Stories from February 2004

NEW YORK -- Spring lingerie collections promise more colors, more frills and more luxurious fabrics as vintage-inspired, romantic garments fill the racks. And for those who have been suffering through the heyday of the thong and waiting for roomier panties to come back, the wait is over...

NEW YORK Style-conscious brides-to-be have even more reasons to cheer this year. Wedding dresses, which until the 1990s were often fussy and rigid and anything but sophisticated, are more stylish than ever. "This is the best season we have seen in several seasons," says Millie Martini Bratten, editor-in-chief of Bride's magazine. ...

Full hips. A-line skirts are best bets for women who are bottom-heavy. You might also play up other areas -- like a lovely bustline or shoulders and a small waist -- to take attention away from full hips. Less-than-perfect arms. Don't cover them up; go strapless, some designers say, because sleeves or straps sometimes draw more attention to the area. In particular, avoid cap or band sleeves, which cut the upper arm at its widest spot...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- St. Lawrence Catholic Church was the setting Oct. 4, 2003, for the wedding of Leonna Danielle Essner and Dean Patrick Heuring. Monsignor Philip Bucher of Branson, Mo., great-uncle of the bride, performed the ceremony. The Rev. Normand Varone assisted...

WASHINGTON -- Sometimes the work of the Supreme Court befits the court's image as a stolid place. Quiet, plodding, even boring. Not this year. With the justices on their midwinter break and about half the term behind them, they already have signed off on a vast rewrite of the laws that govern money in politics. ...

BEIJING -- China announced its fourth confirmed SARS case of the season Saturday, saying the patient had already left the hospital after "total recovery" -- a disclosure that prompted a strongly worded statement from the World Health Organization urging an urgent investigation...

While Super Bowl XXXVIII may lack star power, it has plenty of brain power. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is lauded as a defensive genius, having thwarted the high-powered St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl two years ago. Carolina Panthers coach John Fox, whose coaching background also is on the defensive side of the ball, has earned credit for taking a team that was 1-15 in 2001 to the brink of the championship...

TIKRIT, Iraq -- The Super Bowl parties for U.S. troops in Iraq will start hours before dawn, and there won't be any beer. But at least in Tikrit, soldiers have a lavish venue: They'll be watching a cinema-sized screen in a former palace of Saddam Hussein...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- In an effort to streamline operations and save money, the judicial branch of state government could soon face its first major overhaul in decades. Like other parts of government, the judiciary has had to engage in its share of belt tightening in recent years. But with 90 percent of its budget dedicated to personnel costs, there is concern that deep cuts could hamper the swift administration of justice...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Although they didn't know it, senators last week had an opportunity to provide a logical solution to the flap over Southeast Missouri State University's Indian and Otahkian nicknames. During debate on a bill to drop the regional designation from the name of Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield, an amendment was offered to also rename Southeast, changing it to Eastern Missouri University...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Southeast Missouri State University found the perfect opponent to cure its recent ills. The Otahkians, losers of three straight games including Thursday's blowout at Jacksonville State, wrapped up their Alabama road trip Saturday by routing Samford 71-43...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Nothing Samford did Saturday surprised Southeast Missouri State University. But the Bulldogs did things so well, there was apparently nothing the Indians could do about it. The result was a relatively easy 70-58 Samford victory that concluded a nightmarish four-game road swing for Southeast, which fell to 9-10 overall and 2-6 in Ohio Valley Conference play...

HOUSTON -- If the Carolina Panthers win the Super Bowl, it will be with power. If the New England Patriots win, it will be with finesse, deception, intimidation and experience. So while today's NFL championship game may not feature football's biggest stars, it could be a fascinating chess match between two of the game's headiest coaches -- accomplished grandmaster Bill Belichick of New England and Carolina's quickly ascending John Fox...

LOS ANGELES -- Downloading music online from rogue file-sharing networks got 14-year-old Annie Leith sued for thousands of dollars. Now it has landed her a leading spot on a national ad that will debut during the Super Bowl. Leith and her 17-year-old sister downloaded 960 songs over a three-year period using the popular Kazaa program. But the free music binge got Leith ensnared in the legal dragnet cast by the Recording Industry Association of America in September...

KARNAK, Ill. -- Mr. and Mrs. Carl Patrick of Karnak will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a reception Feb. 15 at Boaz Pentecostal Church. Patrick and Flo Williams were married Feb. 15, 1954, in Corinth, Miss. The couple's children and spouses are Ricky and Linda Patrick and Charlotte and Walter Horn, all of Grand Chain, Ill. Another daughter, Barbara Vines, is deceased...

Mr. and Mrs. Earl Wills of Millersville celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with a luncheon reception Dec. 20, 2003, at Delmonico's in Jackson. The event was hosted by their family. Guests attended from Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Oak Ridge, Millersville and Marquand, Mo...

McCLURE, Ill. -- The Rev. Steve and Patsy Pennington of McClure announce the engagement of their daughter, Keri Sharee Pennington, to Aaron Ray Boyd. He is the son of the Rev. Mark and Belynda Boyd of McClure. Pennington is a senior at Shawnee High School in Wolf Lake, Ill...

Jim and April Swick of West Lafayette, Ind., announce the engagement of their daughter, Angela Nichol Swick, to Eric Scott Chamberlain. He is the son of Scott and Stephanie Chamberlain of Jackson. Swick is a 1999 graduate of Harrison High School in West Lafayette. She received a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Purdue University in 2003...

Teresa Neumeyer and Jerry Cooley of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their son, Nathan Cooley, to Tracey Leach. She is the daughter of Betty Belt of Springfield, Mo., and Richard Leach of Willard, Mo. Leach is a 1995 graduate of Willard High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in biology from Southeast Missouri State University in 1999. She is employed at Sunny Hill Pet Center...

Alan and Nancy Estes of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Ashley Nichole Estes, to Jason D. Keller. He is the son of Larry and Deanna Keller of Jackson. Estes is a 2002 graduate of Jackson High School, and a 1999 graduate of Barbizon Modeling School in St. Louis. She is employed at Heartland Plastic and Hand Surgery in Cape Girardeau...

Erin Ashley Marrs and Justin Michael Rice exchanged vows Dec. 27, 2003, at Smith Avenue Church of God in Sikeston, Mo. Bishop Ira Sandafar performed the ceremony. Organist was Christy Shinn of Gordonville. Soloist was David Rice, father of the groom. A duet was comprised of Justin Tanner of Memphis, Tenn., cousin of the groom, and Judy Tanner of Sikeston, aunt of the groom. Also singing as a group were Kelli Niswonger, Natalie Rafferty, Elizabeth Baugh and Roni Hayden, all of Jackson...

Lacy Jae Cauble and Michael William Sanford exchanged vows Oct. 18, 2003, at Eisleben Lutheran Church in Scott City. The Rev. Robert Azinger performed the ceremony. Pianist was Shane Steck of Cape Girardeau. Vocalists were Mark and Lana Cook of Cape Girardeau and Stacey Cobb of Pittsburg, Ill...

Diane Michelle Rauls and Joshua Abraham Zimmerman were united in marriage Nov. 8, 2003, at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Fredericktown, Mo. Monsignor William Stanton performed the ceremony. Organist was Brenda Kuhn and vocalist was Marlene Glenn...

BENTON, Mo. -- Lana Jannin and Kyle Kneezle were united in marriage Sept. 27, 2003, at Unity Baptist Church in Benton. The Rev. Dennis Lowe performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of JoAnn Jannin of Perryville, Mo., and the late Dennis Jannin. Don and Arleen Kneezle of Benton are parents of the groom...

Kendra Jean Hardin and Shaun Robert Brown were married May 23, 2003, at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis. The Rev. David Marth performed the ceremony. Organist and soloist was Wes Kassulke of St. Louis. Readers were Joe Brown of Cape Girardeau, uncle of the groom, and Chet Klingbeil of Kansas City, Mo., uncle of the bride...

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Chad Sproles phoned home just in time. Stationed in Iraq, the 23-year-old Army private had a sudden urge to check on his pregnant wife, Dana. He tried to reach family members on their cell phones Wednesday. No luck. When his time at a pay phone was up, he ran a mile to the next nearest telephone and began dialing numbers...

PRINCE GEORGE, British Columbia -- Lottery winner Phil Lee is taking his irreverent sense of humor to his grave. The former construction worker in his 60s says he'll use some of the nearly $76,000 he won in the lottery to buy a hedonistic headstone. ...

For Southeast Missouri State University volleyball players, Saturday was back to basics: calling the ball, spiking, hitting, passing and service. The main service was to the community, as 62 youths came to the Osage Community Centre for lessons on volleyball fundamentals from Otahkian assistant coaches Julie Brandmeyer and Renata Nowacki, along with seven players from the team. ...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- In the first action from Pakistan's probe into allegations of nuclear proliferation, the government on Saturday fired the revered founder of the country's atomic program from his job as a top adviser and confined him to his home...

ST. LOUIS -- Gov. Bob Holden and the two candidates vying to defeat his re-election bid told hundreds of doctors here they support meaningful reform for lawsuits related to alleged malpractice. Holden, fellow Democrat and State Auditor Claire McCaskill, and Secretary of State Matt Blunt, a Republican, were responding to the frustration and anger of 600 doctors who packed a daylong political-action seminar Friday in St. Louis...

Critique of coverage I AM an avid, maybe too avid, sports fan from the area. I know the teams that everyone expects to be competitive year in and year out. Saxony Lutheran is not one of those teams. Your coverage of Saxony Lutheran is almost sickening. ...

Baseball The Detroit Tigers and Ivan Rodriguez moved closer to finalizing their $40 million, four-year contract, and the deal could be announced Monday afternoon. The sides were faxing language Saturday aimed at finishing off the agreement, a baseball source said. The goal was to complete the deal in time for a news conference Monday in Detroit, the source said...

Economic ship ACCORDING TO the Department of Labor, there have been approximately 2.3 million folks who have lost jobs since 9-11. The other side of that coin is that nearly 1.8 million individuals are no longer collecting unemployment. That leaves a net loss of about 500,000. ...

Saddened by coverage How saddened I was to read your front page story on the Jan. 28 sports page about Central High School's triumph over Doniphan. Don't misunderstand, I'm not upset that Central posted a victory. What I find so distasteful is Jeremy Joffray's exploitation of the poor judgement exhibited by certain players on Central's team. ...

Today's Super Bowl figures to be intriguing for a variety of reasons. You've got two teams who at various points of the season never figured to get this far. Sure, the Patriots were highly regarded entering the campaign. But after releasing star defender Lawyer Milloy in a controversial move before the opener and then getting drubbed at Buffalo 31-0, New England seemed like a team in turmoil...

10 years ago: Feb. 1, 1994 Cape Girardeau Board of Education hopes to replace old buildings with new elementary classrooms, setting aside for now idea of middle school; at work session yesterday, board discussed building new elementary school and addition to Jefferson Elementary...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Ida Mae Bush, 83, of Cairo died Thursday, Jan. 29, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Heavenly Gates Funeral Home and after noon Friday at Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Cairo...

