Stories from July 2003

ST. LOUIS -- The National League's best-hitting team was just the latest victim for Jason Schmidt. Schmidt threw his third consecutive complete game, holding down St. Louis on seven hits and leading the San Francisco Giants over the Cardinals 5-1 Monday night. The Cardinals entered with a .292 average...

10 years ago: July 1, 1993 For past month, Cape Girardeau police officers have been carrying little vials of granulated chemicals which can determine whether person they have stopped is driving while intoxicated; Missouri Safety Center, located on campus of Central Missouri State University at Warrensburg, Mo., selected Cape Girardeau as test site for new DWI field units...

Krisher Daughter to Jason and Tina Krisher of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:46 p.m. Thursday, June 19, 2003. Name, Grace Margaret. Weight, 6 pounds 10 ounces. Mrs. Krisher is the former Tina Wuebbles, daughter of Jack and Pat Wuebbles of Carlyle, Ill. She is employed at U.S. Pallet Supply. Krisher is the son of Joe and Donna Krisher of Mascoutah, Ill. He is employed at Ecolab...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Margaret B. Ray, 86, of Sikeston died Monday, June 30, 2003, at Clearview Nursing Center. She was born Nov. 11, 1916, at Crowder, Mo., daughter of James Walton and Clara Belle Baugher Beavers. Ray had been a salesclerk at Clinton-Baugher Store. She was a member of Fellowship Baptist Church...

TAMMS, Ill. -- LaDonne Honey, 68, of Alton, Ill., died Friday, June 27, 2003, at his home. He was born July 11, 1934, in Tamms, son of Omer and Edna Harvel Honey. He married Glenna Ridenbark. Honey was a longtime member of Ironworkers Local 396 of St. Louis, and member of VFW Post 1308 in Alton...

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- Marvin M. "Pepper" Schmidt, 75, of Altenburg died Monday, June 30, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Dec. 17, 1927, at Altenburg, son of Emmanuel J. and Maria S. Buck Schmidt. He and Doris Luehrs were married April 21, 1951...

Hazel I. Meyer, 89, of Gordonville died Sunday, June 29, 2003, at Jackson Manor in Jackson. Ford and Sons Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements.

SEDGEWICKVILLE, Mo. -- Troy J. Wills, 70, of Sedgewickville died Sunday, June 29, 2003, at his home. He was born Jan. 1, 1933, at Lixville, Mo., son of Fred and Effie Shrum Wills. He and Norma J. Smith were married Sept. 29, 1956. Wills was a gravedigger. He was a member of Crossroads United Methodist Church...

Low interest, lost income I CANNOT understand how some people can be so daft to certain things that are going on. The average senior citizen has saved money to draw a little interest to increase their income along with their Social Security. But now President Bush and Fed chairman Alan Greenspan have got the interest rates so low that the senior citizens can't survive. My income has gone down $7,000 to $8,000 a year from the little interest check I received and spent...

To the editor: In response to letters from Barry Horton and Michael Maguire regarding the cost of adopting pets: If Horton purchased his dog from a breeder in our state who fails to screen for the most common genetic problems (mange, hip dysplasia, thyroid disease, allergies and weak temperament), his bills could be sky-high. Many of these breeders have multiple dog breeds with cages stacked on top of each other and animals kept in filthy conditions...

To the editor: The defenders of George Bush and his war on Iraq overlook the killing of over 3,500 Iraqi civilians and continuing deaths of Iraqis and American military personnel. They argue the war was a win-win situation because we have deposed an evil tyrant and dictator. They sadly miss the point. When it takes thousands of deaths to achieve a goal, we have to ask a critical moral question about whether the end justifies the means...

The life of Ed Leoni offers one of the more inspirational stories in recent memory. The 51-year-old Jackson cancer survivor and Southeast Missouri State University professor teaches his students how to live a healthy life. There are repercussions that Leoni knows all too well...

Last week, the Missouri Legislature signed some of the nation's toughest anti-methamphetamine measures in the country. It came not a minute too soon. More than any other drug, the sale and use of methamphetamine have ravaged our state. Missouri has led the country for the past two years in the number of clandestine labs shut down by police, recording 2,725 raids and seizures last year...

ALPLAUS, N.Y. -- They made the mast, sunk the rivets and varnished the planks to a blond sheen. The bateau was finally ready to go, although it was raining. The wooden boat launched into the still waters of the Mohawk River is a replica of the 18th century craft popular with soldiers and civilians. It's a river boat with graceful curves and a sturdy thunk, like one a professional would make. But this one is different: It was handcrafted by teenage students in a special education program...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Images of the police department, high school and other places in this city in far Southern Illinois will soon be featured in a Japanese video game. On Monday, eight designers and artists from the Tokyo-based video-game maker Sega toured the town to help make a planned new game more realistic...

LOS ANGELES -- Pop singer Rachel Farris is far from a household name, but a new spin on marketing could change that. Her independent record label is embedding mini-CDs in the lids of soft drink cups at movie theaters nationwide and a few theme parks...

Area students receive school honors Jean Stoverink of Cape Girardeau, Katie Martin, Daniel Schumer and Michael Verseman of Perryville, Mo., were among 1,648 students to receive semester honors for the 2003 spring semester at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan...

Yearning to travel far away, to see the world, to taste, smell and do new things? So are we. With summer reading, you'll voyage to Asia, Africa, Europe, outer space, past times and other distant places. You'll meet lots of new kids, animals and a few constellations, too...

Cape Girardeau Tuesday, July 1 Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: At 6:50 p.m., a medical assist at 2864 Hopper Road. At 7:22 p.m., a medical assist at the 91-mile marker of Interstate 55. At 10;03 p.m., a medical assist at 1651 N. Main...

"RTX Red Rock" is a game that could have been great. It's set on Mars, it stars a "RoboCop"-like hero with replaceable eye and arm, and it features some interesting enemies. Instead, it will have you scratching your head and asking, "Why did they do THAT?"...

Cape Girardeau Tuesday, July 1 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Matthew Christopher Robinson, no age given, of 3013 Mimosa, Apt. 3, Cape Girardeau, was issued a summons Monday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...

During a special meeting Monday, June 30, the school board approved the following item: Amendment of the 2002-03 budget to increase expenditures by $125,000 and revenue by $125,000.

River Campus hearing now set for July 28 A hearing on Cape Girardeau businessman Jim Drury's third River Campus lawsuit has been delayed until later this month because the plaintiff's attorney, Walter Drusch, recently underwent heart bypass surgery, circuit court officials said...

WASHINGTON -- Anyone who plans to set off fireworks on the Fourth of July, be forewarned: your pyrotechnics may delay you at the airport later. Ultrasensitive equipment that can detect minuscule traces of explosives on suitcases and skin might raise suspicions at the security gate...

WASHINGTON -- Most Americans still say things are going at least fairly well in Iraq, but the number who think things are going badly has tripled since early May, a new poll says. Just over half, 56 percent, say things are going well, according to a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll, and 42 percent say badly...

WASHINGTON -- Even as NASA engineers debated possible damage, a flight director e-mailed Columbia's astronauts to say there was "absolutely no concern" that breakaway foam that struck the space shuttle might endanger its safe return. The shuttle's commander cheerily replied, "Thanks a million!"...

The Detroit Red Wings picked up Dominik Hasek's $8 million contract option for next season before Monday night's deadline, officially welcoming back the retired star and at the same time muddling their goaltending picture. The Wings must now decide what to do with Curtis Joseph, who has two years remaining on his $24 million, three-year contract and more importantly has a no-trade clause. ...

WASHINGTON -- It was the nation's first export and the collateral for financing the American Revolution. But with lawsuits, less smoking, import competition and a soon-to-be dismantled system of government controls, farmers are planting the smallest tobacco crop this year since Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was president...

P Addition of Miami, Virginia Tech makes ACC formidable in football. By David Droschak ~ The Associated Press GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The jokes about Atlantic Coast Conference football being Florida State and the eight dwarfs will stop with the addition of Miami and Virginia Tech...

ST. LOUIS -- The idea came from a protest four years ago that shut down Interstate 70. But while Monday's protest at a light-rail station created little inconvenience, activists still hoped they made their point. A few dozen protesters carried signs and chanted slogans at a MetroLink station at Forest Park. Three went to the tracks and sat down, attempting to disrupt the service, but were carried off within seconds...

TOKYO -- The world's deepest-diving submarine has disappeared in the choppy Pacific Ocean off Japan, a setback to deep-sea research on everything from earthquakes to rare bacteria. Kaiko, a bright yellow submarine which entered the record books in 1995 by diving 36,008 feet to the bottom of the Challenger Deep -- the ocean's deepest point -- snapped its tether as a typhoon approached in late May and has been missing since then, officials said Monday...

CHICAGO -- Former Gov. George Ryan's longtime top aide, Scott Fawell, was sentenced Monday to 6 1/2 years in prison for a wide-ranging racketeering scheme involving fraud, perjury and political fund-raising. The usually tough, outgoing Fawell's voice broke with emotion and he couldn't go on as he tried to read a statement expressing regret for his role in the scandal that forced Ryan's retirement after just one term...

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Police have arrested the most-wanted fugitive in last year's Bali nightclub bombings as he plotted more terror attacks with other al-Qaida-linked militants, officials said Monday. The announcement came as prosecutors recommended a death sentence in the trial of the militant known as the "smiling bomber" -- the first suspect to face trial for the Oct. 12 attacks on the resort island, which killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists...

TORONTO -- A nurse at North York General Hospital became Ontario's first health care worker to die of SARS, raising the death toll from the flu-like illness in Toronto to 39. Several more health care workers are in critical condition on ventilators, and some of them also could succumb, health officials said Monday...

MONROVIA, Liberia -- Pressure built Monday on the United States to contribute to a peacekeeping force in Liberia, with West African leaders asking for 2,000 U.S. troops -- and seeking a response from President Bush before his July visit to the continent...

ALGIERS, Algeria -- An Algerian military plane slammed into a house west of the capital Monday, killing up to 17 people, including women and children on the ground, authorities said. Fire raged through several houses after the C130 Hercules transport crashed in the neighborhood of Beni Mered shortly after takeoff from the Boufarik military airport, 25 miles southwest of the capital...

KINSHASA, Congo -- Congo's president signed a new power-sharing government into being Monday, joining Congo's existing government and rebels in an administration meant to lead the central African nation out of nearly five years of war. If it holds, the transition government stands as a major step toward ending a war that has split Africa's third-largest nation. ...

DAMASCUS, Syria -- The United States returned five Syrian border guards wounded during a U.S. assault on the Syrian-Iraqi border, officials announced Monday, the latest move to repair strained U.S.-Syrian ties. Syria, for its part, has ejected Iraqi officials and closed offices of Palestinian militants, declaring it is a partner in the U.S. war against terrorism...

JERUSALEM -- Israel agreed to return the West Bank town of Bethlehem to Palestinian control after its pullback Monday from the Gaza Strip, crucial steps that advance a U.S.-backed "road map" to Palestinian statehood and raise hopes that 33 months of violence may be nearing an end...

NAJAF, Iraq -- American troops moved in force Monday to arrest the U.S.-appointed mayor of this southern Iraqi town, removing him on kidnapping and corruption charges and detaining 62 of his aides -- a step likely to please Najaf's Shiite residents...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA pushed back Wednesday's launch of the latest Mars rover until at least Saturday so workers can figure out why cork insulation is not sticking properly to the skin of the rocket. The announcement Monday marked the fourth delay in a week for the launch of the rover Opportunity...

Rap music mogul reportedly arrested Rap impresario Marion "Suge" Knight reportedly has been arrested a second time this year for allegedly violating parole. Police arrested the 37-year-old founder of Death Row Records Friday evening, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday...

CHICAGO -- City officials Monday were investigating whether proper construction permits had been issued for a porch that collapsed, killing 12 people and injuring at least 57 others. The collapse happened about 12:30 a.m. Sunday in the city's affluent Lincoln Park neighborhood at a three-story building that was converted from five apartment units to three. City officials said the third-floor wooden porch was apparently rebuilt at the same time...

NORFOLK, Va. -- A man pleaded guilty Monday to murdering a 67-year-old nun he abducted from Georgia, and was sentenced to life without parole. Adrian Robinson, 25, entered his plea in the slaying of Sister Philomena Fogarty, whose decapitated body was found in Virginia Beach...

NEW ORLEANS -- The Air Force set aside manslaughter and assault charges against a U.S. pilot Monday and said he will face trial on dereliction-of-duty charges for mistakenly bombing Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan last year, killing four. Maj. Harry Schmidt, 37, could get six months in prison if convicted of the offense...

BONIFAY, Fla. -- Two toddlers were found unharmed Monday about 18 hours after they were taken by their mother, who drove her car through a sliding glass door at their grandmother's house and abducted them, authorities said. Lorena Montano, 3, and Moises Montano, 2, were found Monday evening in a motel in Bonifay, north of Panama City in the Florida Panhandle, police said...

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- A former dot-commer working a McJob was listening to some headbangers while laying out the last of his dead presidents for longnecks and some less than heart-healthy Frankenfood. Confused? Consult the new edition of the Collegiate Dictionary from the folks at Merriam-Webster...

NEW ORLEANS -- Tropical Storm Bill pounded the Gulf Coast on Monday, spinning off a tornado that injured four people, forcing evacuations and leaving at least 11,000 homes and businesses without power. The storm swamped the streets of New Orleans' French Quarter and prompted crews to slam shut the floodgates protecting the low-lying city. Louisiana Gov. Mike Foster declared a statewide emergency, and Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove declared an emergency in three southern counties...

TWIN FALLS, Idaho -- Japanese-Americans who were interned at the government's World War II Minidoka relocation camp returned to southern Idaho this weekend. More than 200 people were estimated to have showed up at the Japanese-American Citizens League's conference, making it the largest reunion of internees ever at the Minidoka site. Many are still bitter...

Former roommate reportedly shot Patrick Dennehy in the head. By Angela K. Brown ~ Associated Press Writer WACO, Texas -- A police informant told authorities that missing Baylor University basketball player Patrick Dennehy was shot in the head with a 9 mm handgun by a former teammate after the two had an argument, according to court documents released Monday...

WIMBLEDON, England -- Crack! That's what Andre Agassi heard on the way out of Wimbledon, the sound Mark Philippoussis' racket made as it smacked serve after unreachable serve Monday. Undaunted by the game's greatest returner, who also happens to be ranked No. 1 and own eight Grand Slam titles, the unseeded Philippoussis hit a record-tying 46 aces and upset Agassi 6-3, 2-6, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4 in the fourth round...

NEW YORK -- Hideki Matsui still has plenty to learn. Proved it during the weekend, in fact. Bounding out of the dugout to take a curtain call after a grand slam at Yankee Stadium, he got tangled up with hitting coach Rick Down. "I almost slipped," Matsui said through his translator...

Two Imperial errors allow Cape to score winning run in bottom of the ninth. By Marty Mishow ~ Southeast Missourian Cape Girardeau's Ford & Sons American Legion baseball team has been finding plenty of ways to win games during its current hot streak...

WASHINGTON -- Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge could move up to eighth in the line of presidential succession, leapfrogging 10 other Cabinet members in a congressional effort to better prepare for a catastrophic attack on Washington. Under legislation approved by the Senate and now pending in the House, Ridge would move from 18th to eighth, behind Attorney General John Ashcroft and in front of Interior Secretary Gale Norton, in the line to succeed the president in a disaster...

A hearing on Cape Girardeau businessman Jim Drury's third River Campus lawsuit has been delayed until later this month because the plaintiff's attorney, Walter Drusch, recently underwent heart bypass surgery, circuit court officials said. A hearing, which had been scheduled for today, has been pushed back to July 28 at 9 a.m. at the courthouse in Jackson...

Citing him as "the genesis of what may be Missouri's biggest newspaper story," the Missouri Press Association will induct Gary Rust into its Newspaper Hall of Fame this year. "He belongs there because of what he's accomplished in the newspaper industry," said Barbara Hill, the publisher of the Dexter Daily Statesman who nominated Rust. "He's just been quite the entrepreneur."...

The federal government has designated Cape Girardeau and Jackson as part of a new Micropolitan Statistical Area, a label based on census data that some hope will funnel more federal dollars into the area. It's just a statistical tool currently, says the federal Office of Management and Budget, which developed the new designation...

The Missouri Department of Transportation is hosting two open house public meetings for anyone wanting to provide input and learn more about potential improvements to Highway 72 in Bollinger and Madison counties. The first will be 4 to 7 p.m. July 8 at Meadow Heights School Cafeteria near Patton, Mo. The second will be 4 to 7 p.m. July 10 at the Madison County Senior Center in Fredericktown, Mo...

ST. CLAIR, Mo. -- For five hours, the two men escaped notice as they bought up blister packs of decongestant pills, two at a time, at stores across suburban St. Louis. But at their last stop -- the 19th of the day -- a suspicious security guard alerted police...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- As difficult as crafting a new state budget proved to be this year, the challenge looks to be even greater next year. To get and keep recent budgets in balance amid declining revenue collections, a combination of spending cuts and the infusion of one-time money has helped keep Missouri government afloat without a major tax increase...

By Laura Johnston ~ Southeast Missourian Even though "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" has young readers turning pages faster than they can fire up an Xbox, it's not the thing that has their attention. Summer reading programs at area libraries have children interested in all sorts of books, from medieval fantasies to joke books and humorous novels, as well as some classics...

Former head coach at Southwest Missouri State University joins Southeast staff. By Marty Mishow ~ Southeast Missourian The urge to get back into Division I basketball means Mark Bernsen's new home will be Cape Girardeau...

A blessed wife HOORAY FOR the wife who puts out food for the creatures. God will bless her. Surprise comment I WAS surprised, even stunned, to read where Cape Girardeau School District superintendent Mark Bowles said he was glad the governor, with great reluctance, signed the Republican-sponsored bill gutting a much needed increase in public education spending...

