Stories from Wednesday, May 28, 2003

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by a death row inmate convicted of the 1994 slaying of a helpful motorist on Interstate 70. Allen Nicklasson, 30, of Kansas City had sought a new trial on claims his attorneys provided ineffective counsel. The Missouri Supreme Court denied his claims in a unanimous decision Tuesday...

FRANKFURT, Germany -- The euro hit an all-time high against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday, restoring prestige to Europe's 4 1/2 year experiment with a shared currency while making consumer goods and European vacations more expensive for Americans. The move also raised worries that the rally could stall Europe's economic recovery...

LONDON -- A plane made a dangerous ice-landing near the North Pole on Tuesday to rescue a stranded British explorer who had spent a week camped on a drifting ice floe with his rations running low. Pen Hadow, 41, was picked up after the plane landed on a makeshift runway he had marked out on the floating ice using plastic bags...

LONDON -- SARS antibodies found in workers who handled exotic animals at a market in southern China lend further support to the theory that the disease jumped from animals to humans, a World Health Organization scientist said Tuesday. Last week, scientists reported they had found evidence of the SARS virus in three species of mammals for sale at a food market in Shenzhen...

AMMAN, Jordan -- Jordan's information minister said Tuesday that President Bush is scheduled to meet Arab and Israeli leaders at two summits in Egypt and Jordan next week in a bid to reinvigorate Mideast peacemaking. But the White House said Bush has not yet made a decision...

Seventh arrested in deadly smuggling case HOUSTON -- A seventh person has been arrested for her alleged role in a smuggling operation that led to the deaths of 19 illegal immigrants who had been packed into a sweltering tractor-trailer. Authorities said Norma Sanchez-Gonzalez arranged for two people to be smuggled into the country, one for $1,900, the other for $1,800. One of those immigrants died in the trailer in South Texas earlier this month...

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Right up front I'll admit that the 10-pound package of chicken quarters is not appealing. The chicken is stuffed into a thick, barely translucent plastic bag. There is no way to tell much about the chicken pieces inside. And there is a little liquid in the bottom of the bag indicating that the chickens have lost some moisture in defrosting...

SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- The radical environmental group Earth Liberation Front is claiming responsibility for fires that destroyed two houses near Ann Arbor in March. The slogan "ELF, no sprawl" was spray painted on the garage door of a house next to one of those burned March 21 in the Mystic Forest subdivision. On its Web site, the group claims responsibility for the fires, which it says caused $400,000 in damage...

ROCKY BOY, Mont. -- Hunched over the kitchen table of their small house, mother and son slowly thread colored beads together. It is tedious work, so slow-going that it will take hours before the blur of yellow, red and blue begins to resemble purses, but this is a family tradition, one the Big Knife family has done together for generations on the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation...

TIDJELABINE, Algeria -- An Islamic party set up a camp Tuesday for people left homeless by Algeria's devastating earthquake and handed out food and water, showing itself ready to fill the vacuum of aid distribution left by the government. Since last week's killer quake, anger has mounted at what survivors say is the slow government response -- with townspeople at times pelting visiting senior officials, even the president, with stones or debris...

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia -- Priests chanted and cadets marched in tight formation on a square steeped in St. Petersburg's turbulent history Tuesday as the former imperial capital and the crucible of the Bolshevik Revolution celebrated its 300th anniversary...

Fugitive former priest jumps to death in Mexico MAZATLAN, Mexico -- An international search for a fugitive former priest from the United States neared an end as authorities surrounded a beachfront hotel. But Siegfried F. Widera, who fled to Mexico to avoid 42 counts of child molestation in Wisconsin and California, did not surrender...

LEBANON, Mo. -- Fire destroyed the Lebanon Livestock Auction Tuesday, but no people or animals were hurt, officials said. Auction co-owner Kelly Crane said the fire started about 7 a.m. around a burner in the kitchen as several employees were preparing for a dairy sale that afternoon...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Riders of off-road vehicles are cutting deep ruts and gullies in the fragile soil that forms the hills of Hidden Valley Park. "These ATV trails here didn't exist eight months ago," said Dan Watts, an officer in the Kansas City Police Department. "It's fresh."...

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Two Iraqis stepped from their car and opened fire early Tuesday, killing two Americans and wounding nine in a city whose people have made clear that U.S. troops are not welcome. The violence in Fallujah, a hotbed of support for Saddam Hussein, was the latest in three deadly days for the U.S. military in postwar Iraq -- further evidence the country remains a perilous place for its American occupiers...

JERUSALEM -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat stepped in to assert Tuesday that he -- not his prime minister -- is in charge of the Palestinian side in negotiations with Israel, throwing plans for an Israeli-Palestinian summit into confusion. The dispute underlined the power struggle between Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas, the prime minister he grudgingly appointed under international pressure, as efforts to move forward on a new peace plan intensified...

TORONTO -- Canada proposed a new marijuana law Tuesday that would eliminate a criminal record for possession of small amounts while spending millions to spread an anti-pot message. U.S. officials have warned the move could lead to tighter border security to prevent more Canadian-grown marijuana from entering the country...

TRABZON, Turkey -- Turkish soldiers Tuesday retrieved the flight recorders from a Ukrainian jetliner that crashed into a mountain, killing 62 Spanish peacekeepers and 13 crew members. Using wedding rings, clothing, dental records and military name tags, Turkish and Spanish forensic experts on Tuesday identified all the bodies, said Maj. Gen. Vincent C. Navarro, the head of the Spanish forensic team...

MOSCOW -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting Tuesday in the Kremlin, urged North Korea to relinquish its nuclear ambitions and keep the Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons. Their joint declaration, which also pressed for a central U.N. role in rebuilding Iraq, came during Hu's first trip abroad as leader of China, North Korea's main ally...

TORONTO -- Canada will present a "very solid case" for ending a U.S. ban on Canadian beef imports once testing is completed on herds linked to the lone case so far of mad cow disease, an official said Tuesday. The closing of the U.S. market, which buys more than 70 percent of Canada's exported beef products, has halted most sales and slowed production in an industry worth $22 billion to the Canadian economy...

CHICAGO -- Women who take hormones for years run a higher risk of Alzheimer's or other types of dementia, according to yet another startling study that turns upside down what doctors have long believed about supplements. "It's another nail in the coffin" for the use of hormones during and after menopause, said St. Louis gynecologist Dr. Robert Blaskiewicz, a St. Louis University professor...

NORFOLK, Va. -- A federal jury on Tuesday ordered eBay to pay $35 million for violating patents filed by a Virginia attorney, a ruling that could change how the online auction house does business. Jurors ruled for MercExchange, based in Great Falls, Va., which had claimed that its founder, Thomas G. Woolston, filed three patent applications for programs and procedures to operate an Internet-based auction...

NEW YORK -- With the fighting all but over in Iraq, U.S. consumer confidence climbed in May to its highest level in six months. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that while consumers are worried about current economic conditions, they feel a turnaround is only months away...

The rare Mickey Mantle card is worth between $12,000 and $18,000 By Scott Moyers ~ Southeast Missourian When Bill Foster stumbled across a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card, it was like pitching a perfect game, making a game-saving catch and hitting a home run in game seven of the World Series...

The Work Investment Board of Southeast Missouri turned down Jackson High School's grant request for a new program that would have helped prepare special-needs students for employment upon graduation. "We're very disappointed and very surprised," said Pamela Deneke, special services teacher, who helped write the grant...

As the school year winds down this week in the Jackson School District, teachers and students are already preparing for the upcoming summer school session. During their meeting Tuesday night, the Jackson School Board approved this year's summer school program, which already has attracted 300 more students than last year, although enrollment is still taking place...

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals, seeking to strengthen a struggling bullpen, acquired right-handed reliever Esteban Yan and an undisclosed amount of cash from the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. The Rangers received minor league outfielder Rick Asadoorian. The Cardinals also recalled outfielder So Taguchi from Triple-A Memphis to replace injured leadoff man and second baseman Fernando Vina, who will be sidelined six-to-12 weeks with a severely torn hamstring. ...

SAN ANTONIO -- Somebody tried to draw a comparison Tuesday between the atmosphere surrounding David Robinson's last few playing days and the hoopla from Michael Jordan's recent farewell tour. Just putting those names in the same sentence triggered Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's temper...

ST. LOUIS --The longest RBI drought of Jeff Bagwell's career is over, and so is the Houston Astros' three-game losing streak. Bagwell drove in his first run since May 8 and finished with four hits, and Jeriome Robertson beat the St. Louis Cardinals for the second straight start in a 7-4 victory Tuesday night...