Ethan Lee Rivers of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Jan. 30, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Jan. 30, 2004, at Cape Girardeau, son of Michael Lee and Misty Summer Massa Rivers. Survivors include his parents; maternal grandparents, Clinton and Debbie Massa Jr. ...

BENTON, Mo. -- Demetra Westrich, 34, of Benton died Friday, Jan. 30, 2004, at the home of her mother in Morehouse, Mo. She was born July 6, 1969, in Sikeston, Mo., daughter of Jeremiah "Pete" and Jo Anne Beck Dial. She and Clyde Westrich were married June 12, 1987, at Benton...

To the editor: State Rep. Rod Jetton's interruption of Gov. Bob Holden was embarrassing to the people he represents and unprofessional. Jetton is in office to advance his own ego, not to represent the people of the 156th District. Our representatives should listen to the governor's address and disagree with it after it is over...

Southeast Missouri State University's track team won six individual events and got a second-place finish from the women at the Illini Classic at the University of Illinois on Saturday. Central graduate Heather Jenkins won two events, the shot put (47 feet 4 3/4 inches) and the weight throw (59-11 1/4). Brooke Woodruff won the 800 meters (2:13.73), Jackson graduate Lindsey Meyr won the long jump (18-3 1/4), Michele Jett won the pole vault (10-11 3/4) and Jay Heddell won the shot put (47-5 3/4)...

Central's boys swimming team made the most of a long trip to Springfield, Mo., posting two state-qualifying times and finishing seventh Saturday at the 21-team Springfield Invitational. Sam Maguire finished second in the 50 free with a time of 22.9 seconds to qualify for state. Central's 200 medley relay team also qualified with a time of 1:48.12. The team consisted of Maguire, Clay Schermann, Alex Heddle and Jason Mercer...

There was a time in America when the neighborhood was the center of American life. Relatives and friends lived there. Kids walked to their neighborhood school. It was like one big, extended family. It's still that way in a few neighborhoods. One of them surrounds the house at 2513 Albert Rasche. Many people in this neighborhood have lived here all their lives, and have stayed to raise their own children here...

The fallout from state Rep. Rod Jetton's outburst during Gov. Bob Holden's State of the State speech overshadows far more crucial concerns. Born in DeSoto, Mo., Jetton's childhood involved moving frequently as his father, a Baptist minister, went from church to church. ...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Michael Flynn, 19, of 238 Greenbriar, St. Louis, was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, speeding, no operator's license and false declaration...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded Friday to the following items: At 4:36 p.m., an emergency medical service at 200 West Park Mall. At 7:11 p.m., an emergency medical service at 1080 Linden, Apt. 18. At 7:26 p.m., an alarm sounding at 725 N. Pacific...

Medicare cost a highlight issue in election year WASHINGTON -- The much larger projected cost of the new Medicare law is giving an even more prominent place to an issue both parties already planned to highlight this election year. Democrats said the dramatically increased estimate -- from $395 billion to $534 billion over 10 years -- adds to a mountain of evidence that the law needs to be changed, even before much of it has gone into effect. ...

CAIRO, Ill. -- A fire in Cairo Friday night destroyed a home but injured no one. A representative of the Cairo Fire Department said fire trucks were called at 9:58 p.m. to a one-story residence at 530 11th St. The building was a complete loss, and the cause is still under investigation...

Afghan president: 10 civilians killed in airstrike KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Afghan president on Saturday said a U.S. airstrike this month killed 10 civilians, including women and children, contradicting American military reports that claimed the casualties were Taliban militants. ...

WASHINGTON -- It's long been known that U.S. authorities had opportunities to stop at least some of the Sept. 11 hijackers. Now the extent of the government's failures is coming to light. At a two-day hearing this week, the federal commission investigating the attacks revealed U.S. authorities had numerous opportunities to stop the hijackers, including many face-to-face encounters...

HOUSTON -- Today is Super Bowl Sunday, the nation's biggest unofficial holiday, an extravaganza of American revelry and indulgence that celebrates not so much football as America's ability to celebrate. "You take an event centered on TV, lubricated by beer and junk food, add the gambling element, drop it in a perfect spot on the calendar, and you've got the perfect American holiday," said Bob Thompson, professor of television and pop culture at Syracuse University...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Continuing to build on a string of big-name endorsements, John Kerry sought to broaden his message Saturday by arguing that his campaign is designed to "offer America hope and leadership." "Strip away the labels, strip away the partisanship," Kerry told a raucous crowd of about 700 at a downtown hotel. "People in America want real solutions."...

WASHINGTON -- John Kerry looks tough to beat in five Democratic presidential contests Tuesday, party strategists say, with dreams of a decisive sweep hinging on two states -- South Carolina and Oklahoma. The results of those two races may determine whether Kerry delivers a knockout punch or a glancing blow. He would like to chase Wesley Clark and John Edwards from the race Tuesday, then finish off a staggering Howard Dean four days later in Michigan...

BENTON, Ill. -- Dozens of workers at the Franklin County courthouse and the county jail were tested for tuberculosis after a robbery suspect became unresponsive while in custody and later died after apparently contracting the disease, authorities said...

ST. LOUIS -- After Richard Winters' death eight years ago, the Army veteran's cremated remains were left in a St. Louis storage locker by a relative who left town. The remains finally have found a far more befitting home, thanks to two men who never knew him...

Father in death of foster child gets 15 years SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A foster father spent his first full night behind bars Friday in the death of 2-year-old Dominic James. John Wesley Dilley, 36, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of abuse resulting in death and assault. ...

SPRINGFIELD, Kan. -- The voices of 18 children changed Brent and Teresa Smith's life. Five years ago, the Smiths heard the Watoto Children's Choir -- 18 Ugandan orphans -- sing praises to God and tell stories of how their lives were transformed by a ministry called Watoto. Since then, the Smiths have worked to support and promote the ministry...

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- Spc. Jason Vazquez is a National Guard artillery soldier, but he hopes someday to become a Chicago police officer. Thanks to the Army's crying need for military policeman, he's getting the kind of on-the-job training that will speed his way toward that goal...

TEHRAN, Iran -- President Mohammad Khatami, suffering severe back pain, called off an emergency Cabinet meeting Saturday that was to deal with Iran's deepening crisis over parliamentary elections. Earlier in the day, the pro-reform president had suggested his government would not go ahead with the Feb. 20 vote, which he called undemocratic because hard-line Islamic clerics have disqualified more than 2,400 liberal candidates...

MOSUL, Iraq -- A bomb-laden car plowed through a razor wire fence and exploded outside a police station in the north of the country Saturday, killing nine Iraqis and injuring 45. It was unclear if the attack was a suicide bombing or the driver fled before the explosion. U.S. officials have said recent vehicle bombings and suicide attacks in Iraq bear the mark of al-Qaida...

MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's top cleric called on Muslims around the world Saturday to forsake terrorism, saying those who claim to be holy warriors were an affront to the faith. In a sermon that was remarkable not only for its strong language but also its timing -- at the peak of the annual hajj -- Sheik Abdul Aziz al-Sheik told 2 million pilgrims that terrorists were giving their enemies an excuse to criticize Muslim nations...

JERUSALEM -- A top Palestinian official told a visiting U.S. envoy Saturday that Palestinians were angered over Washington's opposition to an international court hearing on the Israeli barrier to seal off the West Bank. The expansive complex of trenches, fences, walls and razor wire, has become one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and both sides see the upcoming hearing as important to determining the project's fate...

NEW YORK -- Although privacy worries led several states to pull out of a federally funded crime and terrorism database project, others are actively considering joining and thereby sharing information on their citizens, The Associated Press has learned...

BUCKEYE, Ariz. -- One of two inmates holding a corrections officer hostage in a prison tower walked on the roof carrying what appeared to be a shotgun or rifle Saturday, the first time in the two-week standoff that either of the inmates had shown a weapon...

She's been helping organize Black History Month events for 25 years, but Sylvia Cyrus-Albritton has noticed something a little different about this February: an intensely personal response to the celebration's theme. The topic, the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education desegregation decision, has generated an outpouring of enthusiasm and a flood of events planned this month by schools, libraries and other organizations...

WIND LAKE, Wis. -- Hours after a woman called 911 saying her ex-husband had tied her up and put her in the back of his truck, police Saturday found the man and their two young daughters, but not his former wife. The ex-husband had been seen towing the woman's car, which later turned up in Milwaukee, sheriff's officials said...

They used fists, knives and sometimes guns to hurt the people closest to them, usually women. Many offenders were convicted but some weren't. Cape Girardeau police recorded 598 domestic assaults between January 2002 and December 2003. That's essentially a new case every 29.3 hours...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's $2.4 trillion budget for 2005 would ease away from tax breaks for energy and business favored by Republicans while cutting spending on programs from environment to community development, GOP officials said Saturday. Bush's election-year fiscal plan, which he plans to ship to Congress on Monday, also envisions cutting spending on agriculture, natural resources and energy, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. ...

WASHINGTON -- The White House is considering endorsing the creation of an independent commission that would investigate whether the United States used faulty intelligence information when it decided to go to war in Iraq, government sources said Saturday...

KACNGUAN, Sudan -- Martha Halim lives in fear. She is terrified of the moon's phases, afraid of eating and fearful of fires, rivers and ponds. She is stricken with mysterious seizures that frighten her from eating. Her parents have tried everything. She's been to a hospital, she's seen a Western doctor and she's taken anti-epileptic drugs...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Thomas Gardner scored all but three of his 16 points in the second half, including three 3-pointers that spurred a long-range attack, helping lift Missouri to a 62-53 victory over Kansas State on Saturday. The Tigers were 1-for-11 from 3-point range in the first half but 6-for-11 the rest of the way. Missouri hit only 3-pointers, making six of them to go with four free throws, in a 16-minute stretch that ended on Arthur Johnson's shot from the baseline with 2:11 to go...

HOUSTON -- Houston, we have a champion. And once again, the New England Patriots have Adam Vinatieri's foot to thank for a Super Bowl victory. Tom Brady set up Vinatieri's 41-yard field goal with 4 seconds left to give New England its second NFL championship in three seasons with a thrilling 32-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday night...

Southeast Missouri State University cornerback Dimitri Patterson, who made two NCAA Division I-AA All-American teams following a standout junior season, will not finish his playing career with the Indians. Patterson said Sunday he recently informed Indians' coaches that he plans to leave Southeast following the current semester in order to transfer to Tuskegee University, an NCAA Division II school in Alabama, where he will play his final season of college football this fall...

It's a shame we have to go to work today. Hopefully it snowed and I don't have to, but even if the streets are clear we shouldn't be on them. The Super Bowl should be a national holiday and all schools, banks and businesses (except Wal-Mart) should be closed today...

Women in Agriculture meets on Thursday Scott County Women in Agriculture will meet at 9 a.m. Thursday at the USDA office, Highway 77, Benton, Mo. For more information, call Kay Dover at the USDA Center at (573) 545-9027. Riverside Regional Library announces story times...