To the editor: Gratuitous asininity -- that's just one of the signs that the three major TV networks are not neutral and objective, but rather are left-leaning and angry to boot. People who do not have cable or satellite are stuck with inferior TV journalism. Here are a few examples:...

10 years ago: July 2, 1993 Under Missouri's new education law, Leopold and Altenburg school districts have two years to meet minimum guidelines or close their doors; but superintendents for both districts say schools easily will meet deadline for improvements; Leopold and Altenburg are among three dozen small, rural school districts that don't meet state's minimum standards under classification system that labels schools unclassified, AA and AAA...

Exchange Club The Exchange Club of Cape Girardeau met June 17 at Port Cape Girardeau. John King presented and installed new officers for the year: Joe Perez, president; and Monte Kyle, president-elect. Cletus Todt and Virgil Elfrink will remain in their present offices. The club thanks the past officers for a good year...

Swan Son to Ryan and Tara Leigh Swan of Pinckneyville, Ill., Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis, 12:35 a.m. Friday, June 27, 2003. Name, Jackson Haddon. Weight, 7 pounds 13 ounces. First child. Mrs. Swan is the former Tara Sanford, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Steve Sanford of Scott City. Swan is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Swan of Mt. Vernon, Ill. He is principal at Pinckneyville Junior High School...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Greta Janice Gillam, 38, of Springfield died Sunday, June 29, 2003, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. She was born Sept. 19, 1964, in Cape Girardeau, the daughter of Howard and Geraldine Kuehn Brennecke. She married Mickey D. Gillam on July 21, 1983...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Mary LaMar, 87, formerly of Chaffee, died Tuesday, July 1, 2003, at Portageville Nursing Center in Portageville, Mo. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Chaffee is in charge of arrangements.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Ruby Lois Mills, 73, of Sikeston died Monday, June 30, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 1, 1929, at Vanduser, Mo., daughter of William B. and Ethel L. Cooper Parks. She and Harold Mills were married July 1, 1975, at Puxico, Mo...

Janice C. Zahlen, 63, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, June 30, 2003, at her home. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

Anna Marie Pender, 70, of North Fort Myers, Fla., died Tuesday, July 1, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Sept. 14, 1932, in Advance, Mo., daughter of Lawrence Edgar and Anna Caroline Leazenby Graham. She and Robert Harrison Pender were married May 19, 1952. He died May 23, 1983...

ANNA, Ill. -- Vernon Roy Davis, 68, of Anna died Monday, June 30, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born April 16, 1935, in Jackson, Tenn., son of Everett Lee and Flora Connell Davis. He and Neila Beth Scott were married Nov. 15, 1965, in Freeport, Ill...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Floyd W. Cates, 75, of Cobden died Monday, June 30, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He and Catherine Rainbolt were married March 3, 1956, at Anna, Ill. Cates worked at Anna Quarries 46 years, retiring Sept. 9, 1999. He attended the Church of God in Anna, and was a member of Operating Engineers Local 318...

Emma Lee Davis, 73, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, June 30, 2003, at her home. She was born Feb. 1, 1930, in Mississippi County, Mo., daughter of James and Mary Lola Dixon Davis. She and Leo Sawyer were married in 1945 in Blytheville, Ark. She later married Tony M. Davis in 1965 in Cook County, Ill. He died in 1972...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Martha Cristeen "Cris" Whitaker, 76, of Sikeston died Tuesday, July 1, 2003, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born Sept. 28, 1926, at Canalou, Mo., daughter of Thomas Allen and Lenna Laverta Henson Waters. She and Francis Marion Whitaker were married Sept. 13, 1953, at Morehouse, Mo. He died June 17, 1980...

Hazel Irene Meyer, 89, of Jackson died Sunday, June 29, 2003, at Jackson Manor. She was born Sept. 30, 1913, in Jackson, daughter of Samuel and Minnie McKnight. She and Charles Henry Meyer were married in 1948, in Arkansas. He died in 1994. Meyer was a member of Zion United Methodist Church at Gordonville...

Briefly Baseball Roberto Alomar was traded by the Mets to the White Sox, ending a disappointing 1 1/2-year stay in New York in which he failed to live up to his elite billing. The White Sox sent New York minor league pitchers Royce Ring and Edwin Almonte and infielder Andrew Salvo...

Today Blood pressure screening from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Cape Senior Center. The screening is sponsored by the Generations Resource Center at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Preparation for childbirth class 2 meets from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the conference room at the Healing Arts Center. For information or to register, call 331-5107...

Step 1: Bamboo palms offer the elegance of bamboo canes with the dense tropical foliage that a screen demands. Place the palms -- including their plastic, dirt-filled containers -- into larger, decorative pots. Sit the palms side by side and you've got a screen. ...

In the kitchen Salad days with oomph Making a salad medley that satisfies and yet leaves you feeling virtuous is easy. Start with the darkest possible greens (iceberg lettuce is water masquerading as a vegetable) and add 3 or 4 ounces of lean protein, suggests Self magazine...

Cape Girardeau Wednesday, July 2 Firefighters responded to the following item Monday: At 7 p.m., an emergency medical service at 1333 N. Sprigg. Firefighters responded to the following items Tuesday: At 3:20 a.m., an emergency medical service at 1000 Towers Circle...

Cape Girardeau Wednesday, July 2 Arrests Leonard Duane Fox, 42, no address given, was arrested Monday on suspicion of trespassing. Brandi Michelle Hale, 20, of 331 S. Lorimier, Apt. A, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Monday on a Scott County warrant for probation violation, a New Madrid County warrant for fraud and insufficient funds and a Scott City warrant for failure to appear...

The Supreme Court's ruling forcing government out of Americans' bedrooms prompted giant front-page headlines and lots of reaction last week. Most of it was from straight people going, "That was illegal somewhere?" But gays were elated when justices struck down a Texas law that made sodomy illegal for same-sex couples and, by extension, struck down similar laws regarding same-sex and/or opposite-sex partners in 12 other states. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is developing an urban surveillance system that would use computers and thousands of cameras to track, record and analyze the movement of every vehicle in a foreign city. Dubbed "Combat Zones That See," the project is designed to help the U.S. military protect troops and fight in cities overseas...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. forces in central Iraq have detained a handful of people suspected of ties to al-Qaida, but American intelligence officials describe them as mostly low-level operatives with unclear purposes in the country. Their presence is far from conclusive evidence that the Bush administration's pre-war assertions about al-Qaida links to the Iraqi government were accurate, experts say...

WASHINGTON -- The ZIP code, that string of numbers on virtually every piece of mail, is 40 years old. It was July 1, 1963, when ZIP codes first went into use, a time of 5-cent postage and one-third the amount of mail as today. Postal officials say it's thanks to things like the ZIP code that they can now carry triple the amount of mail to 50 percent more people...

AREA EVENTS Bartlow Two-Man Scramble at Arcadia Valley CountryClub, Ironton, Saturday andSunday. Mixed pairs scramble at Malden Country Club, Saturday and Sunday.USGA U.S. Women's Open Site: North Plains, Ore. n Schedule: Thursday-Sunday...

WASHINGTON -- Two companies that promoted ephedra dietary supplements with promises of safe and miraculous weight loss have agreed to repay customers $370,000 to resolve federal charges of deceptive advertising, regulators said Tuesday. The Federal Trade Commission also is taking to court an operation based in California and Canada that it says made unsupported claims for weight-loss products and arthritis cures...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Although state tax revenue continue to fall, Missouri's economic development director is picturing a rosy future for the state's overall economy. "Missouri's economy is fundamentally strong, and we're seeing definite signs of improvement," Joe Driskill, director of the state Department of Economic Development, said Tuesday. "We think the recession is ending in Missouri."...

ST. LOUIS -- The number of cases of salmonella in an outbreak at St. Louis Children's Hospital has reached 99 and could go a little higher. The hospital has not yet isolated the source of the bacterial infections. She said the number of cases could rise because tests are still pending on a few people. The most recent salmonella case was confirmed Friday...

GRODNO, Belarus -- When the spring melt began, the people living on New Street made a horrific discovery: Mixed in with dirt from a construction site that had been dumped in front of their homes were human jawbones, femurs and even entire skulls. The bones are the remnants of a once vibrant Jewish community that was nearly wiped out in World War II. ...

FRANKFURT, Germany -- Critics of a German law allowing authorities to eavesdrop on conversations in private homes took their case to the supreme court Tuesday, arguing that the five-year-old measure is unconstitutional. While law enforcement officials and the government argue that the law helps fight organized crime and terrorism, opponents contend it violates constitutional privacy guarantees and has not allowed authorities to crack a single major case...

MOSCOW -- Iran is ready to sign additional nonproliferation agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency to assure the world it has no intentions of developing nuclear weapons -- but only under certain conditions, the head of the country's atomic energy organization said Tuesday, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported...

JERUSALEM -- Standing side by side, the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers rededicated themselves Tuesday to peace efforts and spoke of a shared future for their peoples, using conciliatory language not heard here in three years. Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas declared their readiness to "put the past behind us" as they met for the third time in six weeks to plan their next moves on the U.S.-backed "road map" to peace...

Nigeria offered safe haven to Charles Taylor, but the embattled Liberian president turned it down, senior U.N. diplomats said Tuesday. According to the diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Taylor rejected the offer for several reasons, including uncertainty over whether the offer would shield him from a U.N. indictment he is facing on war crimes...

SYDNEY, Australia -- Australia plans to seek even closer ties with the United States and take a more assertive role in the Pacific region, Prime Minister John Howard said in a major policy speech Tuesday. Howard has worked assiduously to boost ties with the United States and sent troops to serve with the U.S.-led coalitions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Canberra's increasingly close alliance with Washington, however, has irked some Asian neighbors and drawn fire from Malaysia...

HONG KONG -- A new law targeting crimes against the state drew hundreds of thousands of people into the streets of Hong Kong on Tuesday in a protest that overshadowed the sixth anniversary of the handover of the territory from Britain to China. The protesters marched through the city peacefully to show opposition to anti-subversion legislation, which many fear will be used to suppress free expression and other liberties traditionally available in Hong Kong but nonexistent in China...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran is blocking access to Web sites containing pornographic material and opposition-driven dissent against the country's Islamic establishment, an official said Tuesday. More than 140 Web sites promoting dissent, dancing and sex have been blocked since the crackdown began last month, said Farhad Sepahram, an official at the Telecommunications Ministry...

TIKRIT, Iraq -- Assailants gunned down the chief of Saddam Hussein's tribe in the ousted leader's hometown of Tikrit a few weeks after he publicly disavowed Saddam. Although the motive was unclear, Abdullah Mahmoud al-Khattab had many enemies, the regional governor said Tuesday...

NAZARETH, Israel -- Bulldozers on Tuesday tore down a mosque being built without authorization next to the Basilica of the Annunciation, where Christians believe the Angel Gabriel foretold the birth of Jesus. The mosque construction had raised tensions between Christians and Muslims in Nazareth, Israel's largest Arab city, and brought criticism from the White House and the Vatican. Its demolition on Tuesday provoked an outcry from Israel's Muslim Arab leaders but was welcomed by the Vatican...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- In his first video message since returning to Afghanistan last year, rebel leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar urges Afghans to "cut off the hands of the foreign meddlers" and drive all U.S. and other foreign troops from the country...

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia's president suggested Tuesday that she supports setting up vigilante groups to help maintain order as the army fights to contain two rebellions and police struggle against rising lawlessness. Human rights activists worried the comments could set the stage for the re-emergence of armed civilian groups like those that rampaged through East Timor in 1999, killing hundreds of people after the territory voted for independence in a U.N.-sponsored referendum...

TERCEIRA, Azores Islands -- Iria Gronke isn't bashful about why the food of her island home is more flavorful than most other Portuguese cuisine: It's thanks to prostitution and booze. "This island in the 16th century was a very important stop between India and Lisbon on the spice trade route," she said, gingerly picking the bones from the steaming flesh of several pounds of freshly boiled salt cod...

Cookbook author Caprial Pence and her husband John Pence have been using apple juice in their summer cooking, and three of their recipes follow for home cooks to try. "Apple juice is a great ingredient for recipes because it provides a nice, sweet note of flavor with just the right balance," they say. Apples and their flavor lend themselves to so many applications, too, they find...

If your enthusiasm for lettuce wilts easily, how about a healthy one-bowl meal that will shake you out of your salad daze? A feature by Lauren Purcell in the July issue of Self magazine has recipes for easy, never-boring combinations with "filling lean protein to ratchet up the satisfaction factor, zippy extras for texture variety and high-flavor dressings to give your greens more oomph."...

The Supreme Court's ruling forcing government out of Americans' bedrooms prompted giant front-page headlines and lots of reaction last week. Most of it was from straight people going, "That was illegal somewhere?" But gays were elated when justices struck down a Texas law that made sodomy illegal for same-sex couples and, by extension, struck down similar laws regarding same-sex and/or opposite-sex partners in 12 other states. ...

NEW YORK -- Dampening hopes that the economy is picking up steam, U.S. manufacturing continued to shrink in June and construction spending dropped in May by the largest amount in a year. The Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday that its widely watched manufacturing index was at 49.8 last month, up from 49.4 in May. But a reading under 50 indicates shrinking activity...

Another loophole in Missouri's certificate-of-need program for medical facilities and equipment was exposed recently. A Kansas City hospital's legal challenge resulted in getting the go-ahead to build a suburban hospital even though the Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee, which issues certificates of need, had turned it down...

Government to seek rehearing in Moussaoui case WASHINGTON -- The government said Tuesday it will ask a federal appeals court to take a stand now -- not later -- on terrorism suspect Zacarias Moussaoui's right to question a captured al-Qaida leader...

Dunst takes lessons for 'Wimbledon' role WIMBLEDON, England -- Kirsten Dunst is looking to John McEnroe for inspiration while filming the tennis movie "Wimbledon." The "Spider-Man" actress was at Wimbledon Tuesday filming scenes for the romantic comedy in which she stars alongside Paul Bettany ("A Beautiful Mind")...

CHICAGO -- City officials plan to sue the owners and managers of a building where 13 people died in a porch collapse over the weekend, claiming there was no permit to build the porch. The complaint also will allege the three-story apartment building was illegally converted from five units to three, according to the Building Department. City building officials plan to ask for a court order requiring immediate replacement of the porch and could seek up to $500 a day for each violation...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Columbia accident investigators Tuesday said NASA botched the photographing of the ill-fated launch, and urged the space agency to do a better job of filming shuttle liftoffs to detect potentially catastrophic problems. A pair of long-range cameras provided usable images for evaluating the blow to Columbia's left wing from a piece of foam, but a third camera that would have provided a better view was not working properly and yielded fuzzy pictures...

NEW ORLEANS -- A fishing boat crewman was missing Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico and thousands of homes and business had no electricity in the wake of Tropical Storm Bill, which blew across the South with wind and record rainfall. Some customers were likely to be without power until today, utilities said. A quarter of one Louisiana town was flooded after its levee broke -- for the second time in less than a year...

BOSTON -- Pope John Paul II named Bishop Sean Patrick O'Malley to lead the Boston Archdiocese Tuesday, sending a man known as a healer into the epicenter of the clerical sex abuse crisis in the U.S. church. O'Malley set a humble tone as he looked at the job ahead of him...

CHICAGO -- Kraft Foods Inc., the nation's largest food manufacturer, announced Tuesday it will take steps to curb portion sizes in its snack packs and eliminate marketing campaigns in schools to help fight obesity. The Northfield-based company, which makes Kraft cheese, Nabisco cookies and crackers, Oscar Mayer meats and Post cereals, said it is forming an expert advisory council to draft standards and measures it can use to promote health...

smcclanahan I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. How many times have you or your children been known to yell this out? I can recall as a child we would travel to Centralia, Ill., to see my grandmothers and we would start this famous chant so Mom and Dad would stop at the Dairy Queen in Nashville, Ill., on the way...

The question struck Andre Agassi as odd, if not impertinent. Did he consider, as he walked off the court Monday after his fourth-round loss to Mark Philippoussis, whether he would ever be back at Wimbledon? "Why wouldn't I be back?" he shot back. "I'm still a tennis player. This is the place to be. ... My plan is to be back here next year."...

People with multiple sclerosis now have a resource closer to home since a regional office for the National MS Society has opened in Cape Girardeau. The office opened in June and offers medical resources and information, patient education services and a lending library. It serves 10 counties in Missouri and 11 in Southern Illinois...

Riding in the back seat, Amanda Manning wonders if the rain will stop when her family reaches their destination. It has fallen for the last 10 miles, alternating between spatters and downpours. After one last turn onto another wet gravel road, the lead car rolls to a stop, and Lt. Vince Diebold steps out of his white Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department Jeep...

An office building for cardiovascular surgeons on Broadway bears unwanted colorful words and images, and teachers arrived for vacation Bible school several weeks ago to find profanity spray-painted on a local school building. Over the past two months, nearly a dozen such reports of offensive graffiti have landed on the desk of Cape Girardeau Police Department detective Brent Steger...

With little more than a week to go in a four-week lifestyle enhancement class at Southeast Missouri State University, students say it's making a difference. They say they're watching less television, exercising more and eating more nutritious meals...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Bob Holden quietly signed another piece of the state's budget puzzle into law Tuesday -- a bill designed to raise money partly through stricter enforcement of state tax laws. Holden maintains that even with the additional money, the state's $19.1 billion budget for the fiscal year that began Tuesday is nearly $240 million out of balance...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- For the first time in a year and a half, state employees walked into the Missouri Capitol on Tuesday without having to show government identification badges to anyone. And visitors didn't have to empty their pockets and turn over their purses for examination...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush began preparing the American public Tuesday for a prolonged U.S. role in Iraq, citing the need for "a massive and long-term" effort to bring democracy and prosperity to the war-torn country. In remarks during a military re-enlistment ceremony at the White House, the president went beyond previous statements in describing the scope of the rebuilding effort needed in Iraq, which both Democrats and Republicans have urged him to do...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A St. Louis-area bowling alley narrowly ended up with a gutter ball Tuesday in its effort to recover state taxes paid on proceeds from shoe rentals. Relying on a 1977 precedent, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that such income is taxable under state law...

