by a jury Tuesday night of felony charges of attempted rape, forcible sodomy and kidnapping. The jury deliberated at the courthouse in Jackson for about two hours before clearing Naji Mohsen Monasser, 36, of accusations made by a former hotel maid, who said he sexually molested her Aug. 21, 2001, at the Ramada Inn in Miner, Mo...

"A large bird whose flesh when eaten on certain religious anniversaries has the peculiar property of attesting piety and gratitude." That's how Ambrose Bierce defined the turkey. "Incidentally," he added, "it is pretty good eating." Thursday some 45 million turkeys, collectively weighing 535 million pounds, will constitute the ceremonial and culinary focal point at Thanksgiving tables across America. ...

NEED HELP WITH THE HOLIDAY MEAL? Toll-free telephone services and Web sites offer a variety of specialist answers to cooking and food-safety questions during holiday preparation times. Here are some of them:U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry hot line...

It's part of the pleasure, following up the holiday feast with informal bites of leftovers. Try any of the following recipes for some speedy fixing up. Turkey-Filled Endive Leaves (Preparation time 20 minutes) 1 cup chopped cooked turkey 1 cup coleslaw mix or shredded green cabbage...

MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin brought back the Soviet-era red star Tuesday as the Russian military's emblem, the latest in a series of restored communist symbols that play to nostalgia but have some people wary of a return to the repressive past...

WASHINGTON -- Consumers' confidence in the economy rebounded in November after sinking to a nine-year low, raising hopes that the holiday shopping season will see more Santas than Scrooges. Other reports on Tuesday also suggested the economy can get through its rough patch without sliding into a new recession: The economy grew more briskly in the summer than previously thought and new-home sales slowed in October but still posted the third-best month on record...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A white defendant who protested a prosecutor's disqualification of the only black member of a jury pool will get a new trial, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday. At issue was Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle's use of a preemptory strike when selecting the jury to hear the case against Troy Marlowe, a former Poplar Bluff, Mo., man on trial for crimes related to the attempted theft of anhydrous ammonia, a key ingredient in methamphetamine...

Southeast Missouri State University's breakthrough football season was acknowledged in a big way Tuesday as Tim Billings won the Ohio Valley Conference's Coach of the Year award, based on voting by the league's coaches and sports information directors...

Baseball, softball and the ever-fascinating modern pentathlon are on the Olympics' endangered list. They may survive a proposal to eliminate them at the International Olympic Committee meeting this week in Mexico City, but their future in the games is shaky. IOC president Jacques Rogge is determined to shrink the games, or at least contain them...

They're sports that, individually, attract millions of athletes each year. But put hiking, canoeing, biking, running and rock-climbing together and it's a new kind of adventure. Its name alone -- "adventure racing" -- gave Amanda Starman an idea of what to expect...

By Larry Neumeister ~ The Associated Press WITH GRAPHIC NEW YORK -- The high-tech scam that exposed the finances of more people nationwide to identity thieves was a wakeup call for consumers and law enforcement authorities surprised by its size, a prosecutor says...

Junior April Lorenz scored a career-high 45 points as Perryville won its season opener in its own three-team round-robin girls' basketball tournament Tuesday night with a 76-31 victory over Chester (Ill.). The Pirates led throughout, building a 23-12 lead in the first quarter and taking a comfortable 41-19 advantage into halftime...

jkoch By Dr. John Koch Question: I have a black cocker spaniel that is neutered. I take good care of him, and he seems healthy. The other day I noticed a small growth on the corner of his lip. It is only about the size of a pea. He is due for his vaccinations and annual exam in a couple of months. Can I wait until then to have it checked? Since the dog and growth is black, is there any possibly he could have a melanoma?...

smcclanahan Thanksgiving is always such a special time for family and friends. As we gather together to be with our family it causes us to pause and think of those we are missing and find comfort in knowing that they are celebrating in a great feast far beyond our imagination...

PHILADELPHIA -- A.J. Feeley began training camp battling for the backup quarterback job and ended up fighting for a roster spot. He was released two months ago, re-signed a few days later and spent a week on the practice squad. But unless Koy Detmer recovers quickly from a dislocated left elbow, Feeley will make his first NFL start for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Rams on Sunday in a rematch of last season's NFC championship game...

CHARLOTTE, N.C.-- The year started with such promise for the dismal Carolina Panthers. They had a fiery new coach who promised to end both the losing and the string of embarrassing off-field problems. With renewed energy and a 3-0 start to the season, it all seemed believable -- for a while...

PORTLAND, Ore.-- Maurice Cheeks admits the Portland Trail Blazers have a problem, and it's time to change. For the third time in five days, a member of the Trail Blazers was arrested. Forward Ruben Patterson was charged with assaulting his wife less than a week after guard Damon Stoudamire and forward Rasheed Wallace were cited for marijuana possession. Stoudamire and Wallace both admitted smoking marijuana to the arresting officer, according to a police report...

DALLAS -- In a way, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops is trying to keep his players from hanging around family and friends on Thanksgiving Day. Stoops wants to keep his third-ranked Sooners (10-1, 6-1 Big 12) focused on Saturday's regular season finale against Oklahoma State, not looking ahead to the Big 12 championship game that follows the next weekend...

CHICAGO -- Gary "Sarge" Matthews is coming back to the Chicago Cubs. New Cubs manager Dusty Baker hired Matthews, a key player on Chicago's 1984 NL East championship team, as his hitting coach Tuesday. Baker also hired Dick Pole (bench coach), Wendell Kim (third base coach), Gene Clines (first base coach) and Juan Lopez (bullpen coach)...

If everything goes according to the plan, the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport will endure something like a yoga session in the next 20 years. A master plan calls for the airport to stretch, expand and become more flexible for passenger and cargo flights as well as general aviation...

It arrived innocuously, like most truly dangerous threats do: a mass-distributed e-mail with the subject line "A Russian wife can make you happy." True enough. Certainly women of any nationality are capable of creating happiness. But then it turned ugly...

10 years ago: Nov. 27, 1992 Jackson -- Annual Festival of Lights marks beginning of Christmas season in Jackson in evening in front of county courthouse; event is sponsored each year by Jackson Girl Scouts, in cooperation with city merchants; each Girl Scout troop places white candles in white paper bags surrounding courthouse, until around 1,000 candles illuminate walkways...

Editor's note: Please submit your club news information either typed or printed. It is sometimes very difficult to make out people's names. Please use members' first and last names instead of formal titles. For instance, Jane Smith, not Mrs. John Smith. Thank you....

In Tuesday's edition, Jace Walz was omitted from the fifth-grade B honor roll, and Alex Crawford was omitted from the fifth-grade A honor roll at Central Middle School. The Southeast Missourian regrets the errors.

Popham Daughter to Doug and Jean Popham of Tucson, Ariz., Northwest Medical Center in Tucson, 4:20 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2002. Name, Madeline Elizabeth. Weight, 7 pounds 1 ounce. Mrs. Popham is the former Jean Spall, daughter of Karen Spall of Columbus, Neb., and Richard and Jane Spall of Pocatello, Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. Popham are clinical pharmacists in Tucson. He is the son of Margaret Popham of Cape Girardeau, and the late Ronald Popham...

ANNA, Ill. -- The funeral for Marion "Ray" Boswell of Cheyenne, Wyo., will be held at 10 a.m. today at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Stake Center in Cheyenne. Bishop Mark Moore will officiate. Graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at Anna City Cemetery...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Jeffrey D. Broeker, 32, of Perryville died Monday, Nov. 25, 2002, in St. Louis County. He was born July 14, 1970, at Dexter, Mo., son of Clyde J. and Cindy Buehler Broeker. Broeker was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church...

Carolyn Sue McKinney, 54, of Bloomsdale, Mo., died Sunday, Nov. 24, 2002, at her home. She was born May 18, 1948, in California, daughter of John Willis and Shirley June Straub McKinney. McKinney lived in California most of her life, and worked in the casino industry in Las Vegas. She was formerly of Jackson and attended Haynes Chapel Congregational Church near Burfordville...

THEBES, Ill. -- The funeral for Harold Dean Baugher of Thebes will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau. The Rev. Lacie Betts will officiate. Burial will be in Rose Hill Cemetery at Thebes. Friends may call at the funeral home from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday...

Sharianne L. Spies, 36, of Scott City died Monday, Nov. 25, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements.

Sugar Free Fruit Trifle Submitted by Peggy Barks of Scott City 1 sugar free angel food cake 1 package instant sugar-free pudding (vanilla or banana cream work best) Fresh fruit: strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, blackberries, peaches or bananas or any combination of fruits...

Pumpkin Praline Layer Cake Submitted by Carol Bierschwal of Cape Girardeau 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup butter 1/4 cup whipping cream 3/4 cup chopped pecans 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup oil 2 cups canned pumpkin 2 cups all-purpose flour...

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies Submitted by Wes Tripp of Cape Girardeau 1 cup sugar 1 cup butter, softened 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 egg yolk...

A Missouri Department of Natural Resources' decision last week has effectively stalled the U.S. Corps of Engineers' $85 million St. John's Bayou and New Madrid Floodway project aimed at ending flooding caused by the Mississippi River in Mississippi, New Madrid and Scott counties in Southeast Missouri...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraq said its air defense units fired at raiding American and British warplanes Tuesday. But the Pentagon denied the account, saying that no Iraqi attack was detected. The official Iraqi News Agency said warplanes flying from bases in Turkey carried out 16 sorties in the northern "no fly zone." Warplanes taking off from bases in Kuwait carried out 29 sorties over areas in southern Iraq, the agency said...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- International arms inspectors, "fully conscious" of their responsibility, are ready to fan out over Iraq with the latest detection gear in search of mobile labs, underground factories or other signs the Iraqis are still committed to the deadliest of weapons, top inspectors said Tuesday...

To the editor: Unlike the proposed war on Iraq, there is no doubt that we were fighting an imminent threat to our freedom in World War II. What was the precious freedom that those boys died for on Omaha Beach? It was the freedom of assembly, the freedom to speak one's mind and the freedom to dissent, the very lifeblood of a viable democracy...

* German Sour Cream Twists Submitted by Margaret Puchbauer of Jackson 3 1/2 cups sifted Gold Medal flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup shortening (part butter) 1 package active dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water 3/4 cup thick sour cream (20 percent) 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks, well beaten...

Editor's note:Contest semifinalists are denoted by a star. Cranberry-Orange Pound Cake with Butter Almond Sauce Submitted by Brenda Webb of McClure, Ill. Ingredients for cake: 1 box orange cake mix 1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix...

The task wasn't easy, but a panel of judges sampled 30 different baked goods Saturday morning and declared winners in the Southeast Missourian's Holiday Best baking contest. Winners were named in four categories, and more than 70 recipes were entered. ...

Buckeyes Submitted by Carolyn Pickens of Jackson 1 pound butter 3 pounds confectioners (powdered) sugar 1 block wax (parrafin) 2 pounds peanut butter 1 large bag chocolate chips (12 ounces) Mix first three ingredients -- form into 1-inch balls...

Cappuccino Caramels Submitted by Wes Tripp of Cape Girardeau 2 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 1 cup butter or margarine, melted 1 cup light corn syrup 3 tablespoons coffee granules...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Rev. Francis A. Byrne, 68, of Perryville died Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2002, at Perry County Memorial Hospital. He was born Sept. 22, 1934, in Chicago, son of John and Margaret McShane Byrne. Byrne entered novitiate in May 1953, professed vows in May 1955, was ordained a deacon in October 1961, and ordained a priest in June 1962, all at St. Mary's of the Barrens in Perryville...

ANNA, Ill. -- Oel L. Bean, 85, of Anna died Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2002, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Ill. Crain Funeral Home in Anna is in charge of arrangements.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday sidestepped deciding a challenge to the long-standing legal interpretation that the Missouri Constitution's protection of collective bargaining rights doesn't apply to public sector employees...

Though she has a large family, none of Mrs. D.'s 14 children help take care of her. She lives alone on a fixed income through Social Security and Medicaid. She often has little money left over for some household essentials. Programs like Christmas for the Elderly helps provide holiday gifts to needy senior citizens in the community...

Already struggling to make ends meet, one Cape Girardeau family has turned to the community for help with its holiday gifts. Needy children around the area can receive gifts through Toybox, a joint program of the Southeast Missourian and Cape Girardeau Jaycees. The program brings gifts to children up to age 12...

Along with countless others who put off their Thanksgiving shopping until the last minute, Kathy Doughten spent some of her Tuesday picking through Honeysuckle Whites, Butterball and store-brand birds. After all, they don't call it Turkey Day for nothing...

WASHINGTON -- Holiday gift giving can end with kids in an emergency room if adults are not wary of dangerous toys, the government and consumer groups said Tuesday in their annual holiday safety warnings. Hal Stratton, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said holiday shoppers who bought toys earlier in the year may have purchased potentially dangerous items that have since been recalled...

WASHINGTON -- The government agreed to tell the American Civil Liberties Union by Jan. 15 which documents it would release about increased surveillance in the United States under a law passed in response to the terrorist attacks. In response to a suit brought by the ACLU and other groups, the Justice Department also said it would supply a list of documents that it would keep confidential, citing national security concerns...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is stepping up pressure on Saudi Arabia to block the flow of money to terrorists, and working groups throughout the U.S. government are considering ways to tighten controls worldwide. "The president believes that Saudi Arabia has been a good partner in the war against terrorism, but even a good partner like Saudi Arabia can do more," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Tuesday...

WASHINGTON-- The Bush administration, trying to energize flagging global trade talks, announced Tuesday that it will seek the total elimination of all tariffs on manufactured goods over the next 13 years. The proposal, which was unveiled by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and Commerce Secretary Don Evans at a news conference, would phase out border taxes on nearly $6 trillion in annual world trade in nonagricultural goods. The taxes would be cut in a two-step process...

WASHINGTON -- Commercial airline pilots could start carrying guns into the cockpits as early as this spring as protection against terror attacks. But fewer than half are expected to do so. The homeland security bill that President Bush signed Monday includes a provision allowing pilots on passenger planes to carry weapons if they're qualified and trained...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A prosecutor's brandishing of a hatchet during his closing argument didn't unfairly prejudice the jury that subsequently convicted a former Scott County man of murder, a state appeals court has ruled. A Pulaski County jury found Gary W. Biggs guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action for the July 26, 2000, slaying of Willie Mae Vasquez of Scott City...

Court: Judges don't have to turn over money JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Two judges do not have to turn over to the state millions of dollars in a fund they are supervising that has been used to pay for county courthouse improvements, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday...

Israel seeks additional military aid from U.S. WASHINGTON -- Israel is asking the Bush administration for about $4 billion in new military aid and $8 billion to $10 billion in loan guarantees to bolster its economy, a U.S. official said Tuesday. The Israeli Embassy declined to disclose how much help was requested, but said the Israelis were promised a prompt reply. An administration official provided the price tag on condition of anonymity...

ANNA, Ill. -- Lulu Ledbetter, 101, of Paducah, Ky., died Monday, Nov. 25, 2002, at Parkview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Paducah. Crain Funeral Home in Anna is in charge of arrangements.

Wilburn S. Green, 76, died Monday, Nov. 25, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Sept. 19, 1926, daughter of Robert and Jenette Wimblerly Smothers. She and Elmer Green were married Feb. 14, 1959. He died Jan. 3, 1993...

Kary O. Haymes Robbins, 82, of Herculaneum, Mo., died Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2002, at Scenic View Skilled Care in Herculaneum. She was born March 12, 1920, at Joplin, Mo., daughter of Pryor Earl and Ouida Davis Haymes Sr. She and Bert Robbins were married Dec. 30, 1938, in Pittsburg, Kan. He preceded her in death July 25, 1983...

Gladys Rasche Taylor, 94, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Nov. 25, 2002, at the home of a daughter in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 17, 1908, in Carbondale, Ill., daughter of Ernest and Martha Finley Holmes. She first married Dr. Albert Rasche July 17, 1929, in Carbondale. He died April 25, 1959. She later married True Taylor in 1968 in Cape Girardeau. He died in 1987...

Budget advice I HOPE that we have enough Missouri legislators who will listen to the suggestions of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and decide that this is the way they should establish their budgets instead of going off on the imaginary track of hoping that some money comes through to spend for their pet projects. This would be a sign of their actually trying to be honest with the people instead of trying to trick them...

To the editor: Ruby Brown was over 60 when I first met her, a rather old woman, I thought. Since then I have changed my mind about age and lots of other things. She was the president of the Sunday school class I taught. They did not allow either of us to resign. She came to class always prepared. I fussed with her, but she was good-natured and able to quote and explain. She continued to study the Bible daily. The only Sundays Ruby missed were those when a family reunion was planned...

Holcim Inc., a Swiss company that wants to build the nation's largest cement plant on the Mississippi River in Ste. Genevieve County, passed a permit hurdle recently when the Missouri Department of Natural Resources granted clean-water certification, reaffirming the company's position that the project won't hurt the water quality. The company must still get permits for air emissions, mining and stormwater runoff...

Cape Girardeau Wednesday, Nov. 27 Firefighters responded Monday to the following items: At 5:24 p.m., emergency medical service at 325 N. Sprigg. At 6:45 p.m., vehicle fire at 3439 William. At 7:49 p.m., emergency medical service at 711 Terrace.Firefighters responded Tuesday to the following items:...

POLICE Cape Girardeau Wednesday, Nov. 27 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI A subject was placed in custody Monday pending the filing of formal charges for driving while intoxicated, failure to drive on right half of the roadway and endangering the welfare of a child...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Two judges do not have to turn over to the state millions of dollars in a fund they are supervising that has been used to pay for county courthouse improvements, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. More than $5.4 million in disputed funds controlled by Cole County circuit judges Byron Kinder and Thomas J. Brown III were at issue in the case before the state's highest court...