Stories from Monday, November 24, 2003

GEORGE, South Africa -- After 34 matches between the best two teams in the world, and three exhilarating playoff holes between the best two players in the world, the Presidents Cup was declared a tie Sunday. Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, playing against each other with 11 guys counting on them, parred all three playoff holes before darkness fell on the Links Course at Fancourt...

Jackson graduate joins accounting firm Patrick W. Kintner, a 1992 graduate of Jackson High School, recently joined the accounting firm of Stanley, Dirnberger, Hopper & Associates in Cape Girardeau. Kintner is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia. ...

A flood-control project in Cape Girardeau that has cost taxpayers $40 million is finished. But many residents are still paying for flood insurance they don't need. Jackson is the fastest-growing city in Southeast Missouri, adding housing and business developments every month. But insurers still use maps from the 1970s to decide whether homeowners need expensive flood coverage...

Jackson's city government and school district have taken a leap forward in working together to get something they both want: a recreation center to make life better for students and residents. The two entities have been entertaining the idea for months. The high school would like to expand its space and its offerings for students, and the city currently doesn't offer any public indoor recreation or meeting facility...

COBDEN, Ill. -- Juanita Johnson, 80, of Cobden died Saturday, Nov. 22, 2003, at her home. She was born Aug. 19, 1923, at Cobden, daughter of Clarence Franklin and Edna Estelle Pearson Aldridge. She and James Henry Johnson were married Feb. 1, 1941, at Jackson, Mo. He died Nov. 4, 1978...

Clara M. Statler, 93, formerly of Advance, Mo., died Sunday, Nov. 23, 2003, at Care Center of Vernon, Ala. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Morgan Funeral Home.

Lena Marie Mehner, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Nov. 23, 2003, at her home. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Dorothy M. Williams, 73, of Charleston, Mo., died Friday, Nov. 21, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 24, 1929, in rural Charleston, daughter of Willie and Ethel Jordan Grey. She and Kasel Williams were married Aug. 19, 1948. He died Oct. 6, 1998...

Shirley Metcalf, 67, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Nov. 22, 2003, at Monticello House in Jackson. She was born Aug. 29, 1936, daughter of William Buford and Lucille Gettings McKenzie. She and Bobby Metcalf were married Dec. 26, 1957. She was a member of the Church of God in Chaffee and was the piano player there for many years...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Gerald L. "Jerry" Crites, 80, of Marble Hill died Saturday, Nov. 22, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born May 25, 1923, son of William and Virgie Sample Crites. He and Oma L. Wiseman were married Dec. 9, 1945. She died July 4, 1999...

10 years ago: Nov. 24, 1993 Attorney John W. Grimm of Cape Girardeau has been named by Gov. Mel Carnahan to fill vacancy as circuit judge in 32nd Judicial District; Grimm is partner in law firm of Limbaugh, Russell, Payne and Howard. After three-hour meeting Tuesday, members of two city advisory boards seem poised to work out compromise on $4 million proposal to expand recreation and convention facilities; Parks and Recreation and Convention and Visitors Bureau boards have clashed over plans for multi-use building at Osage Park and concessions building at Shawnee Park softball complex.. ...

Hospitals honored in statewide contest The marketing and communications departments at St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital both received statewide recognition for public relations and communications projects produced during the last year...

WASHINGTON -- Hoping to rescue energy legislation stalled in the Senate, Republicans were discussing elimination of a controversial provision to give legal protection to the makers of MTBE, a gasoline additive found to contaminate drinking water, officials said...

BEIJING -- When Jim Small eyes China, he dreams big: seventh-inning stretches in Shanghai, home runs in Harbin, scouts scouring Suzhou for the new Sammy Sosa. In short, baseball -- pure, old-fashioned American baseball -- barnstorming its way across the land of Mao...

By Mark Shermam ~ The Associated Press WASHINGTON -- The Senate Democratic leader promised a vigorous fight Sunday against the Medicare prescription drug bill, one of President Bush's top priorities, which passed the House only after an unprecedented three-hour vote...

MOSUL, Iraq -- Iraqi teenagers dragged two bloodied U.S. soldiers from a wrecked vehicle and pummeled them with concrete blocks Sunday, witnesses said, describing the killings as a burst of savagery in a city once safe for Americans. Witnesses to the Mosul attack said gunmen shot two soldiers driving through the city center, sending their vehicle crashing into a wall. The 101st Airborne Division said the soldiers were driving to another garrison...