ATLANTA -- The man wanted in the serial killings of five women was arrested in Atlanta on Tuesday, ending a monthslong hunt for a suspect in a case that terrified women across Louisiana. Derrick Todd Lee, 34, was arrested at 8:30 p.m. by Atlanta police officers acting on a tip received by the FBI, Atlanta police chief Richard Pennington said Tuesday night. He was found wandering around a tire shop, Pennington said...

SAN ANTONIO -- Michael Finley, Nick Van Exel, Steve Nash and the Dallas Mavericks wouldn't let San Antonio clinch a spot in the NBA Finals. Given the way the Spurs played in the fourth quarter, they didn't deserve one. On a night that shaped up as the final night of basketball until the championship round begins June 4, things didn't work out that way at all...

Do you recognize the name Eulah Detweiler? If so, the Dumey family is looking for you. Shortly after the May 6 tornado ripped through Jackson, debris was strewn about the city. Mark and Laura Dumey, who live in the Bent Creek subdivision, consider themselves lucky that their home escaped damage. Their neighbors a few blocks away weren't so lucky...

COMMERCE, Mo. -- Two Scott City motorcyclists sustained moderate injuries in a collision south of Commerce Monday night. Jeffery Brunke, 23, and Daniel Brashear, 25, were both taken to St. Francis Medical Center after the 8:45 p.m. accident. It occurred on Route N, 3 miles south of Commerce...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Lena Propst, 65, of Advance died Sunday night from injuries sustained in a collision May 7 near Advance. Propst was seriously injured when the vehicle she was riding in hit another vehicle in the rear on Highway 25 as the second vehicle was preparing to make a left turn four miles north of Advance. The second vehicle then struck a third vehicle...

MODESTO, Calif. -- The judge overseeing the murder case of Scott Peterson ordered Tuesday that police records of telephone calls made between Peterson and his lawyer and investigator be turned over to his new defense attorney. Prosecutors had not contested the release of the conversations, which they said they had not heard or seen and had ordered sealed when they realized police investigators had been listening to or recording calls...

BOSTON -- The Old North Church, where two lanterns were hung to signal Paul Revere that the British were coming, will receive federal grant money for a fix-up under a change in government policy on church and state. Old North is still an active church, and up to now, historically significant structures that were also used for religious purposes have been ineligible for federal historic preservation grants because of concerns about the separation of church and state...

High school play takes stab at Ryder's tale SAN DIEGO -- In the latest example of art imitating life, a group of high school students has created a musical based on Winona Ryder's shoplifting trial. Point Loma High School's "Sticky Fingers: A Tale of Saks, Lies and Videotape" satirizes the trial last fall in which the Oscar-nominated actress was convicted of taking about $6,000 worth of items from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills...

smcclanahan I hope each of you had a meaningful Memorial Day holiday weekend. As I paused to reflect on the meaning of the holiday, it felt good to recall fond memories of grandparents, family and friends who have gone before us. For many, the weekend included family picnics and time spent together. ...

When my friend Mel called from Phoenix to say he'd be in Missouri over Memorial Day weekend, I faced a kind of dilemma for only the second time in my 18 years of Southeast Missouri living. Mel has lived in major cities his entire life. New York. Miami. Now Phoenix. He doesn't like sports or nature and, indeed, spent most of the time the two of us hiked through Sedona, Ariz., asking about lunch...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- As police continue their investigation, a grieving Perryville community is planning a benefit dance to help pay the funeral expenses of Kendra Swan, the 8-year-old girl who police say was sexually assaulted and murdered by her father...

Notre Dame posted its second straight playoff shutout and advanced to the Class 1 semifinals with a 3-0 victory Tuesday night over Lutheran South at the Anheuser-Busch Conference & Soccer Centre in Fenton, Mo. The victory vaulted Notre Dame (22-2-1) into Friday's 6 p.m. semifinal game against Kansas City O'Hara (21-8), a 5-0 winner over St. Pius X of Kansas City...

Briefly Baseball Major league baseball's disciplinarian is looking into Curt Schilling's destruction of a camera used to evaluate umpires. The Arizona pitcher smashed part of the Questec Umpire Evaluation System last Saturday night during a loss to San Diego and said umpires have told him they are changing their strike zones to match the evaluations of the machine...

Horace Walpole coined the term "serendipity" to refer to the talent for making desirable discoveries by accident possessed by the heroes of a fairy tale called "The Three Princes of Serendip." I don't know if the princes were good cooks, but fortuity often plays a significant role in the culinary world...