Visions of Pride LGBT Community Center opened Tuesday at 30 N. Pacific in Cape Girardeau. Founder Denise Eaker said the center provides a place where gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered members of the community can come together for support group meetings, potluck dinners and Friday-night coffee groups...

A Chaffee man awoke Monday from a two-week coma in a Tennessee hospital with severe injuries he suffered when he was hit by a pickup truck. Allen Johnson, 22, was visiting his father, Michael Johnson, in Granger County, Tenn., when he was hurt June 18, said his aunt, Tammy Mathews of Scott City. He remains in critical condition at UT Medical Center in Knoxville, Tenn. His mother is Angela Horman of Chaffee...

The case against former Cape Girardeau police narcotics detective Paul Tipler is heading to circuit court. Paul Tipler, 35, was fired from the Cape Girardeau Police Department in December after internal and Missouri State Highway Patrol investigations...

If there's a magic number in golf, it's four. Golf groups are called foursomes. On par 72 courses -- the most common type -- a golfer must average four on each hole to shoot par. Even an errant shot requires the courtesy shout: "Fore!" Until last summer, Cape Girardeau County adhered to the theme with its own foursome: Cape Jaycee Municipal Golf Course, Bent Creek Golf Club, Cape Girardeau Country Club and Kimbeland Country Club...

WACO, Texas -- Police found no sign of Patrick Dennehy in a search of the woods where the Baylor basketball player and a roommate were supposedly firing guns. Investigators asked the FBI to help look on about 50 acres of private land north of Waco last week, but cadaver dogs found nothing, police spokesman Steve Anderson said Tuesday...

ST. LOUIS -- When it comes to this city playing host to big-money college tournaments and title events, it's becoming kind of a profitable march to the Gateway Arch. The NCAA on Tuesday announced the women's Final Four -- staged here in 2001 at the Savvis Center -- will return in 2009, this time at the much larger and seating-versatile Edward Jones Dome...

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. -- At any other major championship, Sydney Burlison would look out of place. She fits right in at the U.S. Women's Open. The 13-year-old girl with big dreams, wide eyes and a full set of braces just finished the seventh grade at All Saints Day School in Carmel Valley, Calif...

By Doug Brown ~ Special to The Washington Post Everybody needs privacy from time to time -- not to mention a place to read, write, nap or just veg out. With summer upon us, think about taking your solitude outside and transforming a stretch of your porch, balcony or back yard into a cozy personal sanctuary...

WIMBLEDON, England -- Serena Williams smacked one last volley to complete a quarterfinal comeback at Wimbledon, then let out a shriek and raised her arms. She still gets a kick out of beating Jennifer Capriati. Williams overcame an erratic start Tuesday to defeat Capriati for the eighth consecutive time, winning 2-6, 6-2, 6-3...

ST. LOUIS -- Spot starter Jim Brower allowed one run in six innings and Jose Cruz Jr. homered in a five-run first as the San Francisco Giants beat the Cardinals 5-1 Tuesday night. Cruz and Ray Durham had two hits and scored a run as the NL West leaders controlled the league's best hitting team for the second straight game...

by Keayn Dunyan "After taking part in a strange adventure in an online game known as "The World," a young boy still finds himself with more questions than answers. Know in the game world as "Kite," his journey began when he joined the immensely popular game thanks to a friends urging. ...

Aries (Mar. 23-Apr. 19) If you like the way things have been going, they're about to get better. Don't waste another minute. Your parents need what you're going to give them. Taurus (Apr. 20 - May 20) Now that you've built up your empire, it's time to build some character. Bring your intensity to something that you used to like and transform it for the better. Your growth is measured by what you can grow in a months time...

1. If they want to loan you money, tell them you just filed for bankruptcy and you could sure use some money. 2. If they start out with, "How are you today?" say, "I'm so glad you asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these problems. My arthritis is acting up, my eyelashes are sore, my dog just died..."...

July Questions Submitted by Jason Parker 1. Will they ever find the Weapons of Mass Destruction - WITHOUT A DOUBT! 2. Will I need a root canal? - OUTLOOK GOOD! 3. Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear Every time You are Near? - ASK AGAIN LATER!...

Leroy Grey I'm writing this while ignoring the sunburn I got at Warped tour. What a delicious dilemma: Less Than Jake or The Ataris? Poison The Well or A Simple Plan ? Rancid or Bowling for Soup? Tough choices for some; tougher to get a gang of four to agree. ...

There's nothing like being awakened by the sound of a trash truck. Especially when it's trash day and you haven't put the garbage out. Eight A.M. with only one hit of a nine-minute snooze and this is what happens. No mercy this morning. A routine interrupted. Shake it off. Regroup. Start to think about which one of your friends lives in a place with a really big dumpster. Roll over and go back to sleep. It's Monday...

by Greg Levrault Cape Girardeau has a peculiar appreciation for its history. Neither swept aside in the name of progress, nor packaged for the tourists, Cape's 300 years of history has the substance of family secrets: universally accepted but rarely discussed, except for those moments of reunion or communal observance. ...

(How to give a lot, get a lot, and not lose your pants in the process.) Money sucks. Or at least not having any does. By the time you pay your rent, pay your tuition, go grocery shopping, buy beer, et cetera, there's nothing left, right? OFF! knows this. ...

07/03/03 - Brad Paisley, Fair Saint Louis 07/03/03 - Firehouse, Fair Saint Louis 07/04/03 - Rosie Ledet And The Zydeco Playboys, Broadway St. Oyster Bar 07/04/03 - Michael McDonald, Fair Saint Louis 07/04/03 - Neil Giraldo, Fair Saint Louis 07/04/03 - Pat Benatar, Fair Saint Louis...

Jack Johnson-On and On A review by Jason Parker of Mix 96.5 Very rarely is the sophomore effort of any artist worth half of what the initial offering was. Many musicians cut their own throats with a weak second presentation and send themselves into obscurity. ...

Associated Press WriterWEBSTER GROVES, Mo. (AP) -- Gov. Bob Holden vetoed a concealed weapons bill Thursday, but the sponsor of the legislation remained confident it will become law. Holden signed the veto in suburban St. Louis -- an area of the state that played a big role in defeating 1999's Proposition B, a ballot measure that would have allowed Missourians to carry concealed guns. Seventy-eight percent of the voters in this community voted against it...

WIMBLEDON, England --Roger Federer is not for the martini-and-sports car set, or for the tabloid gossip hounds, or even for the armchair sports junkies. He is strictly a tennis player's tennis player, an artist of the game who does nothing radically but everything beautifully...

CHICAGO -- Woody Williams was hitting his spots from the mound and doing some hitting of his own at the plate. Williams doubled off the Wrigley Field ivy in left-center, scored a run and outpitched Mark Prior to lead the Cardinals to a 4-1 win over the slumping Chicago Cubs on Sunday...

Some people can't understand why Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy's disappearance has so widely captured the attention of the media and the public. Dennehy is just a nondescript transfer on a low-level basketball team. He's no celebrity. He's no different than the countless other missing Americans, most of whom the media and the public ignore...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- University of Missouri basketball player Ricky Clemons was in fair condition Sunday at a Columbia hospital with injuries he suffered when he crashed an all-terrain vehicle during a private Fourth of July party at the home of university President Elson Floyd, authorities said...

Daron Clayton's no stranger to the spills and tumbles that accompany short-track racing, but his crash Saturday, he said, tops his list of scary rides. Clayton, 19, of Sikeston was battling steering problems on his yellow No. 92 sprint during the feature race at Auto Tire and Parts Racepark when the steering locked and sent the car head-on into the pit-road exit along the back straightaway. ...

Jackson Muny Band will play tonight, Friday The Jackson Muny Band will play its regularly scheduled concert tonight and a special concert at the Jackson Jaycees' annual Fourth of July celebration. Tonight's concert will feature Dan Wiethop, a former national autoharp champion from Cape Girardeau. He will perform with his group No Borders, which includes Don Greenwood on percussion and Ken Keller on bass...

One star (out of 4) Name 3 things that occur after 28 days: Sandra Bullock gets sober after her movie rehab; March begins after the cold weather of February; The entire civilization of the world is destroyed after a virus is released in London...

NEW YORK -- With millions in album sales, Grammys, more than a half-dozen hit singles, a blockbuster movie and A-list endorsements, it's hard to imagine how Beyonce Knowles' star could get much brighter. Yet with the release "Dangerously in Love" -- Knowles' first solo disc apart from the megagroup Destiny Child -- the 21-year-old is moving into a celebrity stratosphere so luminous even she's a bit nervous about it...

LAS VEGAS -- "Vegas is an attitude, a hormone," says Michael Carr, a former president of Playboy's publishing division. "It's a level of energy, mystique, sensuality that lives in a person's heart no matter where they are." So Carr, now vice president of business development for Greenspun Media Group, has teamed up with the publisher of the hip Miami magazine Ocean Drive, to create a glossy magazine called Vegas. ...

10 years ago: July 3, 1993 For sixth time in six days, National Weather Service has revised flood crest for Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau; latest crest could be highest here in 10 years, and fifth highest in 100 years; forecasters now predict crest of 43 feet on Friday, 13 feet above flood stage...

Gray Son to Sean A. and Mary E. Gray of Whitewater, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 7:11 a.m. Thursday, June 26, 2003. Name, Chase Oscar. Weight, 9 pounds 7 ounces. Third child, first son. Mrs. Gray is the former Mary James, daughter of Don and Julie James of Cape Girardeau. She is employed by Cape Girardeau Public Schools. Gray is the son of Ron and Esther Gray of Cape Girardeau. He is employed at Dana Corp...

Paul William Martin, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, July 2, 2003, at his home. McCombs Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

WITH PHOTO Mary LaMar CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Mary Lovina LaMar, 87, of Portageville, Mo., died Tuesday, July 1, 2003, at Portageville Nursing Center. She was born Aug. 10, 1915, in New Madrid County, daughter of John Edward and Bertha Mae Sandy Garrison. She and Harry Robert LaMar were married April 1, 1951. He died June 25, 1980...

Martha Finley, 88, of Littleton, Colo., died Tuesday, June 24, 2003, at her home. She was born Dec. 16, 1914, in Jackson, daughter of Edward Oliver and Okalona Kirksey Seabaugh. She and John T. Finley were married Feb. 4, 1940. He died Oct. 10, 1990...

LICK CREEK, Ill. -- Billy G. Stout, 73, of Lick Creek died Tuesday, July 1, 2003, at his home. He was born July 16, 1929, in Johnson County, son of Lois O. and Elsie Marie Baker Stout. He and Maye Haire were married Feb. 28, 1948, in Osceola, Ark. Stout was a carpenter 37 years with E.T. Simonds Construction Co. He was an elder at First Christian Church in Anna, Ill., and chairman of the Mission Committee many years...

Neeley Stinebrook, 79, of Piggott, Ark., died Monday, June 30, 2003, at Three Rivers Healthcare in Poplar Bluff, Mo. He was born Aug. 22, 1923, in St. Francis, Ark., son of Earl and Dorothy George Stinebrook. He and Norma Green were married Jan. 25, 1944...

Kathleen Chapman Holland, 89, of Little Rock, Ark., died Sunday, June 22, 2003, at her home. She was born Oct. 14, 1913, in Port Royal, Ky. She and W.T. Holland were married in June 1942. Her husband was pastor of First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau from 1959 to 1976, when they retired and moved to Little Rock...

WITH PHOTO Pearl Stacy Pearl Irene Stacy, 75, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, July 2, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born March 14, 1928, at Grand Tower, Ill., daughter of Thomas B. and Grace P. Virge Hager. She and Clifford Raymond Stacy were married Jan. 30, 1976...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Ronald Stepp, 60, of Advance, Mo., formerly of Bloomfield, died Wednesday, July 2, 2003, at Beverly Healthcare in Bloomfield. He was born Sept. 10, 1942, in Barbarton, Ohio, son of David and Velma Kern Stepp. He was a retired auto mechanic and served in the U.S. Navy...

PAID OBIT Adelma H. Krahn, 93, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, July 2, 2003, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Jan. 29, 1910, at Farrar, Mo., daughter of Herman and Martha Moeller Klaus. She and Henry A. Krahn were married May 22, 1927, at Farrar. He preceded her in death...

A great choice I WAS surprised and happy to see the choice for the Spirit of America Award. Doc Yallaly has helped a lot of people in his life. This is a great choice. Political panhandlers PRESCRIPTION DRUGS are a God-given right? What sort of lunacy is this? I'm sorry that anyone has trouble affording prescription drugs. ...

To the editor: Lost in the health-care news this week is a major setback for Alzheimer research. By failing to provide adequate funding, the president and Congress will halt the momentum toward ending the epidemic of Alzheimer's at a moment when scientists are close to finding answers...

To the editor: On behalf of the nurses at Southeast Missouri Hospital, I want to thank you for your attention to "What it takes to be a nurse" in the June 24 Southeast Missourian. There is a shortage of nurses across the nation, and considerable attention is given to nurses working in environments where care of patients is often considered unsafe. ...

There is sometimes a fine line between censorship and protection, but when you add children into the equation, the line becomes clearer. The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that Congress can require public libraries to install anti-pornography filters if they accept federal funding is example...

To the editor: No one deserves the Spirit of America Award more then John "Doc" Yallaly. I played baseball for the Cape American Legion team and Doc back in 1962 and 1963. He was the main reason players like me wanted to be on the Legion team. He knew what he was talking about, and he had a knack for knowing when a local player had talent. ...

None of us who have always been free can understand the terrible fascinating power of the hope of freedom to those who are not free. -- Pearl S. Buck Independence Day is Friday. Someone might be tempted to argue that at 227 years old -- with the new scars of terrorism and an ongoing war -- America is finally showing her age....

Cape Girardeau Thursday, July 3 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Anthony R. Pugh, 20, of 1710 N. Sprigg, Apt. 107 A, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of DWI, suspended license, failure to drive in lane, no seat belt, minor in possession and possession of drug paraphernalia...

The American Diabetes Association will hold its team captain kickoff complete with food and all the necessary materials to build an award-winning team in the fight against diabetes. The kickoff takes place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Southeast Missouri Hospital's Harrison Room...

The 12-hour non-competitive cancer fund raiser, "Relay For Life," begins with opening ceremonies at 6 p.m. July 11 and continues until 6 a.m. July 12 at Cape County Park North. Tim Hahn, director of Cape County's 2003 Relay For Life, has reported more than 50 teams have registered for this year's event...

Name: Teresa Birk Lives in: Jackson Family: My husband, Dale, and one son, Austin. My parents, Larry and Clara Dixon, live in Jackson also. Job: Regional Program Manager, National Multiple Sclerosis Society...

The first Antique Tractor Adventure is slated for 9 a.m. July 26, beginning at the Fruitland Livestock Sale Barn, 7505 U.S. Highway 61, Fruitland. In celebration of their 15-year anniversary, the event is sponsored by the River Hills Antique Tractor Club and C106...

A delegation from Cape Girardeau Post M of the Travelers Protective Association attended the National TPA Convention in Baton Rouge, La., recently. The annual meeting is held to elect new officers and to consider any changes in regulations. Jerry Henley, Juanita Henley, Margret Dickerson and Leon Dickerson attended the conference. Elected to the office of National TPA President was Sharon Galluser from the Kentucky division...

Summer reading club meets Tuesday Beginning at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, the summer reading club will present a "Puppet Show @ the Library." Charlotte Reid and Puppet Power will entertain with puppets, action songs and silly songs. Anyone with questions can call Lynn Farrow at 243-8141...

Commission approves transportation projects JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- More than $4.6 billion in spending for transportation projects over the next five years was approved Wednesday by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. About 700 projects will be built over the next five years for things such as bridges, railroads, waterways, aviation and public transportation...

Officials had nothing but praise for Rose Shafer of Cape Girardeau, who was recently honored as an Outstanding Volunteer of the Year by the American Lung Association of Eastern Missouri. The award was announced at the group's second annual Circle of Hope Breakfast at the Junior League of St. Louis recently...

WASHINGTON -- Americans think sport utility vehicles are safer than other vehicles -- for people driving or riding in them. For those who aren't it's a different story. There's more agreement on fuel rules. The majority in an Associated Press poll say SUVs should have to meet the same mileage standards as cars...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Wednesday that American troops under fire in Iraq aren't about to pull out, and he challenged those tempted to attack U.S. forces, "Bring them on." "We'll stay the course in Iraq," Bush said. "We're not leaving until we accomplish the task, and the task is going to be a free country run by the Iraqi people." He and his aides offered no timetable for the withdrawal of American forces. ...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush said Wednesday that a constitutional ban on gay marriage that has been proposed in the House might not be needed despite a Supreme Court decision that some conservatives think opens the door to legalizing same-sex marriages...

WASHINGTON -- Reluctant to get involved in another military fight, the Bush administration on Wednesday debated how to respond to international pressure that it send peacekeepers to Liberia. "It is premature to say an announcement is forthcoming in the next day or so," Secretary of State Colin Powell said after consulting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan...

WASHINGTON -- The government and private technology experts warned Wednesday that hackers plan to attack thousands of Web sites Sunday in a loosely coordinated "contest" that could disrupt Internet traffic. Organizers established a Web site, defacers-challenge.com, listing in broken English the rules for hackers who might participate. ...

Buckshot Jones was so convinced his racing career was over that he got a real job. "I've got two kids, and they drain you a little bit," Jones said. "I had to start bringing home a paycheck." After he was fired early last season by Petty Enterprises, Jones struggled to find another ride. He got a one-race deal with buddy Michael Waltrip i October, but rain washed away qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway and kept him out of the starting lineup...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Michael Waltrip is quietly having the best season of his career and returning to Daytona International Speedway isn't likely to slow him down. When last seen at the Northern Florida track in February, Waltrip was celebrating a victory in the rain-shortened Daytona 500. Since that win in the season-opener, he hasn't visited Victory Lane again but is a solid fifth in the season standings...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the nation's largest private employer, will now include gays and lesbians in its anti-discrimination policy, company officials said Wednesday. Company spokesman Tom Williams said the policy will not affect benefits, which Wal-Mart does not offer to unmarried partners of any orientation, but he said sexual orientation will be added to the company's existing diversity-awareness training programs for employees...

NEW ORLEANS -- Tropical Storm Bill blew right past the National Weather Service's new five-day forecast, hitting Louisiana less than a day and a half after the first storm advisory was issued. "We like to get as much notice as possible, but this storm formed fast and moved fast," said Jim Ballow, assistant chief of operations for the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness...

CHICAGO -- Illinois health officials reported Wednesday that a crow in Cook County has died of West Nile virus. It was the state's third bird since May to test positive for the mosquito-borne virus. The first was in Henderson County, and the second in Kankakee County...

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- There isn't a tree, porch post or flower pot outside the Peterson's house that doesn't have a giant yellow ribbon tied around it. Samantha Peterson put them up April 3, the day her husband was deployed to Iraq. There is only one person who can take them down: Army 1st Lt. Donavan Peterson...

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Two Missouri Republican lawmakers held a rally Wednesday to encourage support for legislation aimed at keeping the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. U.S. Rep. Todd Akin and U.S. Sen. Jim Talent spoke to several dozen people -- many dressed in red, white and blue -- and said they believe God grants rights to humans, that the pledge helps to unify Americans and that banning the pledge in schools amounted to censorship...

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. -- A tractor-trailer loaded with fireworks for the town's Fourth of July celebration exploded into flames at a beach park Wednesday, killing at least four people and injuring two, authorities said. "It just all happened at once," said Kevin McKenzie, who was mowing grass about 300 feet from the truck when the explosion occurred. "Immediately it was all the fireworks going off with all the colors and the flames."...

ST. LOUIS -- An Illinois man was sentenced Wednesday to 14 months in prison for falsely telling the FBI that his former business partner planned to crash airplanes into the Super Bowl, Fair St. Louis, the Gateway Arch and a Cardinals baseball game. Henry W. Hersman, 43, of Wood River, Ill., was also sentenced to three years of supervised release after his prison term...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Bob Holden has withheld more than $250 million in state spending, almost 80 percent of which came from public schools, officials announced Wednesday. "That's going to hurt," said state budget director Linda Luebbering. "Quite frankly, a lot of these departments have already been cut significantly. I've already had indications from some directors that it means more layoffs."...

WASHINGTON -- Conservation groups asked a federal judge Wednesday to order lower water flows in the Missouri River this summer to protect birds and fish listed as federally endangered species. The hearing in U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia was part of the groups' lawsuit to return the Missouri to a more natural ebb and flow...

BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- A Palestinian flag fluttered in Manger Square as Palestinian police marched into Bethlehem Wednesday, taking control of the ancient West Bank city after Israel withdrew under a U.S.-backed peace plan. The second handover of territory in three days, and the passage of another day without serious security threats, raised hopes that 33 months of deadly violence may be winding down...

LONDON -- Prime Minister Tony Blair challenged critics Wednesday to produce evidence for claims the government exaggerated the scale of the Iraqi weapons threat. Blair said accusations that aides fixed material published in September 2002 to include claims Saddam could launch chemical and biological weapons at 45 minutes' notice were "completely untrue."...

LONDON -- Oxford University is investigating a professor who rejected an Israeli student's job application because of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. Andrew Wilkie, the Nuffield professor of pathology at Pembroke College, could face disciplinary action if he is found to have violated the university's anti-discrimination rules while turning down the student's request to work in his college laboratory...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Poland is sending 2,300 soldiers. Ukraine promises 1,800. Small bands of Macedonians and Albanians are already here. And Sri Lanka says it's ready to consider requests for help. A posse of nations is materializing to help keep Iraq's peace, but big powers like France, Germany and Russia are showing little inclination to join...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A U.S. Marine was killed and three others were injured Wednesday while clearing mines near the south central Iraqi city of Karbala, the U.S. military said. An Iraqi fire department technician accompanying the Marines was also injured, said a statement from U.S. Central Command...

TOKYO -- If it costs a lot to live in Japan, try dying: Cemetery plots on sale in Tokyo are priced at up to $86,800 each. The city government began taking applications Wednesday for the 50 newly opened spots at Aoyama Cemetery -- the first such sale in 43 years...

PAGALUNGAN, Philippines -- Insecurity and fear gnaw at Basaluddin Gialodin. Insecurity because he and his family have been forced out of their home and are living in a makeshift shack with a tarp for walls. Fear that if they go home, they will be killed in the battle between the government and Muslim rebels...

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong's government should reconsider its anti-subversion bill because of public fears that civil liberties will be taken away, pro-democracy lawmakers said Wednesday, a day after a half-million people marched against the proposal. Twenty-one pro-democracy lawmakers from the Legislative Council signed a letter to Hong Kong leader Tung Chee Wah asking that he stop the bill from moving forward and consult more openly with the public. ...

MOSCOW -- The campaign started last week when Russian officials announced "Operation Werewolves" and arrested seven top-ranking police on corruption charges. Just about every day since then has come a new revelation: Traffic cops on the take. Border guards busted for selling fake passports. Hundreds more police under scrutiny...

TOKYO -- Japan's delta-wing space shuttle approached the speed of sound while cruising over Sweden, but tumbled into a field moments later -- a crash landing that was the latest setback for Japan's space program. The shuttle, an unmanned craft only 12.5-feet long, took flight Tuesday, lifted by a stratospheric balloon 13 miles above a test site in northern Sweden...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a Maryland man held until his trial on charges of training to join an Islamic terrorist organization involved in attacks overseas, overturning a U.S. magistrate's decision to release him. A few minutes after the ruling that Masoud Ahmad Khan should remain in custody, the magistrate ordered and then delayed the supervised release of four other members of a group of 11 men who prosecutors said wanted to join an organization that wants to drive India from Kashmir.. ...

FAIRFAX, Va. -- A judge Wednesday moved the murder trial of sniper suspect Lee Boyd Malvo 200 miles away from the Washington suburbs that were so terrorized by the string of killings last fall. Over the objections of prosecutors who wanted the case to remain in the Washington area, Fairfax County Circuit Judge Jane Marum Roush ruled that the move was necessary to guarantee Malvo's right to a fair trial...

NEW ORLEANS -- Apparently the truths in the Declaration of Independence aren't so self-evident. When Rep. Roger Wicker asked high school seniors in his Mississippi district to name some unalienable rights, he got silence. So the Republican congressman gave the advanced-placement history students some help...

SEATTLE -- Federal regulators are revoking the license of a gun dealer whose store was the source of the rifle used in the Washington, D.C.-area sniper shootings. The revocation takes effect July 25, Martha Tebbenkamp, special operations inspector at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Wednesday. Meanwhile, Bull's Eye Shooter Supply in Tacoma remains open...

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- The number of Americans celebrating their independence with out-of-town trips is rising, according to the AAA, which estimates travel for the Fourth of July weekend will be at its highest level in at least nine years. The automobile organization said Tuesday that 37.4 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more during the weekend, up nearly 2 percent from 36.8 million last year. ...

Reading all about the men who opened the American West By Sam Blackwell Southeast Missourian It may be difficult to imagine adding books about Lewis & Clark to your summer reading list, but in less than five months re-enactors and National Park Service displays will arrive in Cape Girardeau to celebrate the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial. The Fourth of July is a fitting time to begin learning about why these two men and their Corps of Discovery are so important to America...

NEW YORK -- Information panels along a viewing wall at the World Trade Center site, directly below a memorial list of victims' names, have been defaced with graffiti. "After what happened here ... it's tacky and unpatriotic," said JoAnn Marquis, visiting the site with her husband from Salem, Mass...

WILMINGTON, Del. -- A suspected gas explosion flattened two rowhouses Wednesday, injuring about 10 people, two of them seriously, authorities said. A work crew was tearing up the sidewalk in front of the buildings before the blast, said John Rago, a spokesman for Mayor James Baker...

DENVER -- An Air Force Academy sophomore will be the first to face a court-martial on rape charges since a sexual assault scandal broke at the academy earlier this year, officials announced Wednesday. Douglas Meester, 20, is charged with rape, sodomy, indecent assault and providing alcohol to minors. If convicted at a military trial, he could face life in prison and dismissal from the Air Force...

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The suspect in six killings of women in Louisiana pleaded innocent Wednesday to a murder charge in one of the slayings. Derrick Todd Lee was ordered to stand trial on March 1 in the May 2002 beating, stabbing and rape of Charlotte Murray Pace, 22...

NORWALK, Calif. -- Child molestation charges against a former judge were dismissed Wednesday after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a California law allowing the prosecution of decades-old sex crimes. Former Superior Court Judge Ronald Kline, 62, who is under house arrest for unrelated child pornography charges, could have gotten more than five years in prison if convicted...

Brandy, hubby split, two 'remain friends' Brandy is confirming reports that she's split from her husband, Robert Smith, the father of her 1-year-old daughter. A statement released Tuesday by her record company, Atlantic Records, said: "They will remain friends and raise their daughter jointly."...

There's a difference in calling a turkey to kill and calling a turkey to win. Jake Hindman can do both -- very well, in fact. Hindman, 18, a turkey caller from Egypt Mills, has been calling to attract turkeys into his shooting range for six years after picking up the hobby from his dad...

Babe Ruth tournament will light its fuse Friday The annual Pop's Pizza Firecracker Classic baseball tournament begins Friday and will feature 12 pool-play games in the first two days. Charleston, Oran, New Madrid, Dexter, Chaffee, Steele and Cape Girardeau will be represented in an eight-team field...

July 3, 2003 Dear Pat, Each Fourth of July, we celebrate the American belief in freedom, in securing "the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity ..." the Preamble to the Constitution speaks of. But it's easy to feel just a bit guiilty about all the abundance that freedom has brought...

Ford and Sons runs winning streak to eight games. By Jeremy Joffray ~ Southeast Missourian Cape Girardeau Ford and Sons Senior Legion team put on an early fireworks display of its own Wednesday night at Capaha Park by banging out 17 hits in a 9-3 district win over Jackson...

MADRID, Spain -- England captain David Beckham finally pulled on the famous white jersey of Real Madrid at his long-awaited introduction Wednesday as millions of adoring fans watched worldwide. With TV cameras broadcasting the ceremony live, team president Florentino Perez unveiled his fourth multi-million dollar acquisition in as many years and hailed Beckham as one of the best English soccer players of all time...

PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Vancouver was awarded the 2010 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, taking the games back to Canada for the first time since 1988. The International Olympic Committee selected the British Columbia city over bids from Salzburg, Austria, and Pyeongchang, South Korea...

ST. LOUIS -- A break in the action certainly can't hurt Matt Morris, the way he's been pitching. The St. Louis Cardinals' ace won 39 games the past two seasons, each time making the All-Star team. But he was 2-2 in June with a 9.51 ERA as shoulder soreness led to an altered delivery, reduced velocity and effectiveness...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri transportation officials will begin pursuing the possibility of transferring ownership of one-fourth of the road miles in the state highway system to cities and counties. With 32,400 miles, Missouri's state highway system is larger than those in any of its neighboring states and among the biggest in the nation. ...

A police sweep of nine Cape Girardeau stores Tuesday night netted four cashiers who sold alcohol to a 20-year-old woman working undercover for the department. The cashiers each received a summons and may have to pay fines.The operation was part of a series of compliance checks for local businesses that sell alcohol, Sgt. Rick Schmidt said...

These guys can shoot a 3 1/2-inch by 1-inch clay target moving 60 miles per hour. But landing a target the size of a small farm, now that's really difficult. The Cape Girardeau County Gun Club has become a victim of Jackson's residential growth and must find a new place to shoot skeet by November. Either that, or its 55 members will be forced to drive about 90 miles to the nearest shooting range...

Bicycle parades, mud volleyball tournaments, art shows, balloon releases, remote-control car races, car shows and festive music will all be part of the Fourth of July celebrations in Cape Girardeau and Jackson this year. Oh yeah, there will be fireworks, too...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A man who fatally shot three fellow plant workers before committing suicide in a police shootout had calmly smoked a cigarette and sipped a soda before clocking in and pulling out a semiautomatic pistol, authorities said. The shooter, Jonathon Russell, 25, was described Wednesday by police as quiet but beset by personal woes, including being close to being fired at Modine Manufacturing Co. ...

DAKAR, Senegal -- The United States is being called to the rescue of Liberia -- yanked by old bonds many Americans never knew the United States had. The two nations have economic and strategic ties dating back to 1822, when President James Monroe dispatched soldiers to escort ashore the first freed American slaves, who founded the nation with a U.S.-style Declaration of Independence...

July 11 is the deadline for Cape Girardeau residents wishing to preserve the city's history by submitting their photos for the book "Cape Girardeau Faces & Places." More than 900 photos have been submitted so far and more than 1,000 are expected by the deadline...

AP Sports Writer ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Albert Pujols and Edgar Renteria hit three-run homers in an eight-run second inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 9-5 Thursday to avoid a four-game sweep. The Giants were trying to complete the franchise's first four-game sweep at St. Louis since the great Christy Mathewson finished off the Cardinals on May 9, 1912...

St. Louis again scores just one run in third straight loss to Giants. By R.B. Fallstrom ~ The Associated Press ST. LOUIS -- So far, the National League Championship Series rematch has been no contest. Barry Bonds homered twice and scored three times, leading rookie Jerome Williams and the San Francisco Giants over the Cardinals 4-1 Wednesday night...

Just in case the PGA Tour ever gets serious about testing for illegal equipment, cheaters are advised to memorize the following: "This is my practice driver. I have it just to put on a show for the fans. I like to make people happy and I do that on the driving range."...

Bombing suspect escapes Philippine jail MANILA, Philippines -- An Indonesian man who allegedly confessed to involvement in bombings in Manila that killed 22 people escaped from jail early Monday along with two other suspected Muslim extremists, police said...

BALAD, Iraq -- As many as 50 resistance fighters ambushed a U.S. military patrol early Friday morning, while another band of Iraqis wounded at least 17 soldiers in a mortar strike on an American base near here, in bold attacks that demonstrated new organizational and weapons capabilities, soldiers and military officials said...

CHICAGO -- Kerry Wood wanted to give the Cubs' bullpen a little rest. Instead, St. Louis hitters gave Wood extra time off. Tim Edmonds and Albert Pujols hit consecutive homers in the first inning, and Tino Martinez tied a season high with four RBIs as the Cardinals the Chicago Cubs 11-8 Friday...

'Terminator 3' star visits U.S troops BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Arnold Schwarzenegger joined U.S. troops in a former Saddam Hussein palace at Baghdad International Airport on Friday for the screening of his latest movie, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines."...

TOKYO -- An accident at a shuttered nuclear power plant sent smoke billowing into the air Friday, but there were no immediate reports of radiation leaks or injuries. It wasn't immediately clear what happened inside the experimental plant, near the town of Tsuruga in central Japan. City spokesman Yoshihiro Kadono said the accident occurred at an incinerator in the nuclear complex...

SRINAGAR, India -- Suspected Islamic guerrillas tossed a grenade and opened fire at a meeting between a minister and health officials in Indian-controlled Kashmir Friday, killing two people and wounding 28, police said. Two Islamic militant groups claimed responsibility...

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- Ivory Coast's government and rebel officials declared an official end to this West African nation's civil war on Friday, nine months after fighting erupted following a failed attempt to oust President Laurent Gbagbo. Army and rebel representatives addressed the nation together on national television, and were followed in their remarks by Gbagbo, who praised the return of peace to the country...

ANGKOK, Thailand -- Screaming "die! "die!" a drunken mob of about 3,000 people -- some dressed as monks -- quickly surrounded activist Aung San Suu Kyi's convoy, stripping the clothes off supporters and beating them mercilessly with bats, rods and spears, Myanmar dissidents testified Friday...

ST. LOUIS -- Opened nine years before the better-known Brooklyn Bridge, St. Louis' Eads Bridge for more than a century did yeoman's work -- until age caught up with the span that ranks among the oldest Mississippi River crossings. More than 11 years after it was closed for repairs, the 3,563-foot national landmark that once transfixed poet Walt Whitman turned 129 on Friday as America celebrated its own birthday...

To fight the spread of chronic wasting disease, Wisconsin officials said Tuesday they want to create a special zone in and near Beloit, where hunters and sharpshooters will try to wipe out the deer population. Covering 25 square miles, the new zone includes the east side of Beloit and portions of the towns of Turtle and Clinton, which are east of the city...

10 years ago: July 5, 1993 Rain continues to fall in parts of northern and central Missouri and Iowa and Illinois, but National Weather Service is sticking with its earlier prediction of 43-foot flood crest on Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau late Friday; some residents who live near river in unprotected areas outside floodwall and levee in Red Star and South Cape Girardeau are preparing to flee rising floodwaters...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Marie M. Stephens, 88, of Glenallen, Mo., died Thursday, July 3, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born July 14, 1914, near Lutesville, Mo., daughter of Monroe and Julie E. Shell James. She and Milford Ross Stephens were married Feb. 19, 1932. He died Nov. 6, 1981...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Claude "Ed" Wulfert, 69, of Perryville died Thursday, July 3, 2003, at Perry Oaks Manor. He was born Dec. 16, 1933, at Fredericktown, Mo., son of Oscar Claude and Maydeen Bennett Wulfert. He and Joan Dicus were married. She survives...

ANNA, Ill. -- Mary Sowers, 92, of Anna died Thursday, July 3, 2003, at Methodist Medical Center in Peoria. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday and on Monday until time of service at Crain Funeral Home in Anna. Funeral will be at 1 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery...