PATTON, Mo. -- A case of missing money in the Meadow Heights School District dates back more than a year, but officials there say how much was taken is still unknown. Superintendent Mike Miller said he expects to receive financial records from the school district's bank this week that should pinpoint the exact amount of money believed to be stolen by a former employee...

Jade Esteban Estrada will perform his one-man show, "Icons: The Lesbian and Gay History of the World, Vol. 1," tonight and Tuesday at the University Center in Cape Girardeau. Five years ago, Estrada was a closeted Latino singer performing at a gay pride festival in Utica, N.Y. ...

NEW YORK -- Not that long ago, a fashion doll meant Barbie wearing a taffeta gown and driving a pink Corvette. This holiday season, there's a range of fashion dolls marketed in a variety of images. At one end of the spectrum are Disney Princesses that are all about fantasy, and the popular American Girls that serve as ways to teach children history lessons. ...

By Josh Dubow ~ The Associated Press This sure turned out to be a good week for the folks that run the Bowl Championship Series. Losses by Ohio State and TCU will help quiet much of the controversy that surrounds the BCS now that the matchup between the two top teams is on track for the Sugar Bowl...

NEW YORK -- Card playing -- an activity that filled the evening hours before television was invented -- has improbably become one of TV's hottest programming trends. After less than a year, the "World Poker Tour" is already the Travel Channel's most popular series ever, a status NBC Sports took note of last week in announcing it would air a poker game on Super Bowl Sunday...

TBILISI, Georgia -- Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze resigned Sunday, after the opposition threatened to seize his residence and his support began to crack, with soldiers joining tens of thousands of protesters in the streets of the capital. The crowd of protesters massed in front of parliament erupted into cheers and waved flags after opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili went on national television and announced the president's resignation...

NEOSHO, Mo. -- Christina McReynolds is afraid she won't be alive for Christmas, so her family and friends will celebrate the holiday a month early when they gather at her home tonight. The 10-year-old Neosho girl was diagnosed with a heart defect a few months before her third birthday, and now she is in the final stages of rejecting a 3-year-old double-lung implant...

Basketball Orlando Magic forward Pat Garrity will have knee surgery on Dec. 1 and expects to miss most, if not all, of the season. College Tennessee State University's Charles Anthony was named the Ohio Valley Conference's offensive player of the week after he rushed for a career-high 194 yards and one touchdown on 38 carries in a 35-10 victory over Murray State...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Sharay Nicole Williams, 20, of 101 N. Ellis, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of stealing at 105 West Park Mall...

submitted (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Amaani Lyle) SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Staff Sgt. Brian Little helps a German shepherd, Art, get into attack mode. Little uses an arm wrap made of tough plastic, leather and a burlap covering to protect himself from injury. The dogs, much like airmen, must attend technical school and undergo on-the-job-training. The dogs attend school at Lackland Air Force Base,Texas...

Name: Gail Babers Lives in: Cape Girardeau Family: Six kids (a girl and five boys), 13 grandkids and counting. Job: Information and assistance specialist at the Area Agency on Aging...

MEXICO CITY -- It's a trade war being fought in the streets: Mexico's army of 1.6 million street vendors is resisting police attempts to confiscate imports from China, and the government has responded with everything from buy-Mexican ads to a special anti-import police squad...

FYI, a sister publication of Forbes magazine, had an inspiring article on "Pep Speeches -- You Can Do It" by Christopher Buckley. Here are some excerpts: When Aeschines spoke, the people said, "How well he speaks." But when Demosthenes spoke, they said, "Let us march!"...

ST. LOUIS -- Charles Montgomery recently priced a last-minute round trip to Chicago. American Airline's fare was $250 from St. Louis; at the Southwest Airlines counter, the walk-up fare was $80. He said Southwest's seating was tighter for passengers. "But I'll grin and bear it instead of flying American."...

EUREKA, Mo. (AP) -- A St. Louis-area wolf sanctuary known for its breeding of endangered species may be getting a much bigger home. The Wild Canid Survival and Research Center, now situated on 65 acres of Washington University's Tyson Research Center, is awaiting approval for a planned move to a 610-acre site just south of Eureka in northwest Jefferson County...

When Meriwether Lewis stepped off the keelboat at Cape Girardeau on Nov. 23, 1803, he wasn't greeted by a parade or a fife and drum corps that announced his arrival. Instead, he went to the Red House hoping to meet with the trading post's owner, Don Louis Lorimier. Lewis had to wait for Lorimier to return from a horse race before the two could be introduced...

CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- One jury heard hours of sniper suspect Lee Boyd Malvo's taped confessions, punctuated by his giggles and sound effects and proud descriptions of a paramilitary mission to extort money in the nation's capital region. Another jury, looking for insight into the mind of convicted sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad as they decide whether to recommend the death penalty, has seen little beyond old home movies of him playing with his children, and his bizarre but short-lived attempt to represent himself at trial.. ...

A new entrance road at Cape Girardeau County Park North should be completed in time for motorists wanting to view the approximately 200 lighted displays that will once again decorate the park this Christmas season, county officials say. The Holiday of Lights will be displayed nightly until 11:30 p.m., beginning Wednesday and running through Dec. ...

Genealogical society meets Tuesday The Cape Girardeau County Genealogical Society will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Riverside Regional Library in Jackson. Steve Pledger and Cathi Stoverink will present information on the Revolutionary War pension applications found recently at the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center...

The highest law YOU'RE SO wrong. The highest law of the land is neither the U.S. Constitution nor the judiciary's interpretation of it. The highest law of the nation is the law of God, something understood by the likes of Martin Luther King, Judge Roy Moore and the anti-war protesters at Cape Girardeau's Freedom Corner...

When Willie Nelson sang about being a cowboy, he painted a picture of a modern-day drifter, living a life of lonely regret while searching for meaning from an old, worn-out saddle. Me, I just have always thought cowboys looked cool. Lazy H Ranchwear and Tack is designed for either notion...

Jackson Firefighters responded to the following call Saturday: Emergency medical service in the 500 block of South Hope. Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: Illegal burn in the 900 block of Highland. Emergency medical service on South Colorado....

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Five U.S. soldiers were killed and seven injured when their helicopter crashed Sunday near the American military headquarters north of the Afghan capital, U.S. Central Command said. The soldiers were involved in an ongoing U.S. military operation, dubbed Mountain Resolve, taking place in the east of the country, the military said...

Pro-Western government ousted in Croatia election ZAGREB, Croatia -- Nationalists who led Croatia to independence in 1991 appeared poised to return to power Sunday after partial results from parliamentary elections showed them ousting the current pro-Western government. ...

RISHKHOR, Afghanistan -- From Bali to Istanbul, New York to Casablanca, the ferocious chain of terror that has choked the world since Sept. 11, 2001, has stemmed from a single source -- camps like this one just south of Kabul, where thousands of young men were indoctrinated in Osama bin Laden's brutal vision...

Chi-Chi's litigation hinges on company's insurance PITTSBURGH -- Five lawsuits have already been filed against the Chi-Chi's restaurant chain over a hepatitis A outbreak that has killed three people and sickened nearly 600, and scores of other lawsuits are likely to follow. ...

Jackie Mason show cut from Broadway NEW YORK -- Comedian Jackie Mason will be joining the Broadway unemployment line. Mason's latest show, "Laughing Room Only," closes Nov. 30 after a mere 14-performance run. The production opened Nov. 19 to negative reviews...

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. Ask Warren Stemme, vice president of the Missouri Soybean Association, about efforts to find new uses for soybeans, and he'll tell you it's not only a good idea, it's a necessary one for American farmers. He said for the first time, South America produced more soybeans than the United States. ...

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- Some teenagers skip class to smoke a cigarette. Others play hooky as an act of rebellion. But science fiction author Jim Butcher of Independence used to skip out at Truman High School to go somewhere else. "I was one of those cool-enough kids to skip class once in a while to go to the library," he said laughing, sitting in the coffee shop of a Barnes & Noble recently. "And also it was the only air-conditioned building in there."...

When businesses decide to move into Jackson's industrial park, they'll have to be pretty good size. On Nov. 17, the Jackson Board of Aldermen turned down a Jackson business that wanted to expand on five acres of the industrial park site. The board decided that Jackson Machine & Manufacturing's acreage request was too small and unanimously voted for a motion to divide the park's 50 acres into two or three lots if possible, but no more than four. ...

Southeast Missouri State University's basketball teams face different kinds of challenges as both return to action tonight following victories Friday night. While the men will be heavy favorites over Kentucky Christian College in a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at the Show Me Center, the women will be decided underdogs at 21st-ranked Oklahoma in a 7 p.m. tipoff...

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Through good and bad, and there was plenty of both, Marc Bulger is the Rams quarterback. Four interceptions and a lost fumble gave Rams coach Mike Martz every reason to pull Bulger in favor of Kurt Warner. He didn't, and Bulger directed scoring drives at the end of regulation and in overtime to lead the Rams to a 30-27 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday...