Stories from Wednesday, November 26, 2003

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Sometimes, you almost need a depth chart to track the Missouri defense. In years past, the Tigers' struggles have been tied to a lack of talent beyond the starting lineup. Not anymore. This season, improved depth has allowed coach Gary Pinkel to freely shuffle players in and out, part of the reason Missouri (7-4, 3-4 Big 12) is heading for a bowl for the first time since the 1998 season...

Grojean Son to Joseph and Heather Grojean of Maumelle, Ark., St. Vincent's Hospital in Little Rock, Ark., 11:27 a.m. Monday, Oct. 20, 2003. Name, Blake Arthur Reese. Weight, 7 pounds 4 ounces. Second child, first son. Mrs. Grojean is the former Heather Oxley, daughter of Evelyn Oxley of Jackson, and the late Terry Oxley. ...

Baseball The Cubs added some power to their lineup Tuesday, acquiring Derrek Lee from the Florida Marlins for Hee Seop Choi and a minor leaguer to be named. Lee hit .271 with 31 homers, 92 RBIs and 21 steals last season for the World Series champion Marlins. Lee has 20 homers in each of his last four seasons and has 40 steals over the last two years -- the most by any first baseman in the majors...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Amber A. Harris, 19, of 417 S. Pacific, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Monday on a Cape Girardeau warrant for failure to appear...

WASHINGTON -- The National Guard and Reserve will take on more of the combat burden in Iraq next year, replacing some Army troops with a smaller, lighter and more mobile force equipped with fewer tanks and more Humvees. Nearly 40 percent of the American forces in Iraq will be from the National Guard and Reserve after the Pentagon completes a massive switchout of troops starting in January -- up from about 20 percent now...

WASHINGTON -- The economy in the third quarter galloped ahead faster than an initial estimate, which was already the swiftest in nearly two decades. That burst, along with a surge in consumer confidence, raised hopes for the recovery's staying power...

ST. LOUIS -- Juan-Diego Garcia-Dominguez had just finished the first Thanksgiving dinner of his life as he spoke about three more feasts he'll devour through the rest of the holiday week. Fortunately, it all met with his approval -- from the turkey and mashed potatoes right down to the dessert...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- With U.S. troops heavily armed and bunkered behind concrete and razor wire, guerrillas are pointing their guns at softer targets like Iraqi police and civilians, top U.S. military and civilian officials said Tuesday. American officials expect attacks on Iraqis working with the coalition to surge as the U.S.-led administration begins handing power to local leaders...

LONDON -- International efforts to control the spread of HIV/AIDS are failing, with more people dying from the disease this year than ever before and as many as 46 million people around the world living with the virus, said a U.N. report released Tuesday...

Cape Girardeau students' proposal to promote school pride by renaming a street was undermined by opposition in their own school district, one city official says. On Tuesday, Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson visited Central High School to explain to about 50 student senate members why the city council voted against changing the name of the street that runs in front of their new campus from Silver Springs Road to Tiger Pride Drive...

On most Thanksgivings, Jeff Heise of Cape Girardeau wakes up extra early to help get the turkey on the table and the house straightened up. Helen, his wife of 17 years, says he likes everything to be picture perfect when the whole family shows up to enjoy the food and fellowship of Thanksgiving...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a claim that legislators were fooled into repealing a rarely followed state law that required schools to "maximize" the abilities of disabled students. An advocacy group for disabled students argued the addition of the repeal language to another bill in the final days of the 2002 legislative session went unnoticed by many lawmakers and violated the constitutional prohibition against misleading or deceptive legislation...

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Prosecutors in Maryland and Louisiana want a crack at sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad even though he has already been condemned to die in Virginia, raising questions of whether pursuing justice everywhere is worth the cost. Prosecutors say that convictions in more than one jurisdiction are insurance against reversals on appeal, and that trials give comfort to victims and their families...

10 years ago: Nov. 26, 1993 A bit of Cape Girardeau history went up in flames Friday as Hobbs Chapel United Methodist Church burned to the ground; the blaze was reported to the East County Fire Department around 9 a.m. A cold, drizzling rain slows the rush of post-Thanksgiving shoppers early in the day; but once the sun pops out at mid-morning, retail stores throughout the city are swamped by bargain hunters...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Regina R. "Gina" Murr, 35, of Sikeston died Sunday, Nov. 23, 2003, near Cape Girardeau of an apparent heart attack. She was born Nov. 16, 1968, in St. Louis, daughter of Mary Ruff. She and Gene Murr were married in 1990. Murr was employed by Kenneth Storey and also worked at BG's in Sikeston...

Dorothy Neal, 93, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

There's no better time than the day before Thanksgiving -- the fattiest holiday of them all -- to talk about Americans' food-related insanity. I'll admit, I'm part of the problem. There's a terrible hoarding instinct I must battle at all times. It's what tells me to take three deviled eggs, because if I just take one, the other 200 might be gone by the time I get back...

WASHINGTON -- The Republican-controlled Congress sent President Bush historic Medicare legislation Tuesday, combining a new prescription drug benefit with measures to control costs before the baby boom generation reaches retirement age. Bush is expected to sign the bill with a flourish, then trumpet its enactment during his bid for re-election next year...

PHOENIX -- Country singer Glen Campbell struck a car while driving drunk and left the scene, then later kneed a police officer while demanding to see the police chief, authorities said Tuesday. He was freed early Tuesday on $2,000 bail on charges of extreme drunken driving and hit and run. ...

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Hundreds of volunteers lined up Tuesday to join the search for a University of North Dakota student who has been missing since Saturday. Police believe she may have been abducted. Dru Sjodin, a 22-year-old senior in graphic arts from Pequot Lakes, Minn., was last seen late Saturday afternoon, as she was leaving the Columbia Mall in Grand Forks where she worked...

SAN'A, Yemen -- Security forces on Tuesday captured one of the top al-Qaida members in Yemen, a suspected mastermind of the deadly suicide bombings of the USS Cole and a French oil tanker off the country's coast. Mohammed Hamdi al-Ahdal was arrested after Yemeni forces surrounded his hide-out west of the capital, San'a, the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried on the official SABA news agency...

WASHINGTON -- Toys "R" Us is recalling 50,000 packages of sidewalk chalk because the chalk contains lead at levels high enough to poison young children. No accidents or illnesses related to the chalk have been reported, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday...

Carter County murder trial site changed VAN BUREN, Mo. -- An Ellsinore, Mo., woman will stand trial in March in Howell County instead of Carter County for her alleged role in her husband's death, a judge ruled. Citing pretrial publicity, Lori Ann Adams' attorney asked that the case be moved. Adams, 41, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with Russell Adams' death. He was reported missing Feb. 24, and his body was later found in rural Carter County...

While the teams predicted to finish toward the top of the Ohio Valley Conference football standings did not do nearly as well as expected, several league squads made impressive turnarounds this year. Preseason favorite Southeast Missouri State University recovered from an 0-5 start and numerous injuries, but the Indians (5-7, 5-3) fell short of their first OVC title by losing Saturday's regular-season finale to Jacksonville State 22-17. Southeast wound up in a three-way tie for third place...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Wanda Lee Tedford, 66, formerly of Sikeston, died Monday, Nov. 24, 2003, at Gambrill Gardens Retirement Community in Ellisville, Mo. She was born April 17, 1937, in Portageville, Mo., daughter of James F. and Lelia Mae Stewart Barham. She and Earl Tedford were married Feb. 11, 1956, at Benton, Mo. He died Nov. 21, 1985...

Marie H. Heise, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Sept. 7, 1918, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Julius Henry and Lulu Windeknecht Meyer. She and Harry G. Heise Sr. were married April 17, 1938, in Cape Girardeau. He died Jan. 1, 1998...

ANNA, Ill. -- Lucille E. Crowell, 95, of Anna died Monday, Nov. 24, 2003, at her home. She was born Oct. 10, 1908, in Alto Pass, Ill., daughter of Alfred and Molly Stone Doughty. She and George E. Crowell were married July 4, 1925, in Murphysboro, Ill. He died Feb. 4, 1974...

ANNA, Ill. -- Herbert W. Listen, 82, of Anna died Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003, at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale in Carbondale, Ill. Lutz and Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna is in charge of arrangements.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Baseball's new mandatory steroid testing plan appears to give cheating players every advantage they need to avoid detection while taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs, scientists and doping detectives say. The plan to test all athletes beginning in March will probably fail, they say, because it ignores the many lessons Olympics officials learned while trying to curb steroid abuse...

ST. LOUIS -- Missouri's top law enforcer on Tuesday backed a measure that would broaden the state's open meetings law to cover electronic records or gatherings involving public bodies, calling the upgrade long overdue in the age of cyberspace. The Sunshine Law revision also would bar secret votes via telephone or computer, closing "cybernooks" where members of city councils or school boards could huddle "behind the privacy of their home computer screens" or in Internet chatrooms, Attorney General Jay Nixon said.. ...

American Legion Auxiliary The American Legion Auxiliary met Nov. 12 for the monthly meeting. A light lunch was served by hostesses Regina Yeager and Lawana Wulfers. President Iola Amelunke conducted the opening ceremony and called the meeting to order...

WASHINGTON -- Seniors will face annual increases in premiums and deductibles -- and a growing gap in coverage -- for the prescription drugs they buy under the new Medicare law, budget analysts say. For example, the $250 annual deductible at the start of the program in 2006 is projected to rise to $445 by 2013...

Many of you may be cooking to your heart's desire and have just stopped for a moment to take a break and read a few recipes in this column. It may be a little late to run and do some more shopping at this point though, should you find a recipe to try...

KFVS news reporter C.J. Cassidy will have the honor of blowing up the old Mississippi River bridge in Cape Girardeau next year. A date hasn't been set, but the Missouri Department of Transportation plans to demolish the 75-year-old bridge in the months after the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge opens...

ST. LOUIS -- Doug Weight scored with 41 seconds left in overtime, lifting the Blues to a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night after Keith Tkachuk tied it with 29 seconds left in regulation. Weight hit a shot from the faceoff circle, giving the Blues their fifth consecutive home victory...

A schedule change for this weekend's Montana Tournament has left Southeast Missouri State University men's basketball coach Gary Garner somewhat miffed. The Indians were supposed to open the tournament against St. Mary's of California, with Montana and California-Santa Barbara playing in Saturday night's other first-round game...

MEADOW HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Meadow Heights' boys basketball's high-scoring offense came out flat in the first quarter but recovered to win its opener 72-61 over Leopold Tuesday night. The Panthers scored nine points in the first quarter but still led 34-33 at halftime. In the second half Meadow Heights outscored the Wildcats 39-27...

Southeast Missouri State University came up a bit short of its first Ohio Valley Conference football title. But, while it probably will do little to ease the sting of Saturday's loss to Jacksonville State that sent the Gamecocks into the playoffs and kept the Indians out, Southeast did earn a measure of consolation Tuesday...

Leftover turkey is one of the rewards for cooking Thanksgiving dinner. It naturally lends itself to great late-fall meals -- and many nutritionists consider turkey among the most healthful meats we eat. It has plenty of tasty protein but, when eaten without skin, the meat is low in fat. ...

Toll-free telephone services and Web sites offer a variety of specialist answers to cooking and food-safety questions during holiday preparation times. Here are some of them: U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline: (888) 674-6854. Food safety specialists answer calls about meat and poultry preparation and cooking questions, year-round Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. ...

Bird blueprint Awkward, memorable and lots of opinionated relatives. It's not your first date -- it's your first turkey! Don't let veteran roasters intimidate you. The real turkey test is much easier than you think ... Tools - Turkey, butter, seasoning, stuffing, stock, roasting pan and rack, skewers, oven thermometer, meat thermometer or pop-up timer, bulb baster, carving knife and fork...

Here are some classy cookbook options to consider as you puzzle out your shopping list. "Pierre Gagnaire: Reflections on Culinary Artistry" (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2003, $50) is a very refined collection of full-page color photographs, abstracted and stylized compositions made up of ingredients you might see listed in recipes, each with a poetic one-paragraph caption on the facing page...

Gasoline additive MTBE IS a fuel additive that burns more efficiently and reduces tailpipe emissions. This raises the octane level, thereby allowing us to get better gas mileage in our cars. A recent Speak Out comment referred to the leakage of MTBE from underground storage tanks, which contaminates the water table. ...

CAMDENTON, Mo. (AP) -- Twenty-eight people were hurt, three seriously, when a bus carrying a high school girls' basketball team overturned on an isolated state road, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. The bus was carrying students from the School of the Osage in Kaiser home from a game in Richland when it overturned late Tuesday night on Route C in southeast Camden County...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- A Nevada man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday on child pornography charges in a case involving a 12-year-old girl. Raymond Houdeshell, 41, of Nevada, was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole for producing child pornography. The court also ordered Houdeshell to forfeit all computer equipment and other items used in the production of the child pornography...

Cape Girardeau plans to tell tales to convince visitors to take in its history and do more than stop to shop. The goal: getting people to see the sights and stay in Cape Girardeau longer, pumping more money into the local economy. Convention and Visitors Bureau officials unveiled a new marketing logo Tuesday that depicts the sun rising over the Mississippi River and the slogan "where the river turns a thousand tales."...

The Associated Press PITTSBURGH - H.J. Heinz Co. reported its second-quarter earnings fell nearly 10 percent from the same quarter last year, when the ketchup giant was still reporting results from businesses since spun off to Del Monte Corp. Heinz said Tuesday it earned of $191.5 million, or 54 cents a share, in the three months ended Oct. 29 compared with $212.1 million, or 60 cents per share, last fiscal year...

SEATTLE -- A new Turkey & Gravy Soda tastes, well, pretty much like you would imagine. But that's not stopping people from buying it. Even the producers of the Thanksgiving-themed beverage at Jones Soda Co. were surprised by the demand. They sold out all 6,000 bottles online within about two hours last week...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded Monday to the following item: At 11:36 p.m., medical assist at 3018 Melrose. Firefighters responded Tuesday to the following items: At 1:26 a.m., medical assist at 150 S. Lorimier. At 1:44 a.m., medical assist at 341 N. Main...

Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate each tried to use 30 hours of valuable time last week to grab the attention of next year's potential voters. The issue was labeled as a debate over the practice of filibustering -- or threatening to filibuster -- presidential nominees to the federal bench. The 30 hours sounded more like a never-ending political commercial for the political parties rather than an honest give and take over whether Senate rules need to be changed...

Little by little, the Cape Girardeau Public Schools Foundation is raising money primarily to pay for some of the finishing touches at the new Central High School campus. Anyone interested in the history of Central High School will appreciate the latest fund raiser: a print of Mark Farmer's drawings of the five buildings that have housed the high school over the years...

To the editor: I enjoyed the Nov. 20 Associated Press article by Karin Laub on the Luke 2:25 inscription very much. I would encourage the Southeast Missourian to continue to share such discoveries with us. I would make one correction to the article, however. ...

To the editor: I find it hard to believe that a story about a bunch of Southeast Missouri State University girls having to go without hot water for a weekend made the front page. There has to be more important information than these girls' whining. Welcome to the real world, girls, where everything doesn't revolve around you...

To the editor: In response to the Speak Out caller who says the U.S. Constitution is not the highest law of the land: It is. You seem to be a very religious Christian person, and I applaud you for that. I am religious and Christian as well. But we cannot force our religion on others through government. ...

To the editor: I found the opinion of the person questioning the qualifications of parents to teach their children at home rather amusing. There is an education crisis in America, and it has to do with public schools and the teachers who work in them...

BAGHDAD-- It has been my privilege to preside over the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) during a month of momentous events. We now have an agreement for the transfer of authority between the Coalition, the liberators, and the IGC, the representatives of the liberated Iraqis. ...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Shop 'n Save Warehouse Foods Inc. has recalled one-gallon bottles of cooking oil that were mislabled, the St. Louis-based grocery chain said. Store officials said bottles of its store brand peanut oil were mislabeled as "Canola Cooking Oil."...

The Associated PressSAN FRANCISCO -- Contaminated scallions linked to a deadly outbreak of hepatitis A shouldn't scare most people away from eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, experts say. But the only way to ensure total safety is to cook everything...