Lucy Louise Robinson, 75, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, July 2, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Oct. 25, 1927, in Arkansas. She and Lee Robinson were married in 1956 in Mississippi. Robinson had been a cook. She was a member of New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, its choir, mission board, and was an usher...

Robert F. McCullough, 86, of Mississippi died Wednesday, July 2, 2003. He was born March 29, 1917, at McComb, Miss. Graveside service will be at 9 a.m. today at Cape County Memorial Park. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Sandra Kay Nussbaum, 50, of Jackson died Thursday, July 3, 2003, at her home. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

ANNA, Ill. -- Leonard D. Clutts Jr., 80, of Mount Vernon, Ill., died Wednesday, July 2, 2003, at his home. He was born Oct. 3, 1922, in Alto Pass, Ill., son of Leonard and Gussie Hardin Clutts Sr. He and Amanda Julie Clutts were married April 2, 1954, in Cape Girardeau. She died Feb. 28, 1988...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Joan C. Brown, 67, of Perryville died Thursday, July 3, 2003, at her home. She was born March 13, 1936, at St. Louis, daughter of Salvatore Pona and Rosa Fantauzzo Pona. She and Charles M. Brown were married Nov. 28, 1964, at St. Louis. He survives...

Henrietta Carolina Alvina Monteith, 94, of Jackson died Wednesday, July 2, 2003, at her home. She was born Feb. 15, 1909, in Scott City, daughter of William and Anna Roth Diebold. She and Cecil E. Monteith were married Oct. 9, 1926, in St. Louis. He died March 14, 1999...

FROHNA, Mo. -- Edgar W. Roth Sr., 84, of Frohna died Wednesday, July 2, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born June 21, 1919, at Frohna, son of Herman and Frieda Fritsche Roth. He and Evelyn Schuessler were married Jan. 31, 1943...

DITTMER, Mo. -- Wanda L. Sample, 74, of Dittmer and formerly of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, July 2, 2003, at St. Anthony Medical Center in St. Louis. She was born Sept. 7, 1928, at Madisonville, Ky., daughter of Lonnie Allen and Bertha Curry Merritt. She and Jack D. Sample were married Jan. 30, 1949, in Piggott, Ark. He died Feb. 27, 1999...

Sidney L. McCarty, 69, of Cape Girardeau, formerly of Patton, Mo., died Wednesday, July 2, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born Jan. 19, 1934, in Stafford, Va., daughter of Thomas Lloyd and Teresa Noel Loving. She and Robert Emmett McCarty Jr. were married April 7, 1951, in Fredericksburg, Va. He died Nov. 16, 1987...

Donald Edward Vance, 71, died Thursday, July 3, 2003, at his home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 16, 1932, at Grenada, Miss., son of William Lee Vance and Lottie Thomas Vance. He and Kathryn Keller were married Nov. 10, 1955, at Marshfield, Mo...

Paul William Martin, 79, passed away Wednesday, July 2, 2003, at his home in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 12, 1924, at Cameron, W.Va., the son of William H. and Lenore Kinney Martin. On May 13, 1949, he and Marcella Schmitke were married. She survives...

Get cats spayed I HAVE just read the "free for the taking" classifieds in the paper. There are 16 offerings for kittens. When will people learn to get female cats spayed? Time to limit fireworks WE HAVE lost one home in Jackson because of fireworks. I think it's time to ban all fireworks unless a group shoots them off at the park or riverfront. And if you're going to shoot them off at your home, step across the street and shoot them back at your house so you can clean up the mess...

To the editor: David Limbaugh bemoans the loss of moral absolutes, which he says are embedded in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He directs his outrage at activist Supreme Court justices who make decisions contrary to his concept of moral absolutes...

To the editor: A Speak Out caller states that Central Middle School's building is being enlarged. CMS is doing no such thing. An addition is being built to enlarge the cafeteria at Central Junior High School, and regular readers of the paper have seen articles describing the need for the enlargement...

Missouri Department of Conservation Although the word origins of the fish known as carp and the word carping (a verb meaning "to complain") are different, as far as anglers and biologists are concerned, the two often go hand in hand. Why do carp draw the ire of biologists and the disdain of so many anglers? To answer this question, we first need to know a little about the fish. ...

Have you ever craved more time to be left alone to do whatever you chose? Believed people sometimes interfered with attaining goals you would like to accomplish? Felt victimized by excessive demands from others? Although I always felt privileged to be included in people's experiences, I yearned for respite from constant intrusions on my time. However, I recently heard a comment in a television movie that changed my perspective on giving and sharing time with others...

Just weeks after First Baptist Church approved the sale of its buildings to Southeast Missouri State University, the congregation made another historic move. Pamela Knight Pratt was ordained as a minister during worship services June 22. She was the first woman to be ordained into the ministry by the 169-year-old church...

Kidz Blitz set for Mount Auburn Christian Church Mount Auburn Christian Church will host a "Kidz Blitz" program from 9 to 11:45 a.m. July 28 to 30. The theme is "SCUBA: Super Cool Undersea Bible Adventure" and is open to children age 4 through sixth grade...

Following the scandal over New York Times reporter Jayson Blair's fabrications, San Francisco Chronicle culture critic Steven Winn offered a pessimistic view of the state of the union on truthfulness. The Blair affair exposed "an open secret: America's epidemic of lying," Winn asserted...

Imagine enjoying a vacation with your family, a trip built around enjoying sports and time with family. And then you get a phone call. Your house has been severely damaged by a fire. Upon returning home, you find it wasn't an overloaded extension cord or a stove burner left on or anything you could have controlled...

Cape Girardeau County Saturday, July 5 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Shelly N. Finnegan, 21, of Cape Girardeau, was arrested June 27 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, July 5 Firefighter responded Tuesday to the following item: At 2:29 p.m., medical assist at 1702 N. Kingshighway. Firefighters responded Wednesday to the following items: At 1:50 a.m., medical assist at 1400 N. Sprigg, Apt. 8...

First-, second- and third-place awards were given in three categories. Winners were: BEST OF SHOW Hercules the dog and Susanne Vanderfeen 9 YEARS AND UNDER Jacqueline Kiefner, third place Tiffany Diamond, second place...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush designated six prisoners to become the first people who could be tried before military tribunals, drawing renewed criticism from defense lawyers of the secretive special courts. Officials refused to identify the six suspects being held in U.S. custody and suggested their identities might be kept secret during trial...

WASHINGTON -- The Navy has punished more than 40 chaplains over the last decade for offenses ranging from sexual abuse to fraud -- a misconduct rate much higher than for other officers, according to documents that detail the Navy's alarm at the problem...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- At least three of the five men wounded in Tuesday night's shooting at a Jefferson City manufacturing plant have been released from mid-Missouri hospitals. Police said the five men were wounded when 25-year-old Jonathon Russell arrived for the third shift at the Modine Manufacturing Co. plant around 10:30 p.m. and began shooting, killing three. Russell later drove to Jefferson City police headquarters, and after a confrontation with officers, killed himself...

JERUSALEM -- Palestinians could have general elections by October if Israel withdraws from major population centers, with Yasser Arafat likely to be the only major candidate for president, the Palestinian foreign minister said Friday. Arafat's re-election would likely frustrate Washington's moves to sideline him and nurture an alternative Palestinian leadership. It remains unclear what would happen to the post of prime minister, created under intense U.S. pressure to reduce Arafat's role...

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told aides in 1996 that his country had nuclear weapons, a prominent North Korean defector said Friday. Hwang Jang Yop, who defected to Seoul in 1997, made the remarks as the United States tries to muster international pressure on North Korea to drop its suspected nuclear program. Washington believes North Korea already has one or two bombs...

Davis recall backers say they can make ballot LOS ANGELES -- A majority of voters believe Gov. Gray Davis should be recalled in a special election, according to a poll published Friday, hours after recall leaders claimed they had enough support to put the question on the ballot...

QUETTA, Pakistan -- A suicide attack on a mosque packed with worshippers Friday killed more than 30 people and sent enraged Shiite Muslims on a rampage through this southwestern Pakistani city, officials said. The death toll varied with some reports putting it as high as 47. There were scores more wounded in the attack, one of the bloodiest in a long series of assaults on the country's Shiite Muslim minority...

ATLANTA -- Health officials on alert for the return of West Nile virus are concerned about the re-emergence of another mosquito-borne disease in the Southeast: eastern equine encephalitis. A Georgia man died June 21 in the nation's first human case of the disease this year...

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- President Bush is sending military experts to Africa to assess whether U.S. troops should help enforce a fragile cease-fire in war-torn Liberia. He was also considering a conditional offer by the country's leader to step down...

LOS ANGELES -- Velvet-voiced R&B crooner Barry White, whose lush baritone and throbbing musical compositions oozed sex appeal on songs like "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe," died Friday. He was 58. White, who had kidney failure from years of high blood pressure, had been undergoing dialysis and had been hospitalized since a September stroke. He died about 9:30 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said his manager, Ned Shankman...

PHILADELPHIA -- America celebrated its 227th birthday by opening a new museum for the Constitution in its birthplace, marking the centennial of aviation and giving a red-white-and-blue welcome to troops returning home to Kansas from Iraq. In Dayton, Ohio, President Bush climbed a flag-draped stage flanked by military jets to praise the work of U.S. troops and celebrate the 100th anniversary of flight in the hometown of the Wright brothers...

Even while people went on picnics, laid in the shade or swam on the Fourth of July, their thoughts didn't stray far from the red, white and blue. "You have to think about the soldiers still in Iraq," said Diane Cook of Chaffee, Mo. Her son was put on alert last year with his Air National Guard unit out of St. Louis...

Standing in front of a day-glo yellow decontamination tent and flanked by masked SWAT team officers and blue-suited hazardous materials technicians, Missouri Homeland Security adviser Tim Daniel announced a financial boon to Southeast Missouri's homeland security response teams at a news conference Thursday morning in Jackson...

A Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force officer was robbed Tuesday night during an investigation in a southside Cape Girardeau neighborhood. Brandon D. Tipler, 22, of New Madrid, Mo., and Shawn M. Young, 26, of Howardsville, Mo., were later charged with first-degree robbery. ...

There might not be anything more American than baseball, but it wasn't just his commitment to the game and coaching youth sports that earned John "Doc" Yallaly special recognition as an American hero. It was his patriotism and commitment to helping people in the community that made Yallaly stand out as one of many nominees for the first Spirit of America Award...

When Steve Stanley met a potential tenant Monday at the vacant Albertsons building on Monday, he wasn't exactly shocked to see more than 20 cars on the huge lot that had "for sale" signs on them. "I really didn't care at first, to be honest," said Stanley, director of leasing for South Star, the Memphis-based company that bought the building after the grocery store closed in March 2002...

Just a few homes on North High Street near Jackson City Park lost power around 1:15 p.m. Friday when a vehicle struck a utility pole. Mark Baker, a lineman with the city of Jackson, said workers would have to bring in a new power pole and a new transformer. The outage was so minor because of the pole that was hit...

In Andy Roddick's Grand Slam delusion, one inch on one shot stopped him one match short of his first Wimbledon final. If he truly believes that, the only person he's fooling is himself. It wasn't that one shot in the first-set heartbreaker or the 7-minute lapse that followed, as his coach, Brad Gilbert, suggested, that made all the difference between victory and a 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-3 semifinal loss Friday to Switzerland's Roger Federer...

Capahas drop opener in Illinois tournament VALMEYER, Ill. -- The Craftsman Union Capahas gave two ninth-inning runs and lost 11-10 to Alton (Ill.) in the opening day of the eight-team Valmeyer Tournament. The Capahas took a 10-9 lead going into the ninth inning, but Alton tied it on a lead-off home run. After Matt Stroup struck out the next batter, Alton put a runner on first with a single, then scored from third two batters later...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It doesn't take any inside info to know Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip are the favorites for tonight's Pepsi 400. The Dale Earnhardt Inc., teammates -- one or the other, or both -- have been dominating the races at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway since 2001...

WIMBLEDON, England -- Andy Roddick's run at Wimbledon was stopped by the closest thing there is to Pete Sampras right now: Roger Federer. With brilliant serving and returning, plus shotmaking so good even Roddick was moved to shout praise, Federer won their semifinal 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-3 Friday to become the first Swiss man to reach a Grand Slam title match...

Few people make it through life without suffering at least one heartache that wrenches at the gut like nothing ever felt before. But Jennifer Noble of Cape Girardeau and her three children have felt pain and anguish that still tear at their souls. Noble and her family lived as missionaries in New Zealand until a decade ago. But coming back to the states wasn't an easy adjustment -- and one that would ultimately split their world apart...

PARIS -- Lance Armstrong's bid for a record-tying fifth straight win in the Tour de France, a punishing cross-country slog of more than 2,100 miles, begins with a quick dash. The 4.03-mile sprint through Paris today is only a blip compared to the grind awaiting the 198 riders the next three weeks. But it offers Armstrong a chance to immediately stamp his authority over his rivals...

WASHINGTON -- People in the Eastern United States can fight back against telemarketing calls by making a telephone call of their own Monday when registration begins for the national do-not-call list in their part of the country. The registry has accepted online registrations nationwide and phone sign-ups in states west of the Mississippi River since the free service became available June 27...

A song usually does it. Maybe it's something by Culture Club or Duran Duran or The Pointer Sisters. Just like that, you're back at that house party, sporting a giant hair bow and plastic neon bracelets. You're flirting with a totally awesome boy who's desperately trying to do the moonwalk. You're wondering if a DeLorean really could take you "Back to the Future."...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Shiite Muslims, long oppressed by Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated government, will hold a commanding majority on a political council U.S. authorities will set up this month as a forerunner to a new Iraqi government, The Associated Press has learned...

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols can take getting snubbed by Barry Bonds, and by fans in the All-Star game balloting. What he can't take is 0-fers. Nearing the All-Star break, the Cardinals' star has Triple Crown numbers, leading the majors with a .377 average and ranking among the National League leaders in home runs and RBIs. He was the NL player of the month for May and June, a clear indication of his dominance...

Gonzalez's slow roller completes comeback, sends Cubs to 6-5 win over Cardinals. By Jason Strait ~ The Associated Press CHICAGO -- Alex Gonzalez got just enough of it. With the bases loaded and the game tied in the ninth, Gonzalez hit a slow grounder that sneaked past a diving Scott Rolen at third. ...

HONG KONG -- The World Health Organization removed the last SARS hot spot -- Taiwan -- from its list of infected areas, saying Saturday the illness that killed more than 800 people worldwide has been contained. There are lingering fears the virus could return, but experts said the public health lessons learned from this crisis will help in any future outbreak of infectious disease...

A trio of Seattle men invented a recreational sport in 1965 they thought would help bring families together. More than 30 years later, the game of pickleball has not caught on like the recreational sports it was derived from -- tennis, Ping-Pong and badminton -- but it has developed a small following in Cape Girardeau...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Billboards posted along highways and streets across Indiana warn motorists: "Sobriety Checkpoint Ahead." They certainly look official, but authorities acknowledge there isn't always a checkpoint there. More than anything, they're meant to scare drivers into keeping sober when behind the wheel, said Jerry McCory, director of Indiana's Council on Impaired and Dangerous Driving...

GAULEY BRIDGE, W.Va. -- A deck collapsed at a home during a Fourth of July party, injuring at least 12 people, officials said. As many as 25 people were on the deck when it fell late Friday as the town was putting on a fireworks display, officials said...

TOPEKA, Kan. -- They dot the prairies, gold and brown, surviving Plains winters to bloom in the summer. They've been so long associated with Kansas that it was known as "the Sunflower State," long before legislators decided the state needed Helianthus as an official state flower...

WALDEN POND, Mass. -- A walk around Walden Pond can take as long as you need. It was to this peaceful New England lake that a remarkable individual from nearby Concord came to live alone, clearing a spot for a one-room cabin. Henry David Thoreau -- the man who urged us to "simplify, simplify" -- immortalized Walden as the birthplace of the conservation movement...

Call it the curse of the wartime president. Not a single U.S. president who has led the country into a major war has gone on to serve another full term in the White House. Not James Madison after the War of 1812. Not Woodrow Wilson after World War I...

Capahas rebound at Valmeyer tournament The Craftsman Union Capahas rebounded from an opening day loss to Alton (Ill.) by routing Granite City (Ill.) 11-3 Saturday at the Valmeyer tournament. Despite being eliminated from championship contention, the Capahas (24-2) jumped on Granite City for 12 hits, including four runs in the first. The key to the Capahas success was a solid fielding performance behind Murray State ace Kyle Perry...

Lummus Son to Lee and Monica Lummus of Eureka, Mo., St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis, Wednesday, June 18, 2003. Name, Jeremy James. Weight, 8 pounds 2 ounces. Third child, second son. Mrs. Lummus is the former Monica Hoover, daughter of Wayne and Bev Hoover of Cape Girardeau. She works in human resource management at Jefferson Wells. Lummus is the son of Jim and Linda Lummus of Cape Girardeau. He is corporate controller at Rawlings Sporting Goods Co...

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Borgfield of Jackson celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a dinner and reception June 7, 2003, in the fellowship hall at St. John's United Church of Christ. Approximately 100 guests attended from Gordonville, Jackson, Oak Ridge, Ironton, Mo.; Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Illinois. The event was hosted by their children, Karen Vogelsang and Steve and Carol Borgfield; grandchildren, Sara and Ashley Borgfield; and a friend, Linda Goodson...

Dennis and Liz Aufdenberg of Burfordville announce the engagement of their daughter, Denise Elizabeth Aufdenberg, to Jamie Lynn Yamnitz. He is the son of Terry and Carol Yamnitz of Patton, Mo. Aufdenberg is a 1998 graduate of Jackson High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in agribusiness from Southeast Missouri State University in 2002. She is employed at Fruitland Dressed Meat in Jackson...

