Stories from Saturday, August 9, 2003

A Cape Girardeau exotic dancer venue changed its name in recent weeks, but its troubles remain the same. Police ticketed a manager and four employees Thursday night at Stephanie's Cabaret, formerly Regina's House of Dolls, at 805 Enterprise. Though the name changed, the ownership remains the same, said Lt. Ike Hammonds...

ON THE MISSOURI RIVER -- Standing on his tugboat Mel Sue as it muscles another sand-filled barge to the Missouri River's shore, Gerald Engemann wonders how much longer he'll be able to make a living. For more than two decades Engemann has co-owned a sand-dredging business near the east-central Missouri town of Hermann. He reshapes the river's bottom and sells the sand, easing the passage of barges in what he calls "one big recycling program."...

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. -- Donald Garcia watched as a funnel cloud with winds over 100 mph tore off his mobile home's awning then hopped across the street, uprooting an old oak tree and slamming it into a neighbor's home. He screamed to his wife and ran with her into a bathroom, waiting out the tornado as it picked up dozens of nearby homes and smashed them onto their sides, demolishing them and their contents...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Terrorism suspect Zacarias Moussaoui was part of a conspiracy to fly an airliner into the White House, a prosecutor alleged in a transcript released Friday, raising the possibility of other would-be hijackers. While previous court documents said Moussaoui spoke of plans to crash a plane into the White House, it was unclear how he could do so without help if the 19 hijackers involved in the Sept. 11 attack were committed to four other airplanes...

NEW YORK -- A Pakistani man held for four months in the government's terrorism investigation was charged Friday with entering the United States to help clear the way for an al-Qaida associate to sneak in after him. Uzair Paracha, 23, detained as a material witness since his March arrest in New York, waved and smiled to more than a dozen family members as he entered U.S. District Court in Manhattan for a brief appearance. He was held pending a bail hearing next week...

Incineration of chemical weapons to continue WASHINGTON -- A federal judge cleared the way Friday for the Army to begin destroying Cold War-era chemical weapons at a military facility in Alabama, rejecting environmentalists' claims the process could endanger residents...

NABLUS, West Bank -- Israeli troops raiding a West Bank bomb lab killed three Palestinians on Friday, including two Hamas members, prompting threats of revenge from the Islamic militant group's military wing. An Israeli soldier also died. However, the five-week-old truce between Israelis and Palestinians was thought likely to survive. Hamas political leaders suggested privately they would not call off the cease-fire, and in public statements refrained from making threats against Israel...

UNITED NATIONS -- Bangladesh and Namibia agreed to contribute more than 5,000 troops for a United Nations peacekeeping force for Liberia, U.N. officials and diplomats said Friday. The U.N. force will replace a West African force that has already begun deploying to Liberia...

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Hezbollah guerrillas shelled Israeli positions in a disputed border region for the first time in eight months Friday, drawing Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire and a sharp rebuke from the United States. Hezbollah said its 2-hour attack was in retaliation for the killing of a Hezbollah security official Saturday south of Beirut. Hezbollah blamed Israel for killing Ali Hussein Saleh, who died when a bomb tore apart his car...

ST. LOUIS -- The story of Quentin, the "miracle dog" spared after somehow surviving the animal pound's gas chamber, appears to have taken on a life of its own. "He's on the news like every 30 minutes," including on CNN, said an exasperated Randy Grim, who spent much of Thursday fielding hundreds of calls and e-mails nationwide from would-be adopters of the dog he's now tending...

ST. LOUIS -- There's a pattern in this city that outrages health officials and parents: the first sign of lead poisoning often comes not from testing homes, but from testing children. St. Louis ranks in the top 5 percent of American cities for lead problems, and that's with only about 40 percent of the city's children being tested for lead poisoning...

CARTHAGE, Mo. -- A Kansas man was fatally stabbed Friday in a confrontation between two gangs at the Marian Days Celebration, a national religious festival held each year in southwest Missouri, police said. Carthage police chief Dennis Veach said Quoc Phu Pham, 22, of Wichita, was stabbed multiple times and died from a wound to his chest. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- At least one school board member thinks it's a bad idea for the Kansas City School District to pay $15,000 for a singer to perform at a back-to-school bash for educators. Oleta Adams, who lives in the Kansas City area, will perform at the Aug. 18 convocation at Community of Christ Auditorium in Independence...