10 years ago: Feb. 2, 1994 Scott City Council gathered for unannounced meeting Monday night and, without news media present, discussed its plan of action regarding riverboat gambling; result of meeting was decision to put forth city ordinance at regular council meeting that would allow voters to decide whether they want riverboat gambling in Scott City...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Ara Parmley, 89, of Dongola died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2004, at Tender Care Nursing Home in Midland, Mich. Arrangements are incomplete under the direction of Crain Funeral Home in Dongola.

Michael Curtis Heaton, 17, of Jackson died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 8, 1986, son of Paul and Stephanie Linkenhoker Heaton. He was a sophomore at Jackson High School. He and his family moved to Jackson in 1998 from Groton, Conn...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Delores M. Toohey, 77, of Perryville died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2004, at her home. She was born Aug. 14, 1926, at Sparta, Ill., daughter of Howard and Mary Montgomery Will-iamson. She and Frances J. Toohey Jr. were married Sept. 11, 1952...

Rose Marie Hecht, 68, of Jackson, died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2004, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 10, 1935, at Shawneetown, daughter of Otto and Rosa Roth. She and Melvin Hecht were married May 8, 1954. He preceded her in death Sept. 13, 1994...

Jo Ruth Brewer Hoover, 73, of Jackson died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2004, at Monticello House in Jackson. She was born Feb. 29, 1930, in Mountain View, Ark., daughter of H. Clay Brewer and Rubye Evans Brewer. She and William C. Hoover were married Sept. 1, 1950, in Mountain View...

Harold J. Enke, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center. He was born Nov. 15, 1917, in St. Louis, son of Walter J. and Linda P. Wachter Enke. He and Rosa A. Perr were married Sept. 27, 1941, at New Wells. She preceded him in death March 14, 1998...

Middle-class burden YES, TAXES are held out of everyone's paycheck. But at tax time lower-income people file for earned income credit and get much more money back than they paid in. Where does that money come from? The middle-class person who works hard to get ahead. It sure doesn't come from the wealthy. They get all the tax breaks. No matter what anyone says, you will never convince me that the middle-class does not support this country...

The Cincinnati Post Online voting via the Internet has a certain superficial appeal. It's quick, simple and the convenience of voting from home might draw more people into the democratic process. But none of those positives outweighs the potential threat to honest elections. Internet voting is vulnerable to hackers, worms and viruses, and there's no way to ensure the integrity of the ballots...

Residents in Bollinger County like the area's remote appeal, but a group of the county's school superintendents don't want that to hinder their students' access to higher education. A committee of 20 people, including representatives from all four of the county's schools, have been meeting to look at the possibility of creating an education center where students could take college courses...

Two named directors of state chamber board Two Cape Girardeau residents were recently elected to the board of directors of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce. Kathy Swan, president of JCS/Tel-Link, and John Mehner, president and CEO of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, will serve on the board...

Internships to be topic for First Friday Coffee Opportunities for intern programs offered through Southeast Missouri State University will be the featured topic for First Friday Coffee at 7 a.m. Friday at the Show Me Center. Speaker is Jerry Westbrook. The event is sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: At 4:33 p.m., alarm sounding at 429 N. Frederick St. At 7:37 p.m., fire at 1229 Sailer Circle. At 8:18 p.m., alarm sounding at 1050 Greek Drive. Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday:...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Kristy M. Jones of Cape Girar-deau and Brittney N. Vonnida of Thebes, Ill., were arrested Saturday on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance...

The American Red Cross is again urging people to donate blood because the supply is low. Area blood drives planned this week are from 2 to 7 p.m. today at Central Middle School, from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Mount Auburn Christian Church; from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at D-Mart Homes in Jackson...

Cape Girardeau native discovers Cape Girardeau A common interest with her Washington DC coworker When Teresa Rutledge phoned in an order to Knaup's Floral in Cape Girardeau she soon discovered Chris Walker, a St. Louis native, had ties to her hometown of Cape Girardeau. ...

Today, 9 a.m. County administrative building Routine business None Action Domestic Violence Authority Board request to disburse funds Copi-Rite agreement 911 request to add software to Delta Firehouse computer system...

Marine finishes combat engineering course Marine Corps Pfc. Shane R. Crites, son of Donna S. Russom and Dennis K. Crites, both of Fredericktown, Mo., recently graduated from the Marine Corps Basic Combat Engineer Course at Marine Corps Engineer School, Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, N.C. ...

Zion United Methodist holding chili supper Zion United Methodist Church of Old Appleton will serve a chili/stew supper in its fellowship hall from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Children under 6 eat free. Goodies will be for sale at the country store. Chili supper to benefit children's center...

Today, 7 p.m. City hall, 401 Independence Study session at 5 p.m. Public Hearings A public hearing regarding the request of Southeast Missouri Hospital to rezone 413 and 415 Louisiana St. from an R-3, two family dwelling district, to an R-4, multi-family dwelling district...

WASHINGTON -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee put off a vote on a six-year, $375 billion transportation bill because of disagreements with GOP leaders and the White House over raising the gasoline tax. The committee chairman, Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, and the ranking Democrat, Rep. Jim Oberstar of Minnesota, want a 5-cent per gallon increase in the federal gas tax, currently 18.4 cents a gallon. The tax finances the highway trust fund...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush is sending Congress a $2.4 trillion budget that emphasizes the major themes of his re-election campaign -- bolstering the military to fight terrorism, strengthening homeland security and making his sweeping tax cuts permanent...

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Democratic presidential rivals worked across several time zones Sunday to sway undecided voters in states with contests early this week. Howard Dean conceded making an "enormous gamble" by spending so much in Iowa and New Hampshire only to lose both states. "It didn't work," he said...

ST. LOUIS -- Over an astounding 82 years of marriage, George and Amelia Limpert seldom were apart. Even when he first cast eyes on her the year after World War I ended, he drilled a hole in the factory wall between them so he could watch her work. As centenarians with grandchildren who themselves are grandparents, they held hands. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Three people, including a 9-year-old boy, were killed early Sunday when flames swept through much of their two-story home as they slept, fire officials said. A 73-year-old occupant of the house was helped to safety by a neighbor before the fire quickly spread, killing the surviving woman's 74-year-old husband, a 90-year-old woman and the boy, St. Louis Fire Department spokeswoman Kim Bacon said...

ST. LOUIS -- The economy outpaces the war on terrorism and debate about health care and education as the top issue on the minds of Missourians heading into the state's presidential primary Tuesday, a new poll shows. A majority of the 804 likely voters surveyed Wednesday through Friday for the St. ...

IRBIL, Iraq -- Two suicide bombers with explosives wired to their bodies struck the offices of the country's two main Kurdish parties in nearly simultaneous attacks Sunday, killing at least 56 people and wounding more than 235 in the deadliest assault in Iraq in six months...

TEHRAN, Iran -- More than one-third of Iran's lawmakers resigned in protest Sunday over disputed elections and the parliamentary speaker charged ruling clerics with trampling on the rights of his countrymen. Speaker Mahdi Karroubi appealed to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to help resolve the crisis caused by disqualification of thousands of liberal candidates from the Feb. 20 vote...

JERUSALEM -- The leaders of violent Islamic groups are targets for assassination, Israel's defense minister said Sunday, raising the possibility of a further escalation in the three years of Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed. Shaul Mofaz issued the threat in response to a declaration by the spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, that the group plans an all-out effort to kidnap Israeli soldiers...

UNION PENEYA, Colombia -- Christmas trees still adorn living rooms, clothes spill out of flung-open drawers, testifying to the haste in which nearly 1,500 villagers fled this southern Colombian town in early January as the army closed in. Rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, ordered everyone to leave the town on Jan. 4, said Antonio Burgos, 83, the only remaining resident in Union Peneya...

MINA, Saudi Arabia -- At least 244 people were trampled to death and hundreds more hurt Sunday under the crush of worshippers in one of the deadliest disasters during the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The stampede occurred during the stoning of the devil, an emotional and notoriously perilous hajj ritual. Pilgrims frantically throw rocks, shout insults or hurl their shoes at three stone pillars -- acts that are supposed to demonstrate their deep disdain for Satan...

Ariz. hostage crisis ends with safe release of guard BUCKEYE, Ariz. -- A corrections officer was released Sunday from the prison guard tower where she had been held hostage by a pair of inmates for two weeks, a Corrections Department spokeswoman said. ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- One year after Columbia broke apart and fell in flaming streaks from the Texas sky, NASA workers who launched the shuttle and its seven astronauts and then gathered up the remains stood united in sorrow Sunday at the precise moment of destruction...

LOS ANGELES -- NASA said Sunday its Spirit rover was a week away from rolling on Mars again and that the software problem vexing the spacecraft may trouble both it and its twin, Opportunity, for the duration of their double-barreled mission. Engineers deleted more files from Spirit's flash memory but held off from reformatting it completely until today -- giving them more time to diagnose ongoing problems, mission manager Mark Adler said. NASA originally planned to perform the task Saturday...

HOLLAND, Mich. -- Tacking Jr. or II onto a boy's name is too common, a new father decided, so the self-described engineering geek took a software approach to naming his newborn son. Jon Blake Cusack talked his wife, Jamie, into naming their son Jon Blake Cusack 2.0...

Prescription flu drugs could provide lifesaving early protection against bird flu if the virus disastrously mutates into a worldwide pandemic, but experts warn that supplies will quickly run out unless governments stockpile the medicines. Early talks are going on between the U.S. government and one maker about providing a large quantity for use in a pandemic, but at best the medicine is still months away...

A lighter moment was a 3 a.m. call with a worried pet owner asking why her canary had stopped singing. A scarier one was the realization he was looking into the mouth of a rabid dog. These are the moments -- good and bad -- that Jackson veterinarian Dr. Charles Cox will cherish as he soon settles into retirement after a long and memorable career that has spanned three decades...

NEW YORK -- Help is on the way for workers who find it difficult to manage their 401(k) retirement accounts. Many employees already have free access to Internet-based calculators, which allow them to set savings goals, evaluate their risk tolerance and choose investments. But some are befuddled when it comes to selecting specific funds or rebalancing their accounts...

DALLAS -- With her sparkling blue eyes, wispy eyelashes and demure smile, Hertz is the center of attention wherever she goes. If you're lucky enough to meet her, try to ignore the tangle of wires slinking from behind her face. If you speak with her, talk slowly and loudly. And no matter what you say, don't be offended if she looks at you blankly and repeatedly asks, "What did you say?"...

The revenue produced by Cape Girardeau County's prisoner housing agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service increased by $139,308 in 2003, an encouraging sign for a county that is seeing its bottom line go in the other direction. In total, the prisoner housing agreement brought $810,426 to the county in 2003. The money is deposited into the general revenue fund and dispersed to all county departments, but county officials say the revenue offsets the expensive sheriff's department...

A child advocacy group in Cape Girardeau plans to auction framed artwork Feb. 13 in an effort to raise thousands of dollars to fill the budget gap created by the loss of most of its state funding. The artwork will include everything from lithographs and etchings to watercolors and original oils -- most priced between $50 and $300, said organizers of the "Home Is Where the Art Is" auction...

Over the next month, local students will answer trivia questions about Frederick Douglass and learn the meaning of the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd." They'll write essays about what being black meant in America before desegregation and will watch "The Rosa Parks Story" on television...

Remember the Budweiser frogs? Or maybe you recall the Visa check card commercial with Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets and baseball great Yogi Berra. Both commercials aired during past Super Bowl games before an audience of millions. As much as the Super Bowl is about football, it's also about selling products. With an estimated 100 million viewers, it's the commercials that everyone will be talking about for weeks to come...

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Two Vietnamese sisters who died from bird flu may have caught the disease from their brother, which would be the first known case involving human-to-human transmission in the outbreak now sweeping Asia, the World Health Organization said Sunday...

We have long cherished these times as American workers -- personal days, mental health days, sick-child time, etc. Yet many seem to stretch the bounds of credulity when explaining to the boss why they need time off, according to a query of 150 human resource, finance and marketing executives from the 1,000 largest U.S. companies...

10 years ago: Feb. 3, 1994 Towers renovation project at Southeast Missouri State University has hit snag over labor union official's complaints that there have been violations of prevailing wage law; complaints center around decision to expand renovation of Towers to include new chilled water cooling system at added cost of about $1.5 million...

Massey Twin sons to Eric W. and Amanda W. Massey of Grassy, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, Monday, Jan. 26, 2004. Nathan Cole was born at 5:42 p.m. and weighed 5 pounds 11 ounces. Nicholas Noel was born at 5:43 p.m. and weighed 5 pounds 5 ounces. ...

Jeanette Sutterer, 81, of Chesterfield, Mo., formerly of Perryville, Mo., died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2004, at St. Luke's Surrey Place in Chesterfield. She was born May 5, 1922, in Jackson to the late August and Minnie Peetz Hoffmeister. She married Howard Sutterer Aug. 27, 1942. He died March 16, 2000...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Jimmie L. Clanahan, 56, of Mound City died Monday, Feb. 2, 2004, at Veterans Administration Hospital in Marion, Ill. He was born Jan. 25, 1948, in Mound City, son of Milas and Mildred Adams Clanahan. Clanahan attended the Methodist Church...

Robert E. Bergfeld, 58, of St. Louis died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2004. He was born Oct. 25, 1945, son of Elmer W. and Esther M. Goodman Bergfeld. He married Karen S. Biester. Bergfeld operated Multimedia Systems in St. Louis for many years. Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Amy Bergfeld of St. Louis; a son, Christopher Bergfeld of Cape Girardeau; his mother of St. Louis; and a sister, Susan Wegener of St. Louis...

PATTON, Mo. -- Ava "Lou" Meyer, 78, of Patton died Monday, Feb. 2, 2004, at DesPeres Hospital in St. Louis. She was born Aug. 30, 1925, at Randles, daughter of Fred Lee and Nora Haman Lynn. She and Carl Meyer were married Aug. 8, 1947, in St. Louis...

Mary Jo Horn, 97, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Feb. 2, 2004, at Chateau Health Center. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Clinton Dale Hartley, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born May 24, 1924, in Venice, Ill., son of Clinton N. and Cecelia Butler Hartley. He and LaVerne Mayfield were married July 5, 1980, in Cape Girardeau...

ANNA, Ill. -- Conrad Karraker, 74, of Anna died Monday, Feb. 2, 2004, at Union County Hospital. Friends may call at Crain Funeral Home in Dongola, Ill., from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. The funeral will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

Mary Francis Duff, 80, of Cape Girardeau and Portageville, Mo., died Monday, Feb. 2, 2004, at her home in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 29, 1923, at Portageville, daughter of Steve and Emma Roberts Durbin. She and William "Charlie" Duff were married Nov. 30, 1940. He preceded her in death Nov. 8, 2003...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Elsie Emelia Scott, 84 of Chaffee, best known as "Grandma Elsie," made her final journey to everlasting life with God Sunday, Feb. 1, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Grandma Elsie's life began in Canada with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Onorio D'Augustine Dec. 10, 1919. After the passing of her mother, she moved to Italy with her grandparents and at the age of 17 she boarded a ship to rejoin her father in the United States...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Dolores M. Toohey, 77, of Perryville died Saturday, Jan. 31, 2004, at her home. She was born Aug. 14, 1926, at Sparta, Ill., daughter of Howard and Mary Montgomery Williamson. She and Francis J. Toohey Jr. were married Sept. 11, 1952...

Make teachers wealthy TEACHERS SHOULD be paid $100,000 or more a year. Then people would want to become wealthy by teaching like many choose to be doctors or lawyers, giving us a larger supply of these professionals. The schools would be able to choose the best of the best to teach and motivate our future leaders. The cascading effects would have an enormous impact on our country...

To the editor: The Southeast Missourian's tilt to the right would overbalance an amoeba. It's not just your own editorials and the fulminations of David Limbaugh. You clearly choose national columnists -- Kathleen Parker, Mona Charen, George Will and Cal Thomas -- because they share that tilt, often to the point of redundancy...

To the editor: KFVS news anchor Amy Jacquin did a story on a 9-month-old dog that was left outside in single-digit temperatures at the Sikeston shelter. Over 50 percent of the dog's body had no fur either from mange or some type of contact from acid or another chemical substance. An autopsy was being done to determine the exact cause...

To the editor: I applaud state Rep. Rod Jetton. Speaker Catherine Hanaway respectfully went above and beyond. Jetton's comment was justified. Jetton owes no one an apology. I feel he acted in a way that fulfills his obligation to his office. He reacted to an adverse situation in a manner that accurately represents the attitude of the public that elected him. Best of all, he neglected the intimidation that was intended by the governor...

Meadow Heights, Saxony Lutheran and Marquand's boys basketball teams all picked up victories on the opening night of the Mississippi Valley Conference Tournament on Monday at Oak Ridge. Meadow Heights got 24 points from Brad Adams in a 65-51 win over Chaffee. Terry Wagner added 12 points for the Panthers and Heath Fulton had 11...

Baseball The Oakland Athletics and free-agent infielder Eric Karros agreed Monday on a $1.05 million, one-year contract that includes a club option for 2005. Karros, 36, hit .286 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs for the Chicago Cubs last season following 12 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers...

Public Hearings Held a public hearing regarding the request of Southeast Missouri Hospital to rezone 413 and 415 Louisiana St. from an R-3, two-family dwelling district, to an R-4, multifamily dwelling district. Held a public hearing regarding the request of Southeast Missouri Hospital for a special-use permit to place a temporary modular office building at 2126 Independence Street in an M-1, light industrial zone, for the HealthPoint Plaza building...

The staff at Cottonwood Treatment Center takes great pride in providing structured guidance and education for children who have, through no fault of their own, difficulty coping with the real world. Parents of these children speak glowingly of the help their children receive, often to the point to being able to return to functioning in normal society...

Halliburton subsidiary agrees to halt billing WASHINGTON -- A Halliburton Co. subsidiary has agreed to stop billing the government for feeding U.S. troops in Kuwait until the two sides settle what the company says is an accounting dispute. Pentagon auditors are raising the possibility of overcharging. ...

WASHINGTON -- Factories hummed, consumers kept the nation's cash registers busy and construction spending was brisk, says a trio of reports that offered fresh signs the economy's recovery has legs. The Institute for Supply Management said Monday that its index of manufacturing activity rose to 63.6 in January, up from a reading of 63.4 in December. ...

Linn State College recognizes local students The following local students were recognized for high grade point averages for the fall 2003 semester at Linn State Technical College. Dean's list (3.5 GPA or higher) -- Lance Trankler of Jackson, Steven Ford of Oak Ridge, Mo., Michael Meyer and Jeremy Thieret of Perryville, Mo. ...

No pain, no gain. Never say die. Quitters never win and winners never quit. These are all inspirational quotes used to motivate young people. Ever since I was little, I've had parents, teachers and coaches telling me that hard work is the key to success. And after 16 years of following their advice I am about ready to throw in the towel and make up my own "inspirational" quotes...

Are you in a band?Do you play an instrument? Maybe you're more interested in writing lyrics than performing music. If so, the John Lennon Songwriting Contest for Teens is for you. The contest is named for singer and songwriter John Lennon, a member of the Beatles known for his variety in songwriting styles...

Like everyone else in the Bootheel area, I made my way to the 3 Doors Down concert at the Show Me Center Thursday night. Meeting up with a bunch of my friends to stand right by the stage "rocking out" was an awesome thought at the time. However, I had never actually been on the floor during a rock concert and was unprepared in the massacre that would follow later that evening...

Almost everyone has heard of bands like the Def Tones, Led Zeppelin and the Used. They are all nationally known bands whose sound most people can recognize, at least in passing. But what about bands like Surrender Dorothy and Frogsweat? These are two bands in Cape Girardeau that are just trying to get a little exposure...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded Sunday to the following items: At 5:20 p.m., recreational vehicle trailer fire at 401 S. Sprigg. At 7:40 p.m., emergency medical service at 215 Good Hope. At 9:19 p.m., alarm at 2713 Peachtree. Firefighters responded Monday to the following items:...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Charles B. Cunningham IV of 3916 Hopper Road, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Arrests Dominic A. Lahrman, 20, of 308 W. Lorimier, Apt. 413, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of possession of drug paraphernalia...

Accepted the 2003 annual highway report. Approved Domestic Violence Authority Board's request to submit $5,751 to Safehouse for Women. Approved a Copi-Rite agreement for six machines for $417.01. Approved 911 request to purchase software for $540 for the Delta Firehouse computer system...

The Jackson Board of Aldermen took the following action Monday night: Approved three ordinances, refinancing outstanding bonds. Accepted the resignation of Teresa Popp and appointed Bill Duck to the Jackson Public Library Board of Trustees. Amended a motion to approve the rezoning of Lots 10A and 10B of Kimbeland Subdivision from R-2 (single-family residential) district to R-3 (General residential) district, as submitted by Stan Williams...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Greg Norman made it clear Tuesday that he believes women have no place in men's golf events. The Australian star dismissed women in men's events as a marketing ploy, and said men's tours should consider changing their bylaws to prevent women from receiving sponsor's exemptions...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush proposed a $2.4 trillion budget on Monday slicing scores of programs from prisons to arts education in the face of record federal deficits and the costs of war. His budget chief warned a fresh request for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan could reach $50 billion...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Dozens of Missouri counties could maintain their current classifications even if their total property values grew under a bill endorsed by the House on Monday. The issue is important to county officials because moving into a higher classification gives a county more authority over its governance but also adds to its costs, in part by requiring that some positions be made full-time...

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Icy roads were blamed Monday for at least three fatal crashes and a 14-vehicle, chain-reaction accident that left at least four people injured and sent motorists sliding into a creek, trees or each other, authorities said. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said a Mexico, Mo., man was killed around 1:30 p.m. Monday...

ST. LOUIS -- A poll released Monday shows that most Missouri voters would pay higher state taxes to help public education, and most approve of the job their local schools are doing. Voters in the poll, conducted by Maryland-based Research 2000 for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and St. Louis' KMOV-TV, also said they would pay higher taxes to address the cost and supply of health insurance and improve homeland security...

MINA, Saudi Arabia -- In their air-conditioned tent in the female section of the pilgrim camp, as evening fell on another stage of their spiritual journey, the two women turned their conversation ever so gently to a sensitive subject. "In societies where women and men mingle, like my country, mingling is not equated with corrupt behavior," said Fatma Mahdi, a journalist in her mid-30s from Egypt...

VIENNA, Austria -- The nuclear black market that supplied Iran, Libya and North Korea is small, tight-knit and appears to have been badly hurt by the exposure of its reputed head, the father of Pakistan's nuclear program, diplomats and weapons experts told The Associated Press...

10-story building collapses in central Turkey; 3 dead KONYA, Turkey -- A 10-story apartment building collapsed Monday in this city in central Turkey, killing at least three people and trapping dozens, rescue workers said. The cause was not immediately clear, with some officials citing shoddy construction and others suggesting a boiler explosion may have been to blame. ...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The admission by Pakistan's nuclear founder that he spread weapons technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea raised questions Monday about whether military figures knew of the transfers. Officials said for the first time that two former army chiefs have been questioned in the scandal but weren't implicated...

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday he wants to remove nearly all the Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip without waiting for a peace deal, outlining his go-it-alone plan and prompting threats from far-right allies to bring down his government...

NEW YORK -- Suddenly, Britney and Madonna's smoochfest seems G-rated. Janet Jackson's revealing performance with Justin Timberlake at the Super Bowl halftime show has sparked a federal investigation and set new standards for raunch in an entertainment industry that seems to be setting new highs -- or lows -- every day...

NASA dedicates Columbia memorial at Arlington WASHINGTON -- NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe on Monday dedicated a memorial to the crew of space shuttle Columbia at Arlington National Cemetery, eulogizing the astronauts as "pilots, engineers and scientists all motivated by a fire within." More than 400 Columbia family members, former astronauts and NASA staff attended the dedication, which took place a year and a day after the ship disintegrated on its return to earth, claiming the lives of all seven astronauts. ...

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. -- If you're tired of winter, Punxsutawney Phil had a message for you Monday -- get used to it. After a rap on an oak stump roused him from his home on Gobbler's Knob, the world's most famous furry forecaster "saw" his shadow this chilly Groundhog Day morning, which according to tradition means six more weeks of winter...

PHILADELPHIA -- When "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" debuted on CBS in 2000, the last guy who expected it to be a breakout hit was its star William Petersen. "We thought we would have a niche audience of loyal viewers like 'X-Files' or 'West Wing.' But we have a huge audience that crosses all kinds of boundaries. It's unique," Petersen told The Philadelphia Inquirer...

There's nothing like a daughter's sleepover birthday party to make you appreciate a little rest. Our oldest daughter, Becca, celebrated her 12th birthday last weekend with a sleepover with seven of her closest friends. We didn't want our 8-year-old, Bailey, to be left out, so we let her have a friend over, too...

Turnover among election administrators in the nation's largest counties since the 2000 presidential stalemate has been unusually high with, by one expert's count, at least 20 top officials leaving office. While individuals have cited various reasons for departing, many have faced greater scrutiny because of the 2000 race and new demands to fix long-standing problems, but haven't been given the resources to make effective changes, said Richard Smolka, an election expert who compiled the list...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- After less than a year on the books, a new state law that allows juries to determine guilt and punishment in separate court proceedings is being targeted for modification and even outright repeal. The provision gives criminal defendants, excluding persistent offenders, the right to request a two-phase trial in all felony and misdemeanor cases. ...

Motorists should expect delays on northbound Interstate 55 at the Nash Road exit on Wednesday and Thursday as construction workers set girders for the new Diversion Channel bridge, state highway officials said. The delays will be on the northbound I-55 ramp. ...

The case against a 28-year-old Jackson man facing multiple child molestation charges was directed to circuit court after a preliminary hearing Monday in Jackson. Matthew E. Prince faces three felony counts of child molestation, two felony counts of sexual misconduct and two misdemeanors for furnishing pornographic material to minors. ...

By William McGurn Maybe when your childhood memories include waking up at midnight to a burning cross on your front lawn, you're not going to let a Teddy Kennedy or Eleanor Holmes Norton intimidate you. Just ask Virginia Walden-Ford...

Halfway through their Ohio Valley Conference schedule, Southeast Missouri State University's Indians are floundering in 10th place out of 11 teams. But if there is a silver lining for the Indians, who have lost four in a row, it's that they are just two games out of fourth place...

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Wayne Simien had 18 points, including two free throws with 42 seconds left, and No. 20 Kansas held on for a 65-56 victory Monday night over rival Missouri. Kansas (15-4, 6-1 Big 12) led by only one point at halftime and was never able to pull away until the final minutes in the spirited 97-year-old rivalry...

Once an Indian, always an Indian. Jackson senior defensive lineman Tyler McNeely, one of the SEMO Conference's top defensive players, will sign with Division I Arkansas State on Wednesday as the national signing period for football and three other collegiate sports kicks off...

St. Francis Medical Center will open a new clinic for people with vocal cord dysfunction, a condition often mistaken for asthma. The clinic will operate from the speech and hearing department at the hospital. Patients will be accepted by referral beginning Feb. 25...

William B. "Ben" Nolen, 19, of Jackson, pleaded guilty Monday in Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court to possession and sharing child pornography. Deputies arrested Nolen Aug. 13 after an eight-month investigation prompted by the U.S. Customs Service, which has an Internet crime division. ...

Two area hospitals have treated suspected cases of tuberculosis within the past week but no positive TB infections were reported. The two patients were both prisoners -- one unidentified inmate from Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston, Mo., and Anthony Snyder from Southern Illinois -- and that situation makes them more susceptible to the disease, health officials said...

The Cape Girardeau County Commission gave the initial approval on Monday to hire a consultant to delve into the county's proposed 911 service upgrade. The consultant, Geocomm of Minneapolis, will be in charge of fine-tuning the county's plans, needs and equipment coordination as it pertains to the upgrade to wireless Phase 2 service, which allows dispatchers to locate cellular phone calls...

PR Developers, the Cape Girardeau contractors hired to lay two huge sewer lines in Jackson, is stuck between a rock and a contract. Mitch Parris of PR Developers approached the Jackson City Council Monday night, saying the rock is just too deep to get the projects done in the 300 days called for in the contract...

Because of Winn-Dixie, students at a local elementary school will curl up next to their parents at night and listen to a story about a girl and her dog. Because of Winn-Dixie, those same students will have an egg salad party and bring their pet pooches to school one day this month. In the process, they'll learn a little bit about the world they live in and the different kinds of people who live here with them...

Less than one-fifth of Cape Girardeau County's 46,863 registered voters are expected to go to the polls today in only the third presidential primary in the state's history. Statewide, less than one-fourth of the state's 3.6 million registered voters are expected to cast ballots...

Extensive DNA testing has failed to identify who murdered two Cape Girardeau women in their homes in 1982, leaving investigators, surviving relatives and even suspects without answers. The Missouri State Highway Patrol's crime lab says not enough usable material exists in the samples of semen found at the crime scenes to build a complete genetic profile of a killer or killers...

After 18 months without an official chief, the Cape Girardeau Fire Department will have a new leader in Richard Ennis, city officials said Monday. Ennis, 40, will begin duties March 8 at an annual salary of $67,500. He has served as fire chief of Perkins Township in Sandusky, Ohio, for the last seven and a half years. He is a third-generation fire chief with 22 years of experience in the fire and emergency medical service field...

The Taste after-hours club on Good Hope won't reopen, its owner told the Cape Girardeau City Council Monday night. A man was shot to death outside the Taste at 402 Good Hope St. on New Year's Day, sparking an outcry from neighbors who urged the council to shut down a business they said led to unruly and drunken crowds, peace disturbance and violence...

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- All-Star goalie Dwayne Roloson made 24 saves for the Minnesota Wild, earning his third shutout of the season in a feisty 4-0 victory over St. Louis on Monday night. Wes Walz scored twice, once on a penalty shot, and Sergei Zholtok and Pascal Dupuis also had goals in a rare offensive outburst for the Wild...

HOUSTON -- Bill Belichick shies away from the "D" word. Yet even after winning their second Super Bowl in three seasons, the New England Patriots seem to be as close to a dynasty as any team can be in an era of parity. But if "D" doesn't mean dynasty, it could certainly mean dominant...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Insurers would no longer be required to cover some services that currently must be provided by minimal health insurance plans, such as mammograms and hospital stays after giving birth, under legislation being considered by a House committee...

BENTON, Ill. -- Franklin County Jail inmate Anthony Snyder's death "was 100 percent preventable," according to the coroner who determined Snyder died of pneumonia so severe that doctors mistook it for tuberculosis. The 36-year-old's body also had the kind of open bedsores more likely to be found on patients who have been neglected at nursing homes than on jail inmates, Cape Girardeau County Coroner Mike Hurst said Tuesday. ...

10 years ago: Feb. 4, 1994 Sen. Peter Kinder predicts members of House and Senate will resolve differences in riverboat gambling bills Monday; if lawmakers take final action Monday, it will be in time for proposed constitutional amendment to correct State Supreme Court-detected flaws in state's riverboat gambling law to go before voters in April 5 election...

Excelsior Optimist Club The Excelsior Optimist Club met Jan. 21 at Drury Lodge. Jana Jateff, Mary Kay Cosmetics director, presented the program on skin care. She also made a contribution for the Project Charlie Program to help with expenses. Excelsior Optimist funds and manages the Project Charlie Program at Jefferson, Franklin, Clippard, Alma Schrader, Blancard, and Nell Holcomb elementary schools...

In Monday's edition, a story about Pioneer Days at the Cape Girardeau Public Library should have reported that the Feb. 10 event is for children in grades three and four. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.

Boyer Son to Brad L. and Tosha A. Boyer of Ste. Genevieve, Mo., St. Francis Medical Center, 8:17 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2004. Name, Zachary Joseph. Weight, 11 pounds. Second son. Mrs. Boyer is the former Tosha Zoellner, daughter of Joe and Judy Zoellner of Perryville, Mo. She is a receptionist. Boyer is the son of Virgil and Sandy Boyer of Ste. Genevieve. He is a laborer...

ANNA, Ill. -- Conrad Karraker, 74, of Anna, Ill., formerly of Dongola, died Monday, Feb. 2, 2004, at Union County Hospital. He was born November 13, 1929, in Dongola, the son of Oral and Myrl Casey Karraker. He and Ruth Bird were married June 30, 1951...

Mary Jo Horn, 97, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, Feb. 2, 2004, at Chateau Girardeau Health Center. She was born Sept. 7, 1906, in Advance, Mo., daughter of Elijah and Melinda Taylor Jenkins. She and Stephen T. Horn were married Feb. 3, 1924, in Advance. He died July 23, 1964...

Mildred Irene Miller, 92, of Millersville died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girar-deau. She was born Aug. 4, 1911, at Millersville, daughter of Ora A. and Myrtle Huff Stearns. She married Tho-mas B. Miller Nov. 26, 1932. He died Jan. 4, 1985...

GLENALLEN, Mo. -- Mae Anderson, 83, of Glenallen died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 5, 1920, at Glenallen, daughter of Marvin L. and Clara Lincoln Burns. She and Thomas W. Anderson Sr. were married July 4, 1942. He died March 13, 1999...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Anna Mae Halter, 74, of Chaffee died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 19, 1929, at Chaffee, daughter of Levi Andrew and Nettie Thresa Schwepker Miller. She and Clarence Halter were married Oct. 19, 1954...

Clinton Dale Hartley, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born May 24, 1924, in Venice, Ill., son of Clinton N. and Cecelia Butler Hartley. He and LaVerne Mayfield were married July 5, 1980, in Cape Girardeau...

MLK's dream IT WAS a rare act of civic courage when the Martin Luther King Jr. committee recognized the SEMO Coalition for Peace and Justice. But it was such an obvious choice considering that the coalition and the committee stand for and against the very same things. They both oppose violence, war, racism and poverty. They both stand for nonviolence, peace, racial and economic justice. How wonderful it was to be reminded that warmongering is not part of MLK's dream...

To the editor: As the 2004 elections draw near, God's people -- the Christians of America -- must prepare for battle. A powerful enemy is inside the gates and bent on the destruction of America's Christian moral foundations. The enemy has already inflicted much damage by outlawing prayer and Bible reading in public schools, by outlawing "One nation under God" from our Pledge of Allegiance, by stopping Boy Scouts from meeting on public property, by suing towns for displaying "God bless America" signs on public property and by forcing same-sex marriages on America. ...

To the editor: Paying sports fees to participate in high school athletics is not new. Schools across the country have the same funding issues as the Cape Girardeau School District. Businesses are having to deal with solvency issues. What your income is has little to do with this issue. At the heart of the issue is what parents are doing to make a difference in our children's future and the standards we allow to be set...

To the editor: I was utterly shocked and repulsed by the Super Bowl halftime show. And the exposing of Janet Jackson's body was only the fitting culmination of a fully lascivious program. The sexually explosive nature of the preceding lyrics and choreography of the performers was utterly and completely out of place at an event designed for family viewing...

Baseball The Dodgers have expressed interest in Greg Maddux, with pitching coach Jim Colborn speaking with the future Hall of Fame right-hander. Maddux, who turns 38 in April, has won 289 major league games, including 15 or more in a record 16 straight seasons. He was 16-11 with a 3.96 ERA for the Atlanta Braves last year, then became a free agent. The Chicago Cubs made a two-year offer to Maddux last month and remain interested...

For years, Cape Girardeau County annually salted away hundreds of thousands of dollars into its reserve fund thanks to economic prosperity and conservative budgeting. One year the county took in $1 million more than it spent. The result was a $5 million reserve in the late 1990s...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Jesse J. Boyer, 23, of 890 County Road 618, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Monday on a Cape Girardeau County warrant for violation of bond...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded Monday to the following items: At 3:23 p.m., carbon monoxide detector at 2503 Marvin. At 3:57 p.m., medical assist at 3439 William. At 3:58 p.m., alarm at 380 S. Mount Auburn Road. At 5:07 p.m., alarm at 429 N. Frederick...

Four injured in Holcomb car, bus collision HOLCOMB, Mo. -- Four persons were were injured one of them seriously, in a rearend collision involving a car and bus north of Holcomb at 3:28 p.m. Monday. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said a 1994 GMC Bluebird school bus driven by Jerry Dye of Holcomb had stopped to unload passengers. ...

HOUSTON -- Tom Brady is getting quite a collection of playoff wins and Super Bowl MVP trophies. The New England quarterback has won all six of his postseason games, including two Super Bowls in three years. He threw for 354 yards and three touchdowns Sunday in leading the Patriots past the Carolina Panthers 32-29...

ELECTABILITY About a quarter of voters said the ability to beat President Bush was the candidate quality that mattered most. Among those voters, about 80 percent favored Sen. John Kerry. GEOGRAPHY Kerry won easily almost everywhere, from the urban areas and suburbs to the rural areas of northern Missouri and the Bootheel. In southwest Missouri, Kerry and Sen. John Edwards ran about even...

WASHINGTON -- Sen. John Kerry solidified his standing as the man to beat for the Democratic presidential nomination in convincing cross-country fashion Tuesday night, sweeping primaries in the East, Midwest and Southwest. Sen. John Edwards' win in South Carolina kept him in the Democratic presidential race...

North Korea agrees to nuclear talks this month SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea agreed Tuesday to resume six-nation talks Feb. 25 -- a breakthrough in American-led efforts to persuade the communist state to abandon its nuclear weapons programs for economic and other concessions from Washington. The new round of talks is expected to take up North Korea's offer to freeze its nuclear programs as a first step toward what the Bush administration hopes will be a complete dismantling of them...

NEW YORK -- Following Janet Jackson's surprise breast-baring on the Super Bowl halftime show, CBS said Tuesday it would institute a video delay system to avoid any recurrence at Sunday's Grammy Awards. CBS technicians were scrambling to invent the software -- something more than five-second audio delay the network has used to bleep out swear words...

CONCORD, N.H. -- When it's chilly outside, it's time to put on a pot of soup inside. Soups and stews not only have an incredible power to create inviting meals and warm the body, they also are a terrific way to add luscious -- even creamy -- dishes to your diet without adding fat...

Have you ever been nostalgic for a time you've never experienced? For me it's the 1950s. Like David Wagner in "Pleasantville," I'm wistful when I think about cookie-cutter homes in new subdivisions, sandlot baseball, nuclear families having dinner promptly at 6 p.m. I don't want to know about all the dysfunction that simmered beneath the pretty pictures back then -- like in "Far from Heaven."...

He was in the business 15 years before Milton Hershey was even born and he virtually invented the concept of prepackaged chocolates. This year marks the 150th anniversary of his first boxed assortment, an elegant pink and gilt affair decorated with rosebuds and curlicues with lettering proclaiming "Sugar Plums from Stephen F. Whitman."...

smcclanahan As I recall back to the birth of our daughter, it seems like only yesterday that our family crowded into the room where she was born and Scott announced HER name to everyone. Most of our family just knew we would have a boy and secretly picked names for the boy except for my niece and Scott's mother. Both of them wanted a girl so badly, and they got it. Seven years ago this week she came to our family and our household has not been the same since...

By R. Joe Sullivan If only the baring of Janet Jackson's breast had been the worst of what TV viewers saw while watching Super Bowl XXXVIII. The game itself was one of the best of the season, a fitting conclusion after the hard-fought contests that ultimately brought the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers to Houston to lay claim to the Vince Lombardi Trophy...

When Michael Hurst is on the job, death is not far away. Coroner is not a job for everyone, but Hurst asked for it. He says he wanted the job because he wanted to be the person who could make a difficult moment as comfortable as possible for the survivors...

Neighbors of the Taste after-hours club expressed relief Tuesday that the business has shut down and thanked the owner for staying true to his promise. "He's a man of his word," Margaret Kutz said of club operator Patrick Buck. "I'm very pleased that he's conscientious and honest. I'm very proud of him."...

WASHINGTON -- A jittery Senate faced its second attack with a deadly toxin in 28 months on Tuesday, this time in the form of ricin powder sent to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. Another letter containing ricin and bound for the White House had been intercepted in November, a law enforcement official disclosed...

Democratic presidential front-runner John Kerry rolled up big victories and a pile of delegates in five states Tuesday night, while rivals John Edwards and Wesley Clark kept their candidacies alive with singular triumphs in a dramatic cross-country contest...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- After falling to a gubernatorial veto in 2003, legislation to make criminals help pay for law enforcement expenses is back this year with Gov. Bob Holden's support. The bill, which Southeast Missouri lawmakers and sheriffs have pushed for six years, would allow counties to establish special funds to supplement local law enforcement costs. Judges could order criminal defendants who receive probation to pay as much as $275 into the fund...

Beginning its second full year of operation, Dalhousie Golf Club still has its master plan in place but has added a dogleg to the course its following. The club, which has been semi-private since opening in June of 2002, officially became a private club at the start of February, managing member Cord Dombrowski said Tuesday. Dombrowski also revealed a new national membership direction for the course, which was recently ranked No. 8 nationally by Golf Digest among top new private golf clubs...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Supporters of changing the name of Southwest MissouriState Univeristy as a way to boost the school's profile have characterized it as being no big deal in terms of its impact on the state's higher education system. And alongside other issues the Missouri Legislature will grapple with this year -- education funding, civil litigation reform and revising workers' compensation laws -- rechristening Southwest as simply Missouri State University is comparatively minor...

Missouri teachers could receive bonuses for accepting difficult or hard-to-fill assignments under recently proposed state legislation, but local superintendents say they foresee problems if the practice is approved. The bill, which a House committee recommended be passed last week, would revise a state law requiring every school board to adopt an annual salary schedule "applicable to all teachers." Under the legislation, a district could offer bonuses out of its own budget if it had a shortage of teachers in given subjects or needed them for "difficult" situations, such as larger-than-recommended classes. ...

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Bob Knight was reprimanded but not suspended Tuesday for his loud public outburst at Texas Tech chancellor David Smith. Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said in a statement that "appropriate personnel action" was taken regarding Monday's verbal spat involving the coach at an upscale grocery store...

Charleston's boys basketball team gained a measure of revenge Tuesday night by knocking off visiting Jackson 63-49. The Blue Jays lost to the Indians in the semifinals of the Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament. Charleston, the state's top-ranked Class 3 squad, improved to 17-1. Jackson fell to 17-4...

Notre Dame's girls basketball team's offense came to life in the second half in a 55-42 victory over Central Tuesday night at the Show Me Center. The Tigers and Bulldogs combined for only 30 points in the first half with Notre Dame leading 16-14. Both offenses worked deliberately, taking long periods of time off the clock each trip down...

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Kansas is smarting after a loss to Iowa State. Missouri is struggling to stay above .500. Since there are no ties in college basketball, at least one of these old rivals will walk out of Allen Fieldhouse on tonight with a badly needed victory...

Notre Dame finished third in the Queen of Hearts Tournament at Villa Duchesne High School in St. Louis County after beating the host team 40-27 Sunday afternoon. "It was a good tournament," Notre Dame coach Jerry Grim said. "It had some surprising teams in it. I thought we should have been able to play with the teams better than what we did, though."...

Central senior guard Ryan Delph entered the 1,000-point club Tuesday night at the Show Me Center, as the Tigers boys basketball team defeated cross-town rival Notre Dame 67-62. Delph's big game nearly did not happen. Feeling sick over the last couple of days, Delph was nearly sent home from school Tuesday morning...

Valentine's Day...For most men it conjures up the image of the Chicago St. Valentine Massacre...and rightly so. Men, for the most part aren't comfortable with gift giving. They worry if they got the right gift. Especially on the high holy day of expressing your love to your wife/fiancee/girlfriend. ...

by Chris Morrill Since I'm so interested in politics, the thought has crossed my mind a time or two that maybe I could actually run for public office someday. It's not like I haven't made some moves like that in the past. However, my previous history of holding elective office has been, ah, spotty at best...

by Leroy Grey Okay, so no one saw the Panthers beating the spread. How do you restore your reputation as a know it all? By predicting the Oscars, of course. The Academy Awards are an annual gala that rivals the premier sports championships for national discussion. ...

by Leroy Grey Winter movies gets a lot of short shrift. Sandwiched between the holiday holdovers and the Oscar re-releases, the movies that debut aren't usually known for getting people across the snow. Of course, we haven't had a lot of snow, so let's see what coming soon!...

by Jason Parker With my third round of bootlegging copies of the Paris Hilton video for friends and co-workers too afraid to brave the new world of file sharing, I take this moment to remind you that pornography is bad. Which leads me to the question: Is it bad bedroom manners to answer your phone mid-coitus?...

Thanks for reading this month's Insider. You can be my valentine. As for the folks at the Zone, they're still recovering from the Three Doors Down show. In fact, we still haven't found Kevin Casey. And Boner keeps pretending to put people on hold, just so he can shout Wesley Willis songs into the phone...

by Keayn Dunyan "Prepare for an epic journey beyond the borders of the Mushroom Kingdom as Mario and Luigi team up for a hilarious, action-filled role-playing game! The deep storyline and gripping puzzles pf a role-playing game combine with awesome action elements to make this adventure a Mario experience like no other."...

Scott City church has chili, chicken noodle There will be a chili and chicken noodle dinner from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb.18 at Eisleben Lutheran Church in Scott City. Homemade pie or cake and a drink also will be served. The dinner is sponsored by the church's cemetery and grounds committee and ladies aid...

Friends of St. Francis Honor Outgoing President The Friends of Saint Francis honored outgoing Board President, Jim Govro at a lunchoen held recently. Current Friends of St. Francis president Janet Esicar, left, presented Govro, center, with a plaque for his years of dedications and service to the mission of the organization. Standing, right, is William H. Kiehl executive director of the foundation and chief fund raising executive...

Trevino completes Crucible to become a Marine Marine Corps Pfc. Karl R. Trevino, son of Sandy A. and Allen E. Sauer of Perryville, Mo., recently completed 12 weeks of basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, Calif., designed to challenge new Marine recruits both physically and mentally. ...

10 years ago: Feb. 5, 1994 U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson has teamed up with U.S. Reps. Harold Volkmer, who represents Hannibal, Mo., and David Durbin and Jerry Costello, who represent Illinois, to seek funding for replacement bridges crossing Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau and Hannibal...

Coleson Son to Keith Duane and Beth Coleson of Lexington, Ky., St. Joseph East Hospital in Lexington, 8:46 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2004. Name, Blake Ashton. Weight, 8 pounds 6 ounces. First child. Mrs. Coleson is the former Beth Roney, daughter of Dr. ...

Donald L. Keith, 78, of Jackson died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 8, 1925, in Roaring Springs, Pa., son of Roy and Josephine Raugh Keith. He and Ella Dee Martin were married in 1950 in Paragould, Ark...

Mildred Ilene Watson, 74, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born March 7, 1929, in Jonesboro, Ill., daughter of William M. and Maggie A. Miller Norris. She and Otis "Harold" Watson were married March 7, 1963, in Cape Girardeau...

Margaret Ellen Foster Roberts, 82, died at Southeast Missouri Hospital Feb. 3, 2004. She was born in the family home in Cape Girardeau Aug. 26, 1921, daughter of Martha Ellen McQueen and Franklin Pierce Foster Sr. She grew up in Cape Girardeau attending Franklin Grade School and graduated from Central High School. After attending Southeast Missouri State University, she graduated from Miss Steimle's Business College...

Laura Augustine Borchelt of Accokeek, Md., died Sunday, Feb. 1, 2004. Survivors include her husband, Archie R. Borchelt; two sons, Mark and Fred Borchelt; two daughters-in-law, Ruth Ann and Beth Borchelt; a sister, Jeanne Brennan; and 10 grandchildren...

PATTON, Mo. -- Ivy Wesley Niswonger was born Sept. 13, 1927, at Marquand, Mo. He died at Southeast Missouri Hospital Feb. 2, 2004. He was the son of the Rev. O.D. and Alma Robinson Niswonger. He was preceded in death by a younger brother, Paul R. Niswonger who lived in San Diego, Calif., and his parents...

TAMMS, Ill. -- The Rev. Billy Don "Preacher" Heady, 68, of Tamms died Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2004, at his home. He was born Feb. 23, 1935, in Okmulgee, Okla., son of Floyd and Lillian Taff Heady. He and Cheryl Browning were married March 16, 1973. Rev. Heady was a member of Trinity Assembly of God Church in Olive Branch, Ill., where he had served as pastor. He had also pastored at Sandusky Assembly of God Church. He had been an evangelist in the earlier years of his ministry...

Audit is good idea I AGREE that Cape Girardeau School District superintendent Mark Bowles and the board need to have the state audit the district's spending. Let the taxpayers know up front if we are spending correctly as the state says we should. How else will we know if one program is favored over another program? Is the district spending money where it should be spent, or is it being spent for programs way in excess of what the state suggests or what comparable districts are spending with better results? Let the state tell us.. ...

To the editor: The primary reasons for going to war given by the Bush administration were weapons of mass destruction and ties to al-Qaida. The public was told that Iraq had 100 to 500 tons of chemical and biological weapons and even nuclear weapons. Anyone investigating, however, knew that these claims were exaggerations at best and outright lies at worst...

To the editor: So many people seem shocked at the fact that half of the registered voters in this country do not even bother to go vote and the other half of the population is not even registered to vote and don't want to because they think their vote doesn't count. This is called being disenfranchised. Perhaps this has been a goal of our current political system to deprive all of us working class people of our right to be heard...

To the editor: I have been a Cape Girardeau resident for 12 years. I read about the city's effort to promote itself. Coming from a smaller city just to our south, I found Cape Girardeau to be strictly magical. There were so many things to do here. Cultural activities, sports and the college atmosphere all worked together to enchant me. Coming from the flat land just south, I loved the rolling hills and the river. Cape Girardeau is a beautiful place to be...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A 24-hour filibuster spread over five days was broken early Wednesday as the Senate endorsed legislation that would change the name of Southwest Missouri State University to Missouri State University. The Springfield institution has sought the change for about 20 years. ...

Today Blood pressure screening from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Cape Senior Center. The staff at Generations Resource Center at Southeast Missouri Hospital will offer the testing. For information, call 651-5825. Healthy Bites luncheon from noon to 1 p.m. in the St. Francis Conference Center. Topic is "Ways to a Woman's Heart." Cost is $6. For more information call the Fitness and Wellness Department at 331-5399 or 331-5970...

All right, let's get it out in the open. We fellas "of a certain age" aren't the romping chomping sexual athletes we once were. "I may last longer in the sack, that's a plus," said Bud, a 58-year-old friend of mine, recently, "but it's a whole lot of work for such a weak finish."...

Cuts Fitness for Men is trying to get rolling, having started in 2003 with one facility in Clark, N.J. It has 10 open now, with at least two more on the way -- though none are in Missouri. Southeast Missouri's single men's-only gym, The Blitz, recently closed. The center used the same 30-minute workout routine that Cuts offers...

"At the heart of this campaign is our commitment to an America where the future is built on fairness for all, not privilege for the few," -- Sen. John Kerry, who on Tuesday won nomination contests in five of seven states. "We won South Carolina in a resounding fashion and won both the African-American and white vote in South Carolina, and we go from here to other states -- Michigan, Virginia and Tennessee." -- Sen. ...

Missouri educators are caught between a rock and a hard place as they decide how to best reconcile their budgets with their revenue projections. They're reviewing what programs can be eliminated while parents expect the best for their children. State coffers simply aren't adequate to fund every wish. ...

NEW YORK -- In the most damaging testimony yet against Martha Stewart, a former Merrill Lynch assistant said Wednesday that the homemaking mogul ordered all her ImClone Systems stock sold after she learned the company founder was dumping his own shares...

IBM to take over some Sprint call centers KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- IBM Business Consulting Services will take over management of some of Sprint Corp.'s call centers across the country, Sprint announced Wednesday. The five-year customer-service agreement calls for IBM to take over management of Sprint's 21 vendor-operated call centers across the country and of the Sprint-owned call center in Nashville, Tenn. ...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded Tuesday to the following items: At 4:48 p.m., gas smell at 2031 Woodlawn. At 5:22 p.m., alarm sounding at 429 N. Frederick. At 8:27 p.m., emergency medical service at 6 Village Drive. At 10:18 p.m., emergency medical service at 410 N. Mount Auburn...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Howard H. Smith Jr., 31, of 1427 N. Henderson, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Monday on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest and driving while revoked...

KENNETT, Mo. -- Kennett Mayor Donald Parker took fast action Tuesday on the problem of speeding motorists within city limits. In an unprecedented move Parker ordered police chief Barry Tate to start enforcing the city speed limit, enacting a city ordinance stating the chief of police is subject to the order of the mayor...

Jackson man waives preliminary hearing A Jackson man waived his preliminary hearing Wednesday in associate circuit court on a charge of felony child abuse. Ronald L. Garmon, 31, of Jackson, was arrested Jan. 9 after a child complained to school officials about a bruise she suffered while Garmon allegedly struck her with a belt, according to court records. His next court appearance was set for Feb. 17 in circuit court. He is currently free on bond...

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday he still thinks Iraq may have had weapons of mass destruction before U.S. troops invaded, the Bush administration's hardest push-back against a weapons inspector's assertions that stockpiles did not exist...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- After numerous failed attempts to win public support for replacing their inadequate, century-old courthouse, Cass County officials finally discovered a way to build a constituency for the project in 1999. Forging a partnership with organized labor, county officials publicly agreed that if voters approved a bond issue to fund a new $37 million courthouse, the county would insist on a project labor agreement with the contractor specifying that construction jobs thereby generated would go to union members.. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Ford Explorer Sport Trac got the worst rating among 14 vehicles subjected to a new government safety test designed to predict the likelihood of a rollover during a sharp turn. The federal auto safety agency, which announced the ratings Wednesday, uses a rating system in which five stars is the best score and means the likelihood of rollover is less than 10 percent. ...

WASHINGTON -- The government on Wednesday announced a ban on the import of birds from eight Southeast Asian countries following outbreaks of avian flu that have killed at least 15 people and millions of birds. The temporary ban, announced by the Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments, is effective immediately, and is aimed to protect people and poultry in the United States from the possible spread of bird flu...

WASHINGTON -- Treasury Secretary John Snow told lawmakers Wednesday that the nation's debt limit will probably have to be raised sometime in late summer so the government can continue borrowing money. Snow made the ballpark estimate while testifying before the House Budget Committee about the president's proposed budget...