Richard and Penny Leake of Decorah, Iowa, announce the engagement of their daughter, Tanya Leake, to Mark Anderson. He is the son of Kevin and Cindy Anderson of Kenosha, Wis., formerly of Cape Girardeau. Leake is a 1999 graduate of Decorah High School, and 2003 graduate of Luther College in Decorah. She is owner of HelpTML, a computer web design and development service based in Decorah...

Mr. and Mrs. Keith Ruesler of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Annette Marie Ruesler, to Michael Joseph Engelen. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Engelen of Leopold, Mo. Ruesler is a 1996 graduate of Jackson High School, and received a bachelor of science degree in agriculture business from Southeast Missouri State University. She is employed at Co-Op Service Center Inc. in Jackson...

Mick and Aleene Warden of Scott City announce the engagement of their daughter, Britne Kristina Warden, to Neal Roberts Harwell. He is the son of Eddy and Helles Harwell of Little Rock, Ark. Warden is a graduate of Notre Dame High School, and received a bachelor of science degree in occupational therapy from the University of Central Arkansas. She is an occupational therapist with Reliance Rehabilitation in Little Rock...

Steve and Vicki Ramey of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Stephanie Dawn Ramey, to Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Brent Bledsoe. He is the son of the late Lloyd and Clara Bledsoe of Olive Branch, Ill. Ramey is a graduate of Jackson High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in child development from Southeast Missouri State University, and is pursuing a certificate in early childhood education. She is employed by Cape Girardeau Public Schools...

First Baptist Church in Jackson was the setting Jan. 11, 2003, for the wedding of Emily Jane O'Loughlin and Timothy James Hill. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Mike Schreiner of O'Fallon, Mo., cousin of the bride. Organist was Larraine Adams, pianist was Jean Schweain, and soloist was Robyn Hosp, all of Jackson...

10 years ago: July 6, 1993 National Weather Station is still holding to its prediction of 43-foot flood crest on Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau late Friday; although predicted crest is 13 feet above flood stage, downtown floodwall and earthen levee along river will keep river out of much of city's riverfront area; but some residents who live in unprotected areas in Red Star and South Cape Girardeau are preparing to move from their homes...

Sandra Kay Nussbaum, 50, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, July 3, 2003, at her home. She was born Feb. 19, 1953, in Anna, Ill., daughter of Carl L. and Dorothy Ditteraline Pfaff. She and Ralph Nussbaum were married July 8, 1988, in Cape Girardeau. She worked for five years at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau until illness rendered her unable in September 2002. ...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- William Cline Ables, 87, of Sikeston died July 4, 2003. He was born Jan. 4, 1916, in Oran, Mo., son of Lawrence W. and Etta Pearl Moore Ables. He and Nota Dover were married July 27, 1946. He was a member of the First Baptist Church and an ordained Baptist minister. ...

Janice C. Zahlen, 63, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, June 30, 2003, at her home. She was born March 27, 1939, in St. Paul, Minn., daughter of Frank and Helen Nosal Zahlen. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cape Girardeau and was employed by the state of Missouri as a counselor and career foster parent...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Lark Jackson Betts Jr., 75, of Tamms died Friday, July 4, 2003, at his home. He was born July 8, 1927, in Elco, Ill., son of Lark Jackson and Mary Lillian Schillings Betts Sr. He married Betty Bridges. He was a member of the Elco Baptist Church, served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and retired from the LaCleede Steel Mill in Alton, Ill...

PATTON, Mo. -- Aria A. Yamnitz, 101, of Patton died Saturday, July 5, 2003, at the Farmington Presbyterian Manor. She was born May 8, 1902, in Patton, daughter of John Henry and Hanna Robinson Heitman. She and Ralph E. Yamnitz were married Jan. 28, 1925. He died April 29, 1985. She was a member of the Patton Presbyterian Church...

ANNA, Ill. -- Mary M. Sowers, 92, of Anna died Thursday, July 3, 2003, at Methodist Medical Center in Peoria, Ill. She was born July 8, 1910, in Elco, Ill., daughter of Peter A. and Sarah Poole Cruse. She and Truman Sowers were married March 3, 1920, and he died June 21, 1965...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Norman Kelley, 85, of Sikeston died Thursday, July 3, 2003, at the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston. He was born March 4, 1918, at Morrilton, Ark., son of John Henry and Winnie Hubbard Kelley. He and Ola Hill were married Dec. 23, 1939, in Sikeston. He was a member of the Morehouse Church of Christ and a retired farmer...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Wilma Lee Bohnsack, 66, of Advance died Saturday, July 5, 2003, at her home. She was born Feb. 10, 1937, in Stoddard County, Mo., daughter of Clarance and Addie Hitt Umfleet. She was retired from Sikeston Health Care and was a member of the Advance First Baptist Church. She and Royal Lee Bohnsack were married Feb. 11, 1956, in Advance...

Kevin Clark Cowan, 46, of Biehle, Mo., passed away Saturday, July 5, 2003, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. He was born April 29, 1957, in Cape Girardeau, son of Clark and Betty J. Curry Cowan. He and Kathy Schemel were married June 24, 1978, in Biehle. She survives...

Donald Edward Vance, 71, died Thursday, July 3, 2003, at his home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 16, 1932, at Grenada, Miss., son of William Lee Vance and Lottie Thomas Vance. He and Kathryn Keller were married Nov. 10, 1955, at Marshfield, Mo...

County needs zoning IF YOU have driven Highway 25 between Jackson and Gordonville, you have noticed the tacky businesses popping up everywhere. Now some of these property owners are cutting down trees to put up billboards. I think it is time for Cape Girardeau County to adopt zoning...

To the editor: Back in the summer of 1978, I was fortunate enough to have been a member of the Cape Girardeau American Legion Post 63 baseball team. But more important was the opportunity to have been mentored by, chewed out by and taught several little life lessons by a wonderfully charismatic and caring man...

To the editor: I read with great interest on the Internet about the induction of Gary Rust into the Missouri Newspaper Hall of Fame. Gary probably doesn't remember me, but from 1960 to 1965 I was the sports editor of the Southeast Missourian, and we were fellow members of the Cape Girardeau Jaycees. ...

To the editor: Graffiti in Cape Girardeau as well as any other community is an increasing problem since it is very hard to determine who the guilty parties are and thus very hard to prosecute. However, some assumptions can be made in trying to find and identify these people. ...

Briefly Baseball The Devil Rays will receive scouting information from the Yokohama Stars under a three-year agreement signed with the Japanese Central League team Saturday. As part of the agreement, which runs through the 2005 season, Yokohama will provide information on all levels of competition throughout Japan, including high school prospects and pro players. In return, the Devil Rays will help Yokohama acquire foreign players to play for the Bay Stars...

One can always tell when they are in a home that has been truly enjoyed and cherished by a family. A house changes according to the needs of the family, and according the styles of the day, yet always retains its original character. The house at 1217 Hildale Circle is an example of a home that has been cherished. ...

When it came to passing a Medicare reform bill -- one that would include coverage of prescription drugs -- in the U.S. House, the deciding vote was cast by U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson of Cape Girardeau after considerable head-knocking with the GOP leadership...

Federal legislators eager to pass -- before the Fourth of July holiday -- bills that eventually will provide Medicare coverage for prescription drugs were successful. Both the House and the Senate passed differing versions of Medicare-reform legislation late last month...

Cape Girardeau Sunday, July 6 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI George Gendron McFall, 42, of 803 Independence, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and failure to drive in a single lane...

Cape Girardeau Sunday, July 6 Firefighters responded Friday to the following items: At 7:33 p.m., medical assist at Themis and Spanish. At 7:54 p.m., medical assist at 2077 Chesapeake. At 8:40 p.m., line arc at 1703 N. West End Blvd. At 9:15 p.m., medical assist at 3257 William...

The debate over how best to crack down on junk e-mail has erupted into brass-knuckle lobbying wars in several state capitals, with some legislators accusing Microsoft Corp. and other Internet providers of sabotaging efforts to craft tough anti-spam laws...

Georgia families gather for return of soldiers FORT STEWART, Ga. -- Family members gathered Saturday night to welcome home 600 soldiers returning from Iraq, toting banners and American flags as they waited. The soldiers' spouses and children gathered early at the Fort Stewart practice field, where the troops were scheduled to arrive by bus...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush says he will not accept any outcome that allows Liberian President Charles Taylor, a one-time warlord wanted on war crimes charges, to remain in power in his embattled country. African leaders have asked Bush to decide whether to send American troops to help bring stability to Liberia before he departs Monday for his trip to the continent. The White House gave no indication of a timetable for a presidential decision...

Cleveland Botanical Garden reopens CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Botanical Garden will reopen July 15 after being closed for nine months while awaiting completion of a new attraction: The Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse. The conservatory, with a peaked glass roof, will house two examples of the world's most fragile ecosystems. ...

New Jersey is much more than Atlantic City and the home of the "Sopranos." It's also back roads, farms, antique shops and historic towns, beaches and forests. And there are plenty of Web sites to show you what you're missing. The Morristown National Historical Park -- www.nps.gov/morr/ -- preserves Gen. George Washington's headquarters for the winter of 1779-80, and other sites from the Revolutionary War...

PARIS -- The cobblestones of Paris were a burden for Lance Armstrong. The mountains that await may prove more to his liking. Against the majestic backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, Armstrong began his bid for a record-tying fifth straight Tour de France victory by finishing seventh in Saturday's prologue time trial...

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. -- The pressure of the U.S. Women's Open was creeping up on Hilary Lunke from all sides Saturday. She made two straight bogeys to fall into a share of the lead, and faced a downhill putt from 10 feet on the par-3 15th to save par. Even more intimidating was seeing Annika Sorenstam post a 4-under 67, leaving her only two strokes behind...

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. -- Michelle Wie's father retracted claims that Danielle Ammaccapane pushed his 13-year-old daughter, saying Saturday there was no contact during the first round of the U.S. Women's Open. "Michelle just told me that her description of the incident was incorrect," B.J. Wie said. "There was no pushing or physical contact."...

The list of players missing from this season's All-Star game might be just as impressive as the rosters themselves. Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling are hurt. So are Vladimir Guerrero, Mike Piazza, Jeff Kent and Trevor Hoffman. Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine have struggled all season. Sammy Sosa will probably get voted in, although his numbers don't warrant the trip...

NEW YORK -- Mike Mussina was stuck. The New York Yankees ace filled out his ballot for the All-Star game, picking nine AL position players plus a seven-man staff. Still, he was one starting pitcher short. So he wrote down his name. "Was it neat voting for myself? No, it felt kind of dumb," Mussina said. "But I was the last one, and it didn't say you couldn't do it."...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When Jennifer Garretson brought her 3-year-old son to the Cinemark Palace on Kansas City's Country Club Plaza, she was shocked to be turned away. Garretson was one of several parents who hadn't heard that as of the Fourth of July, children under 6 were no longer welcome at the movie theater -- even if they were accompanied by their parents...

PLATTE CITY, Mo. -- A Roman Catholic priest and a Clay County sheriff's deputy were among 18 people charged in a Kansas City area prostitution sting. The operation, which occurred in June, focused on escort services and involved 20 law enforcement agencies in Kansas and Missouri -- the largest local sting of its kind. About 100 people were arrested, according to Kansas City police, who coordinated the effort...

JAMESPORT, Mo. -- To most people, a horse-drawn manure spreader might be at best a piece of nostalgia. For Melvin Graber, an Amish farmer who moved to northwest Missouri's Jamesport area from northwest Ohio 35 years ago, discovering the abandoned item was the start of something big. He gathered up about 350 pieces of old farm equipment, and sold them at an auction...

WEBB CITY, Mo. -- A 16-year-old Webb City resident has been ticketed three times for driving without a license -- on a riding lawn mower that only goes a few miles per hour. Police chief Don Richardson said Claude "Dooner" Brown has been pulled over each time because of dangerous situations and has been warned about his "driving habits" more than once...

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Robert Marsh and his wife, Marion, put enough miles on their car last year to drive nearly to Baghdad and back. But the Ottawa couple never left Kansas. The Marshes toured the state looking for farm buildings to feature in "Barns of Kansas: A Pictorial History," a book published by The Donning Co. Publishers and sponsored by Kansas Electric Cooperatives Inc...

LAKE BARRINGTON, Ill. -- Rusty metal is a big hit in today's decor, and it's a real coup when anything old and decrepit is turned into a new, stylish accessory. Take the back of a chair that's lost its seat or has a broken front leg. Attach a planter and paint it, and you have an intriguing piece for your wall, either inside or out...

Close-up photographs offer an unusual view of our world, especially when that world is pictured larger than life. Capturing small subjects -- insects, flowers, stamps, coins and so on -- requires careful attention to the technical aspects of photography: focus, lighting, sharpness, depth-of-field, exposure and composition...

SINGAPORE -- A pair of 29-year-old Iranian twin sisters, joined at the head, underwent brain scans today ahead of a marathon operation that could finally separate them -- or could kill one or both. After a lifetime of compromises on everything from when to wake up each day to what career to pursue, Ladan and Laleh Bijani said they preferred to face the dangers of the surgery -- which could last up to four days -- rather than continue living joined...

PORTADOWN, Northern Ireland -- British army engineers erected barricades of barbed wire and steel Saturday to keep Protestant Orangemen from marching through the main Catholic section of this bitterly divided town. The security buildup to today's disputed march by the Orange Order brotherhood has become a familiar annual event in Northern Ireland, where previous confrontations outside a rural Anglican church have inspired widespread violence...

BEIJING -- Five clergy members of China's underground Roman Catholic church were detained this week in a city west of Beijing, a U.S.-based religious group said Saturday. The five were detained Tuesday in the city of Baoding when they were they were on their way to visit Rev. Lu Genjun, who was recently released from a labor camp, said the Cardinal Kung Foundation, which is based in Stamford, Conn...

MONROVIA, Liberia -- The leader of Nigeria is coming this weekend to personally offer embattled President Charles Talyor temporary asylum as a step toward ending Liberia's civil war, an official said. With international pressure mounting on Taylor to go, Nigerian President Olesugun Obasango will meet with him Sunday at Monrovia's airport, the senior Liberian official said on condition of anonymity...

MOSCOW -- Two women strapped with explosives blew themselves up at a crowded outdoor rock festival Saturday, killing at least 16 people, officials and media said. The attack revived fears that rebels are intent on bringing the Chechen war to the Russian capital...

QUETTA, Pakistan -- Pakistani authorities raised the possibility Saturday that Taliban fugitives and their al-Qaida allies carried out a massacre of 44 Shiite Muslims at a mosque in this southwest Pakistani town across the border from Afghanistan. The attack on Friday was the first use of a suicide bomber in Pakistan's bitter sectarian conflict between extremist Shiite and Sunni Muslims. ...

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- The "City of God" is a neighborhood where enormous pigs wallow in open sewers and alligators sometimes wash up in the clapboard shacks when it rains. Shootouts between drug gangs and police are almost routine. None of that deters fashion photographer Tony Barros in his quest to find the next Gisele Bundchen among the rutted alleys of Rio's most notorious favela, or shantytown...

NEW DELHI, India -- The pharmacy clerk pulls a box of skin lightening cream from a glass cabinet, places it on the counter, and says it's obvious why he sells so much of it. Women want to be beautiful, says Vishnu Kayat, and the key to that is inside the box, which has a series of drawings showing a woman growing pale to the point of near invisibility...

PHILADELPHIA -- The National Park Service is investigating what went wrong at the opening of the National Constitution Center, where a large wood and steel frame tipped over, injuring several. The apparent accident on Friday was being investigated to exclude the chance that sabotage or vandalism were to blame, officials said...

NEW YORK -- Thalia, already a star among Latin music and television fans, is facing one of the biggest challenges of her career as she tries to transplant her success to American airwaves. Yet ask the Mexican beauty if she's nervous about the "crossover" of her English-language debut, and the 31-year-old singer-actress shrugs with a smile...

TUCSON, Ariz. -- A windblown wildfire that already has destroyed more than 300 mountaintop homes pushed into a previously untouched subdivision, burning five cabins and threatening 60 others, a fire official said Saturday. The losses occurred during the night in Willow Canyon, one of three areas in the Santa Catalina Mountains threatened by the 2 1/2-week-old fire that already had blackened 68,000 acres...

DALLAS -- Federal agents finished investigating the scene of a fireworks explosion that killed three employees, and said on Saturday that they believed the blast was not intentional. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said it will allow officials in Kilgore, about 115 miles southeast of Dallas, to make a final ruling...

FORT WASHINGTON, Md. -- Long before fighter jet overflights, chemical sensors and extra police patrols, homeland security for the nation's capital relied on a brick-walled fort on the Potomac River. Perched on a commanding bluff about 10 miles below Washington, Fort Washington and its thick walls, fortified with cannons, stood ready to take on any enemy ship that might try to sail upriver. ...

Motivated by the murder of a mail-order bride, members of Congress are drafting a bill that would enable foreign women seeking American husbands to learn the criminal background of men courting them through matchmaking agencies. The legislation, expected to be introduced this month in the House and Senate, represents the most serious effort yet to impose federal oversight over a loosely regulated, Internet-based industry...

HONOLULU -- Millions of tourists have voyaged across the Pacific just to spread their beach towel on a patch of Waikiki's warm, inviting sand. Trouble is, there's not as much of it as there used to be. Waikiki's world-famous white sand beaches have been eroding an average of one foot a year since 1985. And as the shoreline shrinks and reefs fill with the sand moving offshore, many say it's time to protect this key tourist asset...

By David B. Caruso ~ The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA -- The celebrations offered snapshots of the nation at hundred year intervals: Troops coming home from Iraq hugged loved-ones for the first time in months, President Bush marked the centennial of aviation, and Americans feted the birth of their independence 227 years ago...

By David B. Caruso ~ The Associated Press PHILADELPHIA -- A 15-foot-high frame made of wood and steel collapsed during the July Fourth dedication of the National Constitution Center, slightly injuring the mayor and two other people and narrowly missing Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor...