By Eli Fishman A recent report issued by the National Bureau of Economic Research determined the U.S. economy went into recession in March 2001 and lasted only eight months. Thus, in the period subsequent to November 2001, we apparently were not in recession. This report was the source of considerable optimism...

and Mike Wells ~ Southeast Missourian Someone in Southeast Missouri just became a lottery millionaire, but no one is saying who it is. That includes the folks at the Jackson store that sold the ticket, Country Mart at 309 E. Jackson Blvd., though the store is labeled with a Day-Glo yellow sign proclaiming, "Yes, we sold it!"...

The AssociatedPress WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Jeff Gordon's miserable season took a positive turn Friday when NASCAR's king of the road won the pole with a record-shattering run at Watkins Glen International. The four-time Winston Cup champion -- with a record seven victories on road courses -- sped around the 2.45-mile serpentine track at 124.580 mph. It was the second pole this season for Gordon, a distant third in the points standings with only one victory...

MADISON, Ill. -- Sam Hornish Jr. has seen the future and he likes it -- a lot. As the top team in the IndyCar Series standings using Chevrolet engines, Hornish's Pennzoil/Panther Racing got to race two weeks ago in Michigan with the latest edition of the Chevy motors...

ST. LOUIS -- Russ Ortiz worked into the ninth inning to become the second 16-game winner in the major leagues, and the Atlanta Braves hit four home runs in a 7-2 victory over the Cardinals Friday night. Ortiz (16-5) allowed two runs on five hits in eight-plus innings, joining Roy Halladay of the Blue Jays as the top winners. He's won nine of his last 10 and has never lost consecutive decisions, bouncing back in this one after a loss in his last start to the Dodgers...

Hoping to see more of his favorite two athletes, Oran coach Mitch Wood is stepping aside as the high school boys basketball coach after a 10-year run. Wood, who never had a losing seasons while directing the Eagles, is hoping to catch his son Ryne and daughter Mindi pursue athletic endeavors...

Former Jackson High School star running back Mario Whitney, saying he needed a fresh start somewhere far away from home, is giving the state of Arizona a try -- and he hopes to have more football in his future. Whitney, who originally signed with the University of Missouri before leaving school in February and later considered transferring to Southeast Missouri State University, recently moved to Scottsdale, Ariz...

WACO, Texas -- Baylor basketball coach Dave Bliss resigned Friday over major violations in his program uncovered following the disappearance and death of a player and charges he was killed by a former teammate. "I'm the head coach, and I'm accountable for everything that goes on in my program," Bliss said in a hastily arranged campus news conference. "I accept that responsibility. I intend to cooperate fully as the inquiry continues. I'll do whatever I can to make things right."...

Southeast volleyball gains academic honor Southeast Missouri State University's volleyball team has been given an American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award. The award honors collegiate teams that maintain at least a 3.30 cumulative gradepoint average. Southeast was one of 35 Division I programs chosen. The Otahkians had a team GPA of 3.40 last season...

Maurice Clarett was never really a college student and from the look -- and smell -- of things, he won't be a college athlete much longer, either. Here's one clue to how close to gone Clarett is: Ohio State coach Jim Tressel didn't save a spot for his suspended star in Wednesday's team picture. Back in the days of the old Soviet Union, when Tressel was a kid, getting left (or edited) out of official Kremlin photos was guaranteed to be hazardous to your health...

MOBERLY, Mo. -- The impressive season for Cape Girardeau's Ford & Sons American Legion baseball team ended Friday with two losses in the state tournament. Cape, after winning its first-round game Thursday in the four-team event, fell to Blue Springs 13-3 in a winner's bracket final stopped after seven innings by the 10-run rule, then was eliminated by Joplin 7-5 in the loser's bracket final...

WICHITA, Kan. -- The Craftsman Union Capahas were eliminated from the National Baseball Congress World Series after a 7-4 loss to the St. Joseph Saints on Friday. The loss in the elimination game ended the Capahas' season at 32-8. The Capahas, who were shut out by Pueblo. Colo., in the opening round, struggled offensively again in its second game. The Capahas managed just six hits against the Saints and finished the tournament with nine...

When the final installment of the movie trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" hits theaters in December, one of the early scenes will show King Theoden making a victory speech while surrounded by his soldiers and women and children. Unless he's brutally thrown onto the cutting room floor, one of those soldiers will be Cape Girardeau native Warren Williams...