At least 10 people have died on Missouri roads during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. They included: Danny Calahan, 50, of Galena, was killed Monday night in Stone County. The patrol said his car left a road about three miles west of Galena, striking a tree and catching fire. Calahan was dead at the scene...

WHAT IS HEPATITIS? Hepatitis is a virus that attacks the liver. It can be transmitted in a variety of ways and has several forms. Hepatitis A is caused by the hepatitis A virus and can affect anyone . It is transmitted through fecal-oral contamination, often in food or drinking water...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Cora Christine Barrett, 80, of Chaffee died Monday, May 26, 2003, at Chaffee Nursing Center. She was born Jan. 6, 1923, at Painton, Mo., daughter of Ben and Lottie St. Cin Elfrank. She and Cecil Raymond Barrett were married March 15, 1941, at Bell City, Mo. He died Feb. 11, 1988...

Broadway at CJHS BROADWAY IS not just a street in Cape anymore. It hit the Central Junior High School auditorium with the production of "The Little Mermaid" directed by Mike Dumey. There must be countless behind-the-scenes people to mention. The show was fabulous. ...

To the editor: State Sen. Peter Kinder chastises Gov. Bob Holden for vetoing the legislature's underfunded, anti-citizen budget proposal. Kinder's utter contempt for kids needing a good education, for old folks needing good end-of-life care and for people of all ages needing good mental health care continues to point out the incredible mean-spiritedness of the man...

To the editor: Jim Drury and his followers claim that the previous election to utilize hotel taxes to support the River Campus was problematic and should be brought to another vote. To that end Drury filed a lawsuit and, not pleased with the judges' decision on that one, filed another suit which was summarily dismissed. He has vowed to continue filing suits until he can kill the project through delaying tactics...

Last week marked an occasion that was the cause for both a touch of sadness and considerable joy. The sadness resulted from the disbanding of the Wednesday Club, a Cape Girardeau fixture since 1902. The club's final nine members decided the organization had outlived its usefulness...

It's still too early to say whether a tax-increment financing district should be put in place for a proposed subdivision around the already constructed Dalhousie Golf Club. But a scaled-down request made by the subdivision's developers, Prestwick Plantation, sounds more reasonable and addresses basic infrastructure needs that Cape Girardeau can't afford...

Cape Girardeau Wednesday, May 28 The following calls were reported Tuesday: At 12:05 a.m., a structure fire at 806 N. Spanish. At 12:11 a.m., a request for emergency medical service at 735 William. At 3:13 a.m., an alarm sounding at 197 West Park Mall...

Cape Girardeau Wednesday, May 28 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Patrick Louis Smith, 38, 111 N. Park, was arrested Monday on a Pulaski County, Ill., warrant for failure to appear...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Grace Marie Pruitt Horrell, 79, of Chaffee died Tuesday, May 27, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee.

Julia Simms, 71, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, May 26, 2003, at her home. She was born Dec. 3, 1931, in Taylor, Miss., daughter of Isom Greenberry and Hessie LaVada Spurgeon Miles. She and James Harold Simms were married July 7, 1951, in Hernando, Miss. He died Dec. 26, 1966...

ANNA, Ill. -- Paul Baylon Fernando, 97, of Anna died Saturday, May 24, 2003, at Anna Veterans Home. He was born July 29, 1905, in the Philippines, son of Eulogio and Fortunata Baylon Fernando. He and Honorata Aldover were married Jan. 12, 1964. Fernando was retired from the U.S. Postal Service. He was formerly of Evergreen Park, Ill...

When Bettye Crockett's son told her he'd been diagnosed with Hepatitis C, she didn't know anything about the disease, its symptoms or its treatment. That was in 1998. Today, she's written a volume about her son's treatment and his battle with the disease and is planning a book about how families are affected by it...

10 years ago: May 28, 1993 Property tax revenue from proposed $37.5 million riverboat gambling complex could total nearly $500,000 in floating casino's first year of operation; that figure is based on Cape Girardeau's real estate and personal property tax rates and estimated value of riverboat development; The Boyd Group has said it will dock $15 million boat with $6 million worth of equipment in Cape Girardeau, should voters approve riverboat gambling in June 8 election...

St. Mary CWC The St. Mary Council of Catholic Women met May 15 in Maria Haus. Miranda Crayne, a new member, was introduced. Libby Beussink, Emma Beel and Geri Bradshaw, youth group members, led the rosary. Sierra Sams, assisted by her mother, Heather Sams, crowned the statue of Mary...

Pace Son to Joshua Wesley Pace and Amy Renea Lunsford of Sturdivant, Mo., St. Francis Medical Center, 2:32 a.m. Thursday, May 1, 2003. Name, Elijah Daniel. Weight, 6 pounds 8 ounces. First child. Ms. Lunsford is the daughter of Tammy Lunsford and Steve Lunsford of Sturdivant. Pace is the son of Steve Wilson and Cynthia Wilson of Fenton, Mo. He is employed in the warehouse at Town and Country...

Joe Welch, 77, of Cullman, Ala., died Sunday, May 25, 2003, at Cullman Regional Medical Center. He was born Aug. 31, 1925, in Missouri, son of Brian and Mabel Lucky Welch. He married the former Carlyn Schlegel. Welch was owner of Midway Auto Auction...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Wanda "Doodie" Hamlin, 69, of Sikeston died Tuesday, May 27, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. She was born Feb. 10, 1934, in LaValle, Mo., to Thomas J. Hamlin and Opal Lee Smith Hamlin Maack. She was a member of the Vanduser Baptist Church...

Frances Wallace Blankenship, 80, of Savannah, Ga., died Monday, May 26, 2003, at Memorial Health University Medical Center. She was born Nov. 2, 1922, in Newberry, S.C. She married Dale Minton Blankenship. Blankenship was a graduate of Coker College. She moved to Savannah in 1988 from Cape Girardeau...

William L. "Willie" Bollinger Sr., 70, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, May 24, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born March 8, 1933, in Cape Girardeau, son of Monroe James and Pinkie L. Robinson Bollinger. Bollinger was a graduate of John S. Cobb High School. He worked with Sam and Dave singing group, recorded with Sun Records as Willie and the Challengers, and had worked with the Jerry Lewis Tele-thon. He retired from Union Electric in 1994...

WASHINGTON -- Even if someone signs an organ donor card during life, in death it's almost always the family who decides whether to give away hearts, lungs, livers and kidneys to patients awaiting transplants. That would change under a proposal being pushed by leaders in the field of organ procurement, who are frustrated by transplant waiting lists that grow each year. Under their approach, organs would be harvested from all who have signed documents, even if their families say no...

The Missouri Supreme Court has appointed a new judge to hear the latest River Campus lawsuit after the previous judge appointed by the court was disqualified by the lawyer for plaintiff Jim Drury. Retired judge Robert Crist of Shelbina, Mo., will take over the case from Circuit Judge William Seay of Dent County...

WASHINGTON -- The conviction of an inmate who spent 10 years in prison has been overturned because an FBI scientific expert gave inaccurate testimony and withheld evidence -- one of the first reversals arising from an investigation of the FBI lab. The FBI agent, Michael Malone, was transferred from the lab after the problems were discovered but continued to work for the bureau until his retirement in December 1999...

CHICAGO -- The buzz around city hall has nothing to do with politics, money or influence. It's the sound of thousands of honeybees. The city called in beekeepers to install hives on the building's roof this spring to help in the pollination of flowers on the building's 30,000 square foot rooftop garden...

PEORIA, Ill. -- A Streator construction worker has died, four days after he was hit by an alleged drunken driver while working on a highway project south of Ottawa, authorities said. John Crozier, 40, died Monday at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, according to the Peoria County coroner's office...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- As they watch their state funding slow to a trickle, presidents and administrators at Missouri's public universities and colleges are coming to grips with reality: things aren't going to improve for some time. State funding is down to its lowest levels in nearly 10 years and tuition prices keep going up. At the same time, enrollments are rising...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A new state law exempting American Indian tribes from some unemployment insurance requirements could save Missouri businesses from having to pay close to $1 billion in additional federal taxes. Although Missouri has no tribes recognized by the federal government, the federal Department of Labor is requiring that states change their unemployment laws or face potential punitive actions...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Food and drinks bought in private company cafeterias are not taxable if the cafeterias are not accessible to the public, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The decision could require the state to pay millions of dollars in refunds to companies that collected the sales taxes, said Patricia Churchill, general counsel for the Department of Revenue...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Budget cuts approved by the Missouri Legislature could result in the elimination of more than 3,400 positions in the state's public schools, according to a school administrators group. The figures released Tuesday by the Missouri Association of School Administrators come in advance of a special legislative session that starts next Monday to consider Gov. Bob Holden's request to increase school funding, among other issues...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- For Chris Spears and his neighbors, Brian and Stephanie Pitts, the swimming pool, Jacuzzi, weight room and room service are just a few of the perks of their new home. "It's nice to have someone vacuum and make your bed every morning," Stephanie Pitts said...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- A card celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of Ralph and Martha Dary was among the objects strewn 70 miles away after the May 4 tornadoes. Martha Dary died in November 1991 -- the year of the Darys' 50th wedding anniversary. Ralph Dary, 81, of Kansas City, Kan., was the only fatality from the Kansas City area tornadoes...

DENVER -- Colorado's Patrick Roy is retiring, ending the 18-year career of one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history. Roy will make the announcement at a news conference today, team spokesman Jean Martineau said. A four-time Stanley Cup champion, Roy leaves as the NHL's career leader in victories with 551 and games played with 1,029. He also is the all-time leader in playoff victories, games played and shutouts...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Jeff Friesen wouldn't trade this for anything: a Stanley Cup finals lead against his old team. Friesen, the very reason New Jersey is playing in its third finals in four years, beat former teammate Jean-Sebastien Giguere for the all-important first goal during a two-goal night and the Devils beat the offense-less Anaheim Mighty Ducks 3-0 in Game 1 Tuesday night...

ST. LOUIS -- Closer Jason Isringhausen, still rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery, cleared a major hurdle Tuesday when he threw to hitters for the first time in more than a month in St. Louis. Isringhausen threw without discomfort and felt fine afterwards. He is scheduled to face hitters a second time on Friday. After that there's a chance he could be immediately activated to help rescue a bullpen that had blown 13 of 24 save opportunities...

WASHINGTON -- The first time Kathy Kennedy gave birth via a Caesarean section, the wound was so painful she could barely hobble out of bed despite taking the powerful narcotic Percocet. But after her second C-section, "I popped out of bed." The reason: a balloon-like gadget dripped a numbing drug below her stitches directly into the wound, without the grogginess and other body-wide effects of narcotics...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court gave the Bush administration a major legal victory in the war on terrorism Tuesday, rejecting a challenge to secret deportation hearings held for hundreds of foreigners detained after the Sept. 11 attacks. After the attacks two years ago, the government ordered all immigration hearings closed if the foreigners were deemed "special interest" cases because of possible connections to terrorism. The government alone decides if a case is of special interest...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration on Tuesday rejected Iranian denials that it was developing nuclear weapons or harboring al-Qaida fugitives. But a top Senate Democrat cautioned the White House to tone down its rhetoric. "I don't think we should be biting off more than we can chew right now," said Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee...

WASHINGTON -- Over 90 percent of drivers say they speed, eat, use cell phones or even read while at the wheel, a poll says. And they say they're sure other drivers are worse. Ninety-one percent of drivers of all ages acknowledged at least one risky activity in the previous six months in the poll, which was released Tuesday by Volvo Cars of North America, AAA and Partners for Highway Safety...

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Jim Talent is crisscrossing Missouri this week to promote a plan for fixing roads and other modes of travel by issuing up to $50 billion in transportation bonds. Talent, R-Mo., is pushing "Build America Bonds" as a way to raise money for cash-strapped states and cities that would be separate from the multiyear federal highway bill that provides the bulk of states' transportation dollars...

WASHINGTON -- Howard University hopes to create the nation's largest bank of DNA from black Americans with the aim of studying genes involved in diseases that disproportionately strike blacks. The DNA bank isn't funded yet, but the university said Tuesday that it would work with a well-known database company, First Genetic Trust Inc., to develop the project...

WASHINGTON -- Microsoft Corp. withdrew a security improvement for its flagship Windows XP software after it crippled Internet connections for some of the 600,000 users who installed it. Microsoft officials said Tuesday the update -- which had been available as an option since Friday on its "Windows Update" Web site -- apparently was incompatible with popular security software from other companies, such as Symantec Corp...

NEW YORK -- The U.S. soccer community had nearly three years to put together the 1999 Women's World Cup, and it was a rousing success. It has 3 1/2 months to organize this one, and anyone expecting a repeat of the '99 extravaganza might be disappointed...

ST. LOUIS -- The war in Iraq led to stories of real-life bravery from soldiers, but it's also resulting in tales from those claiming falsely to be war heroes. At least three Missourians have Web sites dedicated to tracking down people who pose falsely as military veterans...