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. -- Unless the judge asks you to speak up, it's best to keep quiet in Lincoln County District Court. Judge John Murphy enforced the court's no-talking rule Tuesday by ordering three men back to jail after they were caught chatting in a jury box while waiting for their cases to be called up...

HONOLULU -- For 20 years, John Wert boarded an interisland flight and headed to Kauai for a week's vacation at his timeshare. Not this year. Frustrated with the price of airline tickets within his own state, the high school science teacher will instead fly thousands of miles to the mainland...

By Sally Jenkins ~ The Washington Post A civil war is taking shape in college athletics. On one side is Big Football, and on the other side is what might be called Little Football. A major collision between the factions is coming, with a couple of possible outcomes: Either a genuine reform effort will finally take shape, or the NCAA as we know it will end...

She definitely has the old man's gift of gab. But this is one time Laila Ali better bring her father's jab, too. And not just because her Aug. 23 fight against trailblazer Christy Martin is personal -- and was even before that nasty little exchange onstage at a news conference Tuesday to promote the bout. The success of women's boxing could hang in the balance...

Computers don't like me. No sooner than I sit down at the keyboard of our home computer than it freezes up. It refuses to obey my commands. My wife, Joni, says I'm a human virus. "You are what empowers the computer repair business," she tells me...

jkoch By Dr. John Koch Question: I have had several bad experiences with puppies that had parvo. Why is parvo so deadly and is there some key to dealing with it? Answer: Parvo is the name of one of several intestinal viruses. ...

By Raymond V. Epps Powerful people in America have been working diligently to expel Almighty God from the public forums of this nation. They are going directly counter to the intents, purposes and prayers of our Founding Fathers. Revisionists are working through the courts, universities, law school and even our public schools to rewrite American history...

Family reunions often include tales of infamous uncles and courageous matriarchs told over a meal of crispy fried chicken and homemade pie, but few are highlighted by a tour of a dungeon. But for those attending the 46th annual reunion for descendants of Clyde Vandivort, walking through the bowels of the Common Pleas Courthouse Saturday morning in Cape Girardeau was a lesson in family history. ...

The Associated Press TAMPERE, Finland -- Leaping over timber and wading through waist-high water, an Estonian couple won the wife-carrying world championships Saturday, for the third straight year. Egle Soll carried Margo Uusorg over the 760-foot course in just over a minute, beating 22 couples from six countries, including Britain, the United States, Ireland and Finland...

The launch pad was in place. The observers were ready. The countdown began. It had all the makings of a successful launch, but rocket U.S.A. exploded over a Shawnee Sports Complex soccer field Saturday, eliciting a fascinated "Whhhhoooooaaaa!" from onlookers. One piece sped to the ground, the other floated down, attached to a parachute...

PIEDMONT, Mo. Sitting on lawn chairs in the bed of their black, Dodge pickup, David and Stephanie Oliver and their 3-year-old daughter, Faith, are equipped with blankets, bug spray and a cooler full of Cokes. For them, this is the only way to watch a movie...

Meet Dayton Seabaugh. The blond-haired, blue-eyed 5-year-old can spell his first name, recite the alphabet and add two and two. So can 5-year-old Madison Hendricks. Their vocabulary and other cognitive abilities are similar, as are the preschools where they have learned to develop those skills...

Carelessness during Fourth of July celebrations Friday damaged two Cape Girardeau structures -- a church and a trailer -- which caught fire and suffered minor damage, firefighters said. At least one, if not both, of the small fires were caused by fireworks, battalion chief Steve Niswonger said...

LOS ANGELES -- First comes the advance work by White House political adviser Karl Rove, followed by several phone calls and letters from big-time money-raisers known as "pioneers." Then, finally, is the visit from President Bush, who brings along his folksy humor but often leaves before dinner is done...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Rookie Greg Biffle played the fuel strategy game and won Saturday night in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Biffle ducked into the pits to top off his gas tank under caution on lap 79 of the 160-lap race. That gave him just enough to make it the rest of the way on one more stop and cost favorites Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Michael Waltrip a shot at another restrictor-plate victory...

Serena Williams claims her sixth Grand Slam title with three-set win over her sister. By Steven Wine ~ The Associated Press WIMBLEDON, England -- As Serena Williams waited for her Wimbledon trophy, she chatted and laughed with her big sister. Venus then asked an official to capture the moment with a quick photo...

My little, midsized and larger helpers here at the R&R spread flit in and out of my room as silent as butterflies. If I didn't have my eyes open, the only way I could tell they'd come in is by a slight passing breeze. But I like to have my eyes wide open so I can see what jackets the helpers have on that day...

MACOMB, Ill. (AP) -- St. Louis Rams players will get a change of pace Thursday night, practicing under the lights. The practice comes after a week of workouts, mostly two-a-days and all during the day, although they'll also hold a morning workout that day. The team will work out at Hanson Field at Western Illinois University, where they're holding training camp...

Lunge, parry, and attack. These terms are not common dialect for Southeast Missouri's average sports fan. But with the help of Dr. Hamner Hill, a philosophy professor at Southeast Missouri State University, around 10 curious area men and women learned the ins and outs of fencing Friday night at Southeast's Student Recreation Center...

The Associated Press CHICAGO -- Woody Williams was hitting his spots from the mound and doing some hitting of his own at the plate. Williams doubled off the Wrigley Field ivy in left-center, scored a run and outpitched Mark Prior to lead the Cardinals to a 4-1 win over the slumping Chicago Cubs on Sunday...

10 years ago: July 7, 1993 Farm experts say corn should be knee-high by Fourth of July, but in some Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois fields water is that deep; Jess Cushman, director of U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service in Alexander and Pulaski counties in Southern Illinois, estimates between 18,000 to 20,000 acres of farmland are under water in Alexander County...

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- Bertha S. Doering, 93, of Owensville, Mo., formerly of Altenburg, died Saturday, July 5, 2003, at Frene Valley South in Owensville. She was born Aug. 21, 1909, at Altenburg, daughter of Gustave and Mary Pilz Kuntze. She and Hugo Doering were married April 29, 1934...

Perryville, MO. -- VERNON "JACK" BRINKMAN, 80, OF CAPE GIRARDEAU, DIED FRIDAY, JULY 4, 2003, AT HIS HOME. HE WAS BORN OCT. 8, 1922, IN CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY, SON OF PAUL AND BESS DEEVERS BRINKMAN. HE AND NORMA A. VOELKER WERE MARRIED SEPT. 17, 1943...

Alto Pass, ILL. -- MARY ANNE HAHN, 79, OF DALLAS, TEXAS, FORMERLY OF CARBONDALE, ILL., DIED TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2003, AT DALLAS MEDICAL CENTER IN DALLAS. SHE WAS BORN JAN. 18, 1924, AT ALTO PASS, ILL., DAUGHTER OF CHARLES AND MILDRED HOUSTON STEARNS. SHE MARRIED LEWIS EDWIN HAHN...

Anna, ILL. -- MARY MCCLOUD, 79, OF SHAWNEETOWN, ILL., FORMERLY OF ANNA, ILL., DIED SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2003, AT THE WARREN HOUSE IN SHAWNEETOWN. SHE WAS BORN JAN. 7, 1924, IN UNION COUNTY, ILL., DAUGHTER OF WILLIAM C. AND ELSIE CROWELL MCCLOUD...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Marie Van de Ven, 88, of Leopold, Mo., died Saturday, July 5, 2003, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 18, 1915, at Lutesville, Mo., daughter of Joseph and Anne L. Thele Seiler. She and Bernard H. Van de Ven were married April 22, 1936. He died Jan. 29, 1990...

Chaffee, MO. -- J.P. MONTGOMERY, 89, OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS, FORMERLY OF CHAFFEE, MO., DIED JULY 6, 2003, AT BAYLOR HOSPITAL IN GRAPEVINE. ARRANGMENTS ARE PENDING WITH AMICK-BURNETT FUNERAL HOME IN CHAFFEE.

Self-esteem problems I WOULD like to request that the Central Middle School, Central Junior High School and Central High School not select student council members by popular vote. I know of at least two elementary schools that chose not to have student council members selected by popular vote last school year. ...

Perryville, MO. -- HALLIE B. PAUTLER, 73, OF PERRYVILLE, DIED SATURDAY, JULY 5, 2003, AT MISSOURI BAPTIST HOSPITAL IN ST. LOUIS. SHE HAD BEEN IN ILL HEALTH FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. SHE WAS BORN MAY 27, 1930, AT LESTERVILLE, MO., DAUGHTER OF BOBBYE MCHENRY AND THE LATE G.R. MCHENRY. SHE MARRIED PAUL F. PAUTLER ON DEC. 14, 1962, IN HOGAN, MO...

To the editor: In response to the article "Missing mother: Deborah Manning's family mourns 20 years after unsolved killing": I would like to extend my sincere thanks for this story. Deborah Manning, my aunt, is forever in my thoughts. I am grateful that I still have my mother, Barbara, and wonder if I would be able to live and grow like my cousins have. ...

Nobody seems to know much about a new bureaucratic label for the Cape Girardeau area. According to the federal Office of Management and Budget, we have been a Micropolitan Statistical Area for three weeks. Experience and recent history would indicate this is a sort of first runner-up for the "urbanized area" label, which the cities of Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City barely missed out on last year because the geographic area of the three cities didn't have sufficient population density...

A proposal to amend the Constitution to ban homosexual marriages was offered in May by U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado. That date might surprise people who didn't take notice until late June, when the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that some say directly affects the institution of marriage in the United States...

St. Louis near bottom of performance index According to the St. Louis Business Journal, St. Louis ranks near the bottom of the Milken Institute's Best Performing Cities index. Out of 200 U.S. metropolitan areas, Milken ranked St. Louis No. 186 based on a job-growth index...

Myers promoted to VP at Alliance Bank Paula Myers has been promoted to assistant vice president of Alliance Bank, president and CEO Bryan Pogue announced last week. Myers has been with Alliance Bank since 1997 and has 23 years of experience in the financial field. Myers serves on the Advisory Board of Consumer Credit Counseling, attended the University of Northern Iowa and is a graduate of several American Institute of Banking courses...

Two teenagers were injured in a one-car accident at the intersection of Tamms Road and Ullin Road in Pulaski County, Ill. The accident occurred Saturday at 8:10 p.m. The driver of the car, a 16-year-old female from Thebes, Ill., was heading northbound on Tamms Road when she failed to stop at the stop sign and skidded across Ullin Road and into an open field, according to the Illinois State Police...

Cape Girardeau Sunday, July 6 The following items were reported by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI A male was taken into custody Sunday at Bellevue and Sprigg on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Assaults An assault was reported Saturday at 315 S. Lorimier...

Cape Girardeau Sunday, July 6 Firefighters responded Saturday to the following items: At 5:27 p.m., a medical assist at 1126 N. Sprigg. At 8:11 p.m., a citizen assist at 611 S. West End Blvd. At 11:22 p.m., a medical assist at 435 N. Fountain, Apt. 2...

Currently 15,115 people and businesses that reside or once resided in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties have collectively abandoned $758,682, and it's money they're still entitled to. At least one Jackson resident has discovered that the Missouri State Treasurer's Office has been holding his lost property...

7 p.m. tonight City Hall, 401 Independence Study session at 5 p.m. Public hearings A hearing on the request of Rhodes Real Estate Partners and P&J Marketing for a special use permit for a warehouse at 1610 N. Kingshighway. A hearing on the request of Southeast Missouri Hospital Association to rezone the 1700 block of Broadway from C-1, local commercial, to C-3, central business district, for construction of a medical office building and parking garage.Consent ordinances...

7:30 p.m. tonight City Hall Action items Consider motion accepting the bid of PR Developers Inc. of Cape Girardeau in the amount of $726,111.70 relative to sanitary sewer improvements under the Goose Creek Interceptor Sewer Project. Consider bill proposing an ordinance authorizing a contractual agreement with PR Developers Inc. relative to sanitary sewer improvements under the Goose Creek Interceptor Sewer Project...

Riverside library's reading club meets July 15 The summer reading club at the Riverside Regional Library in Jackson will have a program called "Silly Eats" at 9:30 a.m. July 15. Children will be read silly stories. Area parents group meeting this week...

Michelle Fayette is the Executive director at Kenny Rogers Children's Center in Sikeston.Southeast Missourian A photo submitted by Leonard Clayton of Cape Girardeau was published a few months ago on the Faces & Places page of the Southeast Missourian. The original news story was discovered in the Southeast Missourian archives and supplied identification of all the individuals...

Submitted photo Carlton Meyer, Jackson Senior Center president, recently received a 1-acre land donation from John Lichtenegger for the new Jackson Senior Center. Gathered at the center's future site, on West Main Street, were, from left, Evelyn Dollinger, secretary; Virgil Green, board member; Debbie Stockton, administrator; Meyer; Chad Hartle, local senior housing developer; John Lichtenegger; Richard Aguilar, vice president; Donna Lichtenegger; and Willa Dean Propst, board member. ...

Name: Don Gammon Lives in: Jackson Family: My wife's name is Velma. Job: Retired, antiques dealer. What do you like most about the area? I was born and raised here...

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Gateway Area Chapter has opened a new regional office at 1217 N. Kingshighway, Suite 116, Cape Girardeau. The office, which officially opened June 1, serves 11 counties in Illinois and 10 counties in Missouri...

WASHINGTON -- A battle among hackers erupted on the Internet Sunday as some factions disrupted a loosely coordinated "contest" among other groups trying to vandalize thousands of Web sites around the world. Unknown attackers for hours knocked offline an independent security Web site, zone-h.org, that was verifying reports of online vandalism and being used by hackers to tally points for the competition. ...

WASHINGTON -- Despite the 5-4 votes and blistering dissents, the Supreme Court is not fractured, Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Stephen Breyer said in a rare television interview. The justices talked about terrorism, cameras in the courtroom, tough decisions they face, and their legacies in the wide-ranging interview broadcast Sunday on ABC's "This Week."...

WASHINGTON -- The Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Sunday they want President Bush to get congressional approval before he sends any U.S. troops to Liberia. At the same time, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said military leaders would prefer that West African armies take the lead in any effort to end the Liberian conflict and police the peace...

WASHINGTON -- It is increasingly likely that Saddam Hussein is alive, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday. The inability to prove that the deposed Iraqi president and his sons are dead or in custody could mean "a long, hot summer" for U.S. troops in Iraq, said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan...

WASHINGTON -- Members of Congress are returning from Independence Day celebrations with a substantial to-do list for the summer. They must figure out how to allocate money for government programs next year while fulfilling promises of prescription drug coverage for older people and tax rebates to poorer families with children...

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. -- Hilary Lunke and Angela Stanford watched from the tee. Kelly Robbins was in the scoring trailer, her eyes glued to the television. No matter the viewpoint, it was an intimidating sight -- Annika Sorenstam in the middle of the fairway on the par-5 18th, poised to make birdie and win the U.S. Women's Open...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Former employees of St. Joseph Magazine are wondering if the publication will ever have a second issue, but first they're wondering if they'll be paid for work they have already done. The magazine was launched in November 2002 and published its first issue in April, but the second issue never made it to the printers...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Bob Holden was treated at a hospital Sunday night after falling out of a cart while his family was doing yardwork at their cabin in Osage County, a spokesman said. Members of Holden's security team took him by vehicle to University Hospital in Columbia as a precaution, spokesman Jack Cardetti said. Holden was treated and then released around 8 p.m. Sunday...

SULLIVAN, Mo. -- The relaxing river flows calmly, with its mussels and unique species of fish. The surrounding brush, with its armadillos, black bears and tarantulas, is mostly quiet. A cave, its mouth gaping at 90 feet tall, welcomes visitors seeking refuge from the sun...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Some Missourians may find it a little harder to get information from their government as a result of spending cuts caused by the state's financial struggles. State government historically has produced dozens, if not hundreds of publications -- most free to the public. They range from health guides to tourism books to listings of government officials...

BENTON, Ill. -- Derek Freeman reported Joanna missing more than two weeks ago. The 40-pound, 6-feet-6-inch long Asian water monitor made a run for it on June 18 after prying the top of her cage loose. But residents in the Lake Moses area did not find out about the runaway lizard until Tuesday...

Traffic accidents have killed at least 14 people on Missouri roads over the long holiday weekend, authorities said. Last year, 20 people were killed in Missouri traffic accidents during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. This year's holiday period ran from 6 p.m. Thursday to midnight Sunday...

SAVOY, Ill. -- The gizmos and gadgets that rise above a soybean field south of Champaign are helping scientists predict what changes in the Earth's atmosphere are likely to do to crop yields. Rings of tubes emit ozone and carbon dioxide, both of which are expected to increase in the atmosphere in coming years. The gases hang over the crops before dissipating, allowing scientists to mimic predicted atmospheric changes...

OTTERVILLE, Mo. -- Jim Wallenburn found his niche for business success through a quirk of fate. After years of selling rabbits to a Chicago firm, he found a different and more profitable crop -- mice. "I was delivering a load of rabbits in 1984, and they were complaining that their mouse supplier was retiring and they had nowhere to turn. I bought the equipment, brought it home, bought some breeders and let nature take its course," Wallenburn said...

WASHINGTON -- Federal agriculture officials say American farmers will plant the fewest acres of peanuts since 1915, but lawmakers who helped end the crop's old quota system dispute the estimate and predict a sizable harvest. According to Department of Agriculture estimates released last week, about 1.26 million acres of peanuts are expected to be planted this year, down 8 percent from 2002 and 19 percent from 2001. ...

The Associatd Press MEXICO CITY -- Frustrated with President Vicente Fox's failure to deliver on a long list of promises -- including persuading the United States to pay more attention to its southern neighbor -- voters were picking six governors and 500 new lawmakers for Mexico's lower house of Congress on Sunday...