About 100 horses were kept in a few corrals at Flickerwood Arena Friday. Most of them were skittish around people, and all were a little rough around the edges from a lack of grooming. But they all have potential. For many, that potential -- and a cheap price -- is worth the risk of adopting a wild horse...

WASHINGTON -- Coming soon to your mailbox, advertising shaped like a sports car or a stop sign, a hula doll or hamburger. Indeed, almost anything an artist can conceive. Customized MarketMail begins Monday, offering advertisers a chance to think outside the envelope and send material that really shows their products to buyers...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Aug. 9 Firefighters responded Thursday to the following items: At 5:07 p.m., motor vehicle accident at Interstate 55. At 6:02 p.m., motor vehicle accident at Bloomfield and Benton. Firefighters responded Friday to the following items: At 8:41 a.m., medical assist at 25 S. Sprigg, No. 10...

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Suspected rebels set off a car bomb Friday outside a violence-wracked town in eastern Colombia, killing five civilians, including two children, police said. Four others, including a soldier, were wounded in the explosion near the Saravena airport and a Colombian military base where U.S. Special Forces have been training Colombian troops, Gen. Luis Alfredo Rodriguez said...

LONDON -- Seven Westerners jailed in Saudi Arabia over a series of bombings that killed one person arrived back in Britain Friday after being freed and deported by Saudi authorities. Canadian William Sampson and Briton Alexander Mitchell were sentenced to death in October 2001, while Britons James Lee, James Cottle, Les Walker and Peter Brandon were given prison sentences...

PARIS -- The death toll inched up Friday from a European heat wave -- a stagnant blanket of dry, hot air that has fueled wildfires, dried up river beds and proved devastating to farm animals. The number of deaths in Spain jumped from 16 to 19, with the latest victims all elderly: two women killed by heat stroke and a man who died while doing farm work...

PHILADELPHIA -- When Joe and Jessie McGee's 7-year-old son died of complications from a heart attack this year, they received e-mails recalling his cheerfulness and courage in the face of lifelong medical problems. The messages came from a preschool teacher, a neighbor and even an adult brother, all of them participating in the latest in funeral trends: virtual sympathy notes...

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Kurt Warner can spread the warning to the rest of the NFL's quarterbacks: Charles Woodson is healthy and hungry again. Woodson intercepted Warner on the Rams' first series, and Madre Hill rushed for 63 yards and a score as the Oakland Raiders beat St. Louis 7-6 Friday night in both teams' colorless exhibition opener...

Of all the people who have had a hand in helping turn around Southeast Missouri State University's football program, perhaps none are prouder than the four starters from local high schools. Linebacker O.J. Turner (Central), defensive tackle Caleb Daniel (Jackson), tight end Ray Goodson (Jackson) and placekicker Derek Kutz (St. ...

CHICAGO -- One year after West Nile Virus began its surge in Illinois, health officials say they have not yet seen signs that the mosquito-born illness, now rapidly spreading through 16 other states, will do the same here. No state was hit harder by West Nile in 2002 than Illinois, where 884 people were afflicted and 66 were killed. But as of Friday, there had been no reported human cases this year, said Tammy Leonard, spokeswoman for the state Department Public Health...

CRAWFORD, Texas -- President Bush claimed major progress in Iraq on Friday, but mourned the growing loss of American lives 100 days after he declared an end to major combat. "We suffer when we lose life," the president said. "Our country is a country that grieves with those who sacrifice."...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Baghdad is at the height of a summer that is long, hot -- and violent. As police return to the war-shattered streets to try to restore order, they are finding themselves in the middle of an unprecedented crime wave. While the state-sponsored violence of Saddam Hussein's regime is gone, so is the iron fist of the police state it used to keep Iraqis in check. ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- While officials haven't compiled the toll of Iraq's current crime wave, they are beginning to try to tally casualties from the war itself. Iraq's Health Ministry last week asked all hospitals and clinics in Iraq to send in details of civilians wounded or killed in the war. It doesn't expect to have results for weeks, and concedes that even then its final numbers will be incomplete...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A little over a year after closing its regional offices, the state Department of Economic Development said Friday it is bringing back the concept -- but with workers based at its central office. State budget troubles led the department to close seven regional offices last June -- in St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Dexter, Trenton, Moberly and Houston -- to save an estimated $1 million in personnel costs...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State tax revenue grew as Missouri started its new fiscal year last month -- an encouraging sign for a cash-strapped government but not yet a cause for celebration, the state's budget director said Friday. The monthly state Revenue Department report shows Missouri's general revenue grew 8.4 percent in July when compared to the same month one year ago...

TOKYO -- A typhoon packing winds of up to 136 miles per hour battered Japan on Friday, snarling traffic, cutting electricity and killing three people. Three others were missing and dozens of people suffered minor injuries, police and media reports said...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- One indication of how Missouri schools are coping with huge state funding cuts could come in November when a new list of financially stressed school districts is announced. Schools have until Aug. 15 to submit financial reports to the state from the fiscal year that ended June 30. ...

Daily Statesman DEXTER, Mo. -- Bloomfield bullrider Danny Griffin, 14, died on Wednesday at St. Louis Children's Hospital from injuries sustained during a rodeo. Griffin was injured on July 19 at the 40th annual Fredericktown Lions Club Rodeo, an International Professional Rodeo Association sanctioned event...

Cape Girardeau County Saturday, Aug. 9 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Melinda C. Jackson, 20, of Cape Girardeau, was arrested Aug. 1 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Aug. 9 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Marcus E. Woodson, 38, of 400 S. Broadway, Apt. 19, Poplar Bluff, Mo., was arrested Thursday on a Cape Girardeau warrant for failure to appear...

Jackson is moving closer to stricter regulations for fireworks after careful consideration by the board of aldermen. Board members seem to be handling the issue well, launching their discussion after a firefighter whose home was burned down by a misdirected bottle rocket asked them to take up the matter...

Leadership Cape always has been about teaching groups of 25 to 30 professional individuals in the community what makes Cape Girardeau tick as a city. Each year, a new class learns about city government that serves us and the police and fire departments that protect us. They visit both hospitals to discover what health-care options are available and what new medical technology the community enjoys...

John "Lucky" Allgood, 79, of Cape Girardeau passed away Thursday, Aug. 7, 2003, at the Lutheran Home. He was born June 23, 1924, at Lutesville, Mo., son of Dewy and Bessie Hahn Allgood. He and Rosemary Hohler were married April 10, 1947. John enlisted in the U.S. ...

Floyd Wayne Niswonger, 91, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2003, at the Lutheran Home. He was born Aug. 4, 1912, at Oran, Mo., son of Peter Cephas and Sudie F. Stoffel Niswonger. He first married Dorothy Austin in 1929. He and Laura Propst were married March 9, 1963, at Scott City...

ANNA, Ill. -- Opal A. Swink, 81, of Anna died Thursday, Aug. 7, 2003, at Jonesboro Healthcare Center. She was born May 19, 1922, in Alto Pass, Ill., daughter of Willis A. and Clara Allen. She and Floyd J. Swink were married March 8, 1940, in Mayfield, Ky. He died Aug. 21, 1974...

CYPRESS, Ill. -- Milas Dillow, 78, of Cypress died Friday, Aug. 8, 2003, at his home. He was born Jan. 9, 1925, in Anna, Ill., son of John and Edna Speck Dillow. He and Della Sivia were married in 1956 at Anna. Dillow was an auto mechanic. Survivors include his wife; a son, Milas Etherton of Carbondale, Ill.; a sister, Velma Sivia of Cypress; and a brother, Ray Dillow of Bush, Ill...

10 years ago: Aug. 9, 1993 Area relief organizations have pooled their efforts to create "grocery store," where people don't need money to take home plenty of food for their families; in old IGA building, 80 Plaza Way, aisle after aisle is stocked with food, clothing and cleaning supplies to be distributed to flood victims; center is result of efforts of Salvation Army, American Red Cross, FISH, Church Word Services and East Missouri Action Agency...

Shoemaker Son to Renee Danielle Shoemaker of Jackson, St. Francis Medical Center, 8:25 a.m. Friday, July 25, 2003. Name, Caedyn Michael. Weight, 5 pounds 3 1/2 ounces. First child. Ms. Shoemaker is the daughter of Vicky Shoemaker and David Shoemaker of Jackson...

Leave it alone I'VE BEEN going to the Southeast Missouri State University football and basketball games for a long time. If they don't leave it the way it is, I'll never go to another game. And another thing, a lot of people have told me the same thing...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Just when California's wounded economy needs a little tender loving care, a rancorous recall election comes along that could inflict more pain. Experts say the political turmoil could scare off business, delay needed reforms and cause economic fallout nationwide...