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- The United States agreed Sunday to release 11 Turkish special forces detained in northern Iraq, a Turkish official said, ending a standoff that strained efforts by the NATO allies to repair relations frayed over the Iraq war. The Turkish soldiers would spend the night at a guest house in Baghdad and would be handed over to Turkish officials in Sulaymaniyah "at daylight" today, the high-level government official said on condition of anonymity...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The point-blank shooting of an unarmed British reporter on a Baghdad street and a grenade attack on a U.N. compound raised concern Sunday that Iraq's worsening insurgency -- until now targeting only coalition troops and Iraqis accused of U.S. collaboration -- will spread to Westerners in general...

Landslides kill 21 in central China BEIJING -- Landslides killed 21 people in central China, while authorities prepared Sunday to blast earthen flood barriers to divert river waters running at their highest level in more than a decade, officials and state media reported...

JERUSALEM -- The discovery was a stroke of luck: the light of the setting sun hit an ancient tomb at just the right angle and revealed hints of a worn inscription, unnoticed for centuries, commemorating the father of John the Baptist. "This is the tomb of Zachariah, martyr, very pious priest, father of John," the inscription of 47 Greek letters reads...

QUETTA, Pakistan -- Pakistani police detained 17 men for questioning in connection with a massacre of 44 Shiite Muslims at a mosque in this southwest Pakistani town across the border from Afghanistan, authorities said Sunday. Police, who raided homes in southwestern Pakistan, refused to identify the men or their nationality or give details about the operation...

MOSCOW -- A double suicide bombing that killed 15 people at a Moscow rock festival had a chilling effect on the Russian capital Sunday with mourners at a memorial service worrying about safety in the city and President Vladimir Putin postponing a trip...

LONDON -- An openly gay clergyman whose appointment as a bishop divided the Anglican church has decided not to take up his post, the Church of England said Sunday. The church's spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, said the decision by the Rev. Jeffrey John should give Anglicans "pause for thought."...

SINGAPORE -- Neurosurgeons performing a dangerous, marathon operation to separate Iranian sisters joined at the head grappled today with rerouting a vein as thick as a finger that helps blood flow through the twins' brains. An international team of five neurosurgeons probed the brains of 29-year-old Ladan and Laleh Bijani as a crucial phase began in a historic operation expected to last two to four days, said a spokesman for Singapore's Raffles Hospital...

MONROVIA, Liberia -- Embattled President Charles Taylor accepted an offer of asylum in Nigeria on Sunday, but gave no timeframe for quitting power and insisted the transition must be orderly. He urged the United States to send peacekeepers. The calls by Taylor and Nigeria's leader for a peaceful transition increase pressure on President Bush to send U.S. ...

TOKYO -- The pattern has become scarily familiar. After forging a pact with strangers over the Internet, young Japanese get together to carry out a carefully planned task -- suicide. Just as others may use the Web to plan a vacation or perhaps find a date, some people are turning to it to form death pacts. They trade tips on which rooftops are the best to jump from, which over-the-counter drugs are the most lethal...

PALOMARES, Spain -- In a sunny corner of the world where nothing much ever happened, a fruit wholesaler named Martin Moreno climbed atop a leaking American H-bomb and tried to pry loose a souvenir. Oblivious to the danger from radiation, he poked a screwdriver into a crack, working in vain to secure his prize...

TENGBOCHE, Nepal -- Sting's "Brand New Day" plays in the background as some customers check their e-mail and others choose from a menu offering the likes of pasta, potato chips, Coke, canned beer and apple pie. This busy restaurant is on the trail leading up to the base camp for the teams that try to climb Mount Everest...

NEW YORK -- With his new dating game, "Cupid," Simon Cowell may have everything going for him but timing. The "American Idol" villain premieres "Cupid" on CBS this Wednesday in the midst of a desultory summer of reality programming. There's a glut of series, none particularly good and none breakout hits...

WASHINGTON -- What's in a name? Deep political, economic and cultural concerns, at least when it comes to labeling food made with genetically modified ingredients. In fact, it is such a tempestuous topic that organizers of the world's largest biotechnology conference scrubbed a Canadian proposal to have a panel discuss labeling during last week's gathering here...

Third congenital heart defect gene identified Scientists have identified a third gene that can cause congenital heart defects, a leading cause of death in newborns. A malfunctioning version of the gene, called GATA4, can lead to defects in the formation of the walls that separate the four chambers of the heart...

LOS ANGELES -- The owners of a Southern California egg farm insist they did nothing wrong when they slaughtered 30,000 chickens, quarantined because of a virus, by throwing them into wood chippers. State authorities agreed and decided not to file animal cruelty charges...

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A woman allegedly threw her twin infant sons off a bridge into the Mississippi River, then jumped in herself, screaming incoherently as she fell 75 feet to the water, police said. Several people who were at the river's edge for the city's July Fourth fireworks display Friday jumped in after them. A man rescued one of the 11-month-old boys, then pulled the mother to safety with the help of others...

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Unconventional warfare in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq taught the U.S. Army it needed more unconventional warriors. To increase the pool of potential Special Forces members, officials have started selectively recruiting civilians straight into a program that could make them Green Berets in about two years. It's attracting hundreds more recruits than expected, and they're doing well, Army officials say...

CHICAGO -- Girls born tiny and very premature are more likely than boys born premature to catch up with their peers in growth by age 20, a study found, but the researchers say the difference might actually turn out to favor boys. While it generally has been considered desirable for premature infants to catch up in size with normal-weight infants, studies also have linked unusually rapid growth in childhood with an increased risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes later in life...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The launch of the latest Mars rover, delayed several times in the past two weeks, has been pushed back again. NASA officials said late Saturday that battery problems forced the cancellation of Sunday night's planned launch of the rover Opportunity. NASA wants to try again tonight...

LOS ANGELES -- A new cable channel aimed at showing real American life between the East and West coasts is planned for launch next year, its top executive said. "We think that Middle America has fantastic stories to tell, and we're going to go out there and get them," said Doron Gorshein, chairman and chief executive officer of The America Channel...

NEW YORK -- It's summertime, and business slows for many small companies, giving owners a chance to do some planning and catching up on paperwork and chores. Summer doldrums should also prompt owners to take a look at their companies to be certain all is going well -- for example, being sure that the lull in customer orders or phone calls isn't a sign of trouble...

Knowles, Twain take part in charity concert LONDON -- Beyonce Knowles, Shania Twain, Craig David and David Gray were among a host of singers who took to the stage in London's Hyde Park for an open-air concert to raise money for disadvantaged children...

By Eli Fishman Congress has begun consideration of restrictions on the Pentagon's foreign purchases. The House passed a version of the 2004 defense authorization bill that would strengthen buy-American laws. Under the new legislation, 65 percent of components in items purchased by the Department of Defense would have to be U.S.-made. Under current regulations, there is a requirement for only 50 percent to be U.S.-made...

MEAUX, France -- Lance Armstrong was hoping for an uneventful start to the Tour de France -- no crashes, nothing to disrupt his quest for a record-tying fifth win. It didn't quite work out that way. The 31-year-old Texan was thrown from his bike Sunday in a dramatic pileup involving about 35 riders sprinting for the finish of the first full stage of the Tour...

It took me a minute to realize I was, in fact, still in the same decade when I returned from a vacation last week. The confusion: A guy named Bo was big news in baseball, the Terminator was back at the movies and the Cubs were in first place. But then there's the All-Stars, where two foreign players were leading the Majors in the voting. ...

DENVER -- Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant turned himself in to police and posted a $25,000 bond on a felony count of sexual assault, the Eagle County sheriff's office said Sunday. The 24-year-old All-Star guard was released after turning himself in on Friday...

NEW YORK -- Some of baseball's biggest stars aren't All-Stars this year. Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez missed the cut for the July 15 game in Chicago. Instead, Hideki Matsui, Albert Pujols and Carlos Delgado were among the new faces picked Sunday by fans...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- For Bryan Herta, miles per gallon was just as important as miles per hour. As one leader, then another, pitted late in the Kansas Indy 300 on Sunday, Herta drafted behind the lapped Robbie Buhl and hoped he had enough fuel left in his tank...

Capahas finish event with consolation title VALMEYER, Ill. -- The Craftsman Union Capahas claimed the consolation trophy Sunday with a 4-2 win over Fairview Heights (Ill.) in a three-day tournament at Valmeyer. The Capahas (25-2) took a 2-0 lead early on doubles by Lance Seasor and Steve Kress, then broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fourth on home runs by Kress and Dave Lawson -- his fourth in three tournament games...

Virginia Maxwell and Jacquie Council are arguing as they spend the early morning walking the perimeter of a suburban Maryland mall. "They keep dropping the interest rates," says Maxwell, 79, who retired from the Department of the Navy in 1978. "I need that interest to live."...

NEW YORK -- It may seem obvious, but one of the main reasons people get into trouble with debt is that they've never developed good spending habits. It can be a real challenge in a society that thrives on consumerism: spending by consumers accounts for two-thirds of the U.S. economy. Yet bad buying decisions and overspending can leave a family with too little in savings for college tuition and retirement, and too much debt...

It's a thought-provoking question for Jeff Brune. How well would he function if ATMs had never been invented? "I honestly don't know if I would be able to," admits the Cape Girardeau resident and executive director of Cape County Transit Authority. "I don't remember the last time I have gone to a bank and written a check to get cash. Why would you when it's so easy to stop at any ATM and do it faster?"...

Ron Acord and his neighbors aren't used to the silent treatment, not after midnight when late-night bar patrons crowd the streets, frequently sparking fights, littering, vandalism, loud music and yelling. But all was peaceful at 1:30 a.m. on June 27 when Acord looked out his front door. "I expected to see the after-bar crowd. I looked out there and there was nothing," said Acord, who lives at 402 S. Ellis at the intersection with Morgan Oak...

In the latter part of the 19th century, on an acre of land he donated, Julius Albrecht built a one-room schoolhouse on the family farm east of what is now Scott City. Many farm children from the area went through their first eight grades at Head School before it closed in 1940. Among them were Julius' grandson, George, and seven of George's brothers and sisters...

The Jackson Police Department is still working out of a temporary office, two months after the station was one of the first buildings hit by a tornado that ripped through the town on May 6. Just like Dorothy, the department has realized something. There's no place like the corner of West Jackson Boulevard and Hope Street...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri would join a growing number of states taking steps to strengthen protections against government intrusions into religious practice under legislation waiting to be signed into law. Shifting court interpretations that expanded the scope of the government's power to regulate religious practice in recent years prompted several states, including neighboring Illinois, to enact various versions of what is known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act...

JERUSALEM -- Israel took a step toward meeting a key Palestinian demand by agreeing Sunday to release some of the 5,000 prisoners it holds, but Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the limited move will be conditioned on the Palestinians dismantling militant groups...

They applied a smudge of Botox to smooth out the wrinkles. Then, they tucked a tummy here and performed some liposuction there. It's been some makeover. And why not? We are a looks-obsessed society. Now, the cosmetic surgery is nearly done, and it's time to say so long to the drab old Holiday Inn Convention Center and hello to the much prettier Plaza Conference Center...

10 years ago: July 8, 1993 Missouri National Guard's 1140th Engineer Battalion in Cape Girardeau has been placed on alert and its Company D at Farmington activated to assist flood-fighting along Mississippi River; in addition, U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson is trying to corral assistance -- from President Clinton, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy and Gov. Mel Carnahan -- to help victims of Midwest's current flooding...

Wert Son to Robert and Kaye Wert of Fort Bragg, N.C., Womack Army Medical Center in Fort Bragg, 2:47 a.m. Saturday, April 12, 2003. Name, Thomas Gabriel. Weight, 8 pounds. Mrs. Wert is the former Kaye McClard, daughter of Dorothy and Nelson Coomer of Cleburne, Texas, and the late Rick McClard of Jackson. Wert is the son of Robert and Judy Wert of Grant, Mich. He is serving with the U.S. Army Special Forces...

BLODGETT, Mo. -- Dale Riley, 67, of Blodgett, died Monday, July 7, 2003, at the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 14, 1936, in Blodgett, son of Rollie Roy and Annie Laura Oldham Riley. He worked as a meat cutter 32 years for the Kroger company throughout Southeast Missouri and Arkansas...

Tempa P. Simmons, 58, of Scott City, died Monday, July 7, 2003, at her home. Arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City.

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Helen Z. Naugle, 93, of Ozark County, Mo., formerly of Chaffee, died Thursday, June 26, 2003, at Bixby Manor Healthcare in Bixby, Okla. She was born June 16, 1910, at Brixey, Mo., daughter of Marion and Nancy North Bushong. She and Orville A. Naugle were married May 30, 1925, at Romance, Mo...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- James Edward Fowler, 66, of Charleston died Monday, July 7, 2003, at his home. He was born Oct. 12, 1936, in East Prairie, Mo., son of James Aubrey and Rosie Edna Priester Fowler. He and Candy Marleen Cramner were married Oct. 4, 1983...

ANNA, Ill. -- Larry Joe Bloodworth, 53, of Anna died Sunday, July 6, 2003, at John Cochran Veterans Medical Center in St. Louis. He was born Aug. 11, 1949, in Anna, son of George and Lenore Thomas Bloodworth. Bloodworth was a member of Carroll P. Foster VFW Post 3455...

BRAZEAU, Mo. -- Elizabeth Louise "Betty Lou" Balser, 76, of Tulsa, Okla., died June 29, 2003, at her home. She was born Oct. 16, 1926, at Brazeau, daughter of Edwin and Fern Knox. She and Richard L. Balser were married March 6, 1954. Balser was a graduate of Perryville High School and Southeast Missouri State University. She worked with Missouri Public Health Department, and had been manager of the laboratory in Sikeston, Mo...

Jennie R. Aldredge, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, July 2, 2003, at Ratliff Care Center. She was born Nov. 29, 1916, in Bonner Springs, Kan., daughter of Hugh and Viola Jane Morgan Gallagher. She and John Angus Aldredge were married Sept. 25, 1936. He died March 4, 1994...

William S. Wickham Jr., 62, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, July 7, 2003, at his home. He was born June 14, 1941, in Cape Girardeau, son of William S. and Mary Evelyn Martin Wickham Sr. He and Sharon L. Patterson were married Oct. 17, 1970, in Thebes, Ill...

Hazel L. Saupe, 90, of Shawneetown died Monday, July 7, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson is in charge of arrangements.

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- J.P. Montgomery, 89, of Keller, Texas, formerly of Chaffee, died Sunday, July 6, 2003, at Baylor Hospital in Grapevine, Texas. He was born April 23, 1914, in Wiseman, Ark., son of Ulysses Palmer and Frances Myrtle Pinkston Montgomery. He and Kathryn Bowden were married Nov. 18, 1935. She died April 1, 2000...

Opposing the war ISN'T IT interesting that people are still bashing the United Nations and France even though events have shown that their understanding of the situation in Iraq was far superior than that of President Bush and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld? It reminds one of Vietnam. The people who favored that war were never able to forgive the people who opposed it just because they were right...

To the editor: I am amazed at some of the letters you publish, the latest regarding the liberal bias in the media. Give me a break. It is my opinion that CBS, ABC and NBC are still living in the dark ages of TV journalism. They are not liberal by any means. If they were, they would be attacking President Bush every night the way the media used to attack Bill Clinton...

To the editor: George Bush really went over the edge last week. His taunting the Iraqi opposition to "bring 'em on" indicates very poor judgment. I remember my Navy days. If President Ford had done that, it would have made me feel really betrayed...

To the editor: I recently attended a Harrison College of Business retirement party for Frank Chong and Jim Buckenmyer. They represent 56 years of teaching experience. They cannot and will not be replaced. Each has received significant recognition for their teaching prowess...

Cape Legion picks up pair of forfeits Cape Girardeau Ford and Sons Senior Legion team picked up a pair of forfeit wins Monday night. Fulton, Ky., did not make the trip to Capaha Park due to a lack of players. Fulton only had seven players available...

It isn't unusual for the Missouri Department of Transportation to present a solution to a road problem and have local motorists totally disagree. Remember the temporary fix to Scott City's complicated Interstate 55 interchange? MoDOT is in the process of promoting another quick fix there...

After three years of bloody hostilities, there has been an encouraging -- if fragile -- step toward peace in the Middle East. Three major Palestinian groups have declared a temporary cease-fire, and Israel has withdrawn military forces out of part of the Gaza Strip...

Bullets fly and so does the blood and gore in a new and ultimately disappointing Xbox title, "Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix." You play as John Mullins, a military "consultant" hired by a covert agency known as The Shop to combat evildoers around the world...

NEW ORLEANS -- It's basic economics: The supply of students who know much about money is woefully scarce, driving a demand for schools to do more -- fast. Alan Greenspan, for one, a man who can make markets move in a few words, is campaigning for students to improve their fundamental money skills. Trouble is, many students have no idea who the federal reserve chairman is or what he does...

Notre Dame graduate gets four scholarships Cody Bell, a 2003 graduate of Notre Dame Regional High School, has received the Missouri Bright Flight Scholarship, Curator's Scholarship to University of Missouri-Columbia, St. John's Mercy Medical Center Auxiliary Scholarship and the Elks Club Most Valuable Student Scholarship...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. The playgrounds, like so much in Gigi McGaughey's 4-year-old world, are not the way her parents remember. No 12-foot-tall metal slides shimmer and bake under the summer sun. The hulking jungle gyms where girls would hang by their knees, ponytails dangling over hard asphalt below, have been dismantled. It is hard to find those kid-powered merry-go-rounds that used to give giddy gut-level lessons in centrifugal force...

Adults should always supervise children. Check that children play on equipment that is appropriate for their age. Check that the playground area is cushioned. A fall-zone should extend at least 6 feet in all directions from the equipment. Areas around swings should extend, in the back and front, twice the height of the suspending bar...

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- Barbara McAndrews stood back and watched her four children scramble across a rope bridge and jump onto planks floating in 2 1/2 feet of water. They used long poles to propel themselves, Huck Finn-style, across the manmade lake...

Cape Girardeau Tuesday, July 8 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Elmer L. Sides, 28, of 724 S. Sprigg, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Monday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, driving while suspended and tampering.Arrests...