WASHINGTON -- A Senate rattled by a ricin attack began returning to regular business Wednesday, and the lack of any reported illnesses prompted plans to reopen buildings. Even so, officials continued to say they did not know how the powdery poison arrived Monday in the mailroom of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. Frist said he assumed it came in the mail because the powder was found on the tray of a machine his aides use to cut open envelopes...

WASHINGTON -- Investigators are trying to determine if a mysterious "Fallen Angel" who sent two threatening letters containing ricin last fall is responsible for the deadly poison that turned up in the Senate this week. The earlier typewritten letters addressed to the White House and Transportation Department warned that more ricin would be used unless new federal trucking regulations were scrapped. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Signing day can be a time of high anxiety for college football coaches. Not so for Missouri's Gary Pinkel. Coming off the school's first bowl appearance in five seasons, Missouri got almost everybody it wanted Wednesday and came close to sealing the state borders. The Tigers, 8-5 last year, secured commitments from 14 of the top 16 players in the state, according to Rivals.com...

WASHINGTON -- A Senate colleague was trying to close a loophole that allowed a major insurer to divert millions of federal dollars from the nation's most expensive construction project. John Kerry stepped in and blocked the legislation. Over the next two years, the insurer, American International Group, paid Kerry's way on a trip to Vermont and donated at least $30,000 to a tax-exempt group Kerry used to set up his presidential campaign. ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Looking toward November, Republicans eagerly labeled John Kerry too liberal to carry Missouri while Democrats said Kerry's sweeping presidential primary victory displayed strength critical to beating President Bush in the swing state...

GUYTON, Ga. -- Seventeen-year-old Laura Williams didn't see anything wrong with working at Hooters for class credit. But her school's superintendent did. Williams, a senior at Effingham County High School, has been working at the restaurant as a hostess for about a month, leaving school early to earn credits...

PARIS -- Former Prime Minister Alain Juppe on Wednesday urged a "massive vote" of approval for a bill that would ban Islamic head scarves in public schools, as Muslims opposed to the measure protested outside the National Assembly. Women in head scarves and other opponents marched to protest the "law on secularism" -- a move seen by supporters as key to maintaining France's cherished separation of church and state. ...

VATICAN CITY -- A top Vatican cardinal said in an Italian religious affairs magazine interview released Wednesday that Pope John Paul II's health has recently improved and that talk of term limits is not relevant to the current papacy. But Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said he would not rule out term limits in the future. ...

KONYA, Turkey -- Police detained two contractors Wednesday following the collapse of an apartment building that killed at least 27 people and left dozens missing. Rescuers said hopes were fading of finding more survivors. Authorities said 31 survivors had been pulled out of the rubble since the sudden collapse of the 11-story apartment building on Monday evening. ...

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea and North Korea argued Wednesday over how to end the crisis over the communist North's atomic weapons programs, a day after the North agreed to resume six-nation talks on the standoff. Unless nuclear tensions ease significantly, South Korean Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun said, South Korea cannot push ahead with tourism and industrial projects for impoverished North Korea...

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- On a bright morning in 1992, Zoran Vojinovic awoke to the jarring realization that he no longer existed. Not on paper -- when his identity card expired, officials refused to renew it. Not at the hospital -- when he got sick and sought treatment, he was told he had lost his health benefits...

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday defended his plan to dismantle virtually all Jewish settlements in Gaza, and there were new signs the proposal threatened the stability of his government. Ten lawmakers from the ruling Likud Party sent a letter to Sharon threatening to abandon the prime minister if he moves forward with his plans without their consent...

TIKRIT, Iraq -- A senior U.S. commander said Wednesday that recent attacks in Iraq are the work of groups seeking to sabotage -- or gain leverage in -- a future independent Iraqi government that is due to take power by July. Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, also predicted that coalition forces would be able to crush the insurgency within a year, despite continued American losses since the Dec. 13 capture of Saddam Hussein...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- In a startling confession made on national television, the founder of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program said Wednesday that he -- not the government -- leaked secrets to countries abroad. Abdul Qadeer Khan's solemn speech begging forgiveness came after the government indicated that an apology would help him avoid a messy public prosecution for providing nuclear technology to Libya, Iran and North Korea, intelligence officials told The Associated Press...

DAKAR, Senegal -- Machete wounds are healing in West Africa's conflict zones. Child soldiers are laying down AK-47s. Warlords languish in jail or exile, their countries now patrolled by the world's largest deployment of U.N. troops. "Out of Africa, always something new," Roman author Pliny the Elder declared some 2,000 years ago. The news out of West Africa today is peace, after nearly 15 years of wars that killed more than a quarter-million people...

LONDON -- Interrupted by shouts and heckles, Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday defended his decision to launch an inquiry into prewar intelligence on Iraq but not to examine whether the war was justified. "That is a question for the government first, then for parliament and finally for the people to decide. ... There will carry on being a debate about whether the war was justified or not. That is democracy. We don't need a committee to tell us that."...

CHICAGO -- Despite two years of steep sales declines, Ford's Mercury brand has plenty of life left and will expand from four to seven vehicles next year, chairman Bill Ford said Wednesday at the Chicago Auto Show. Mercury's U.S. sales fell 23.2 percent last year after a 15.6 percent drop in 2002. Declining sales have prompted some industry observers to speculate whether Mercury might go the way of Oldsmobile, the aging General Motors Corp. brand that will call the 2004 model year its last...

ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York drivers hung up their cell phones for a while when the state banned them three years ago, but are back to using hand-held models at nearly the same rate they were before the ban, a study shows. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety attributed the behavior mostly to a lack of publicity, a possible warning to the other states and cities considering similar bans...

PITTSBURGH -- A second-grader was suspended for a day for telling a classmate he would go to hell for saying, "I swear to God." Brandy McKenith, 7, was suspended for swearing for saying the word "hell," but her family says she was referring to the biblical location of fire and brimstone...

NEW YORK -- A Russian industrialist privately purchased the Forbes collection of historic Fabergé art pieces, including nine rare Imperial Easter Eggs, for an undisclosed sum and ahead of a scheduled auction. The eggs, all commissioned by Russian czars in the late 1800s, and more than 180 other Fabergé pieces were bought by Victor Vekselberg, Sotheby's said Wednesday...

SARASOTA, Fla. -- A drug felon was being questioned Wednesday in the disappearance of an 11-year-old girl who was apparently kidnapped while walking home from a friend's house, authorities said. The girl's whereabouts were not immediately known. Joseph P. ...

PALMETTO BAY, Fla. -- A 14-year-old boy was charged with murder in the slaying of a classmate, a musician and baseball player who was found bleeding to death in a middle school bathroom. A fellow student said the victim and the boy accused of killing him were friends who competed with each other to get top grades. ...

LOS ANGELES -- Justin Timberlake said Wednesday that his own family was offended by his racy Super Bowl halftime duet with Janet Jackson, but he insisted he thought only her bustier would be revealed when he pulled on her costume, not her breast. Uproar over what Timberlake memorably described as a "wardrobe malfunction" is showing no sign of letting up. ...

Numerous technology problems in the Cape Girardeau School District should disappear over the next six months with the installation of a new network system. The Cape Girardeau School Board approved a bid from Charter Communications in a special meeting Wednesday night for a fiber-based, wide-area network system, also called a WAN system...

There's no keeping the excitement out of Rowdy Hency's voice when he talks about his job at Victorian Inn in Cape Girardeau. On a flight of stairs in back of the hotel, the 19-year-old youth concentrates on sweeping salt granules off the steps. His cheeks are red from the frigid February air, but the cold doesn't diminish his enthusiasm...

Old Navy, a popular clothing retail chain, submitted plans to the city of Cape Girardeau on Wednesday to remodel a large section of Westfield Shoppingtown West Park. If the plans are executed, the new store would become one of the largest in the shopping mall, roughly the same size as Lerner. ...

John Kerry's chief rivals all but ceded three weekend elections to the high-striding presidential front-runner on Wednesday, covering their retreat with fresh claims that he is a flip-flopping Washington insider who would lead the party to defeat this fall...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Insurers would no longer be required to cover some services that currently must be provided by minimal health insurance plans, such as mammograms and hospital stays after giving birth, under legislation being considered by a House committee...

BOSTON -- The Massachusetts high court declared Wednesday that gays are entitled to nothing less than marriage and that Vermont-style civil unions will not suffice, setting the stage for the nation's first legally sanctioned same-sex weddings by the spring...

MIAMI -- Eleven Cubans trying to sail to Florida in a 1950s Buick converted into a tailfinned boat were intercepted at sea by the Coast Guard and will be sent back to their homeland, exile activists said Wednesday. Marciel Basanta Lopez and Luis Grass Rodriguez, the two men who turned the classic car into a floating vessel, tried a similar stunt last summer and got caught. ...

At 19, Doug Dickerson took a break from bowling to serve in the U.S. Army. But when he returned to the lanes 10 years later, it didn't take him long to get rolling again. Since his comeback in 1999, the 33-year-old Dickerson has cashed in on 11 of the 15 tournaments he's entered...

After Tennessee-Martin lost arguably its top two players to season-ending injuries, the Skyhawks would probably have had every reason to close up shop and look toward next year. Much to Skyhawks coach Bret Campbell's delight, however, they have done anything but. Tennessee-Martin (8-12, 3-5) is one of the Ohio Valley Conference's hottest teams entering tonight's 7:30 game at the Show Me Center against struggling Southeast Missouri State University (9-10, 2-6)...

The Southeast Missouri State University Otahkians have a one-game winning streak going -- but that pales in comparison to their ultimate goal. "After we beat Samford, we talked about winning 11 games in a row," senior guard Kenja White said. "I don't see why we can't do it."...

Jackson defeated Cor Jesu 62-47 Wednesday night in the opening round of the Ameritime Invitational at Maryville University inSt. Louis County. The win, Jackson's second against Cor Jesu this season, sends the Indians into a semifinal game 7 p.m. Friday...

EDMONTON, Alberta -- Ryan Smyth scored twice to help the Edmonton Oilers beat St. Louis 5-3 on Wednesday night, extending the Blues' winless streak to eight games. Radek Dvorak had a goal and an assist and Ethan Moreau also scored in Edmonton's four-goal second period...

The Missouri State High School Activities Association on Wednesday released the high school football district pairings, using the private school multiplier in the equation for the first time. Depending on what happens in April, it may have been used for the last time...

Feb. 5, 2004 Dear David, Even in Cape Girardeau, the world seems to be moving at hyper-speed these days. We want high-speed Internet service and cars that zoom. We want faster service in restaurants if we aren't ordering fast food. "Fast food, fast life," an old friend used to warn...

What Southeast Missouri State University's football recruiting class lacks in numbers, it makes up for in quality. So declared head coach Tim Billings on Wednesday as he announced the signing of 10 players on the first day of the national letter of intent period...

Local author to hold book signing Ron Farrow will sign copies of his book "Written from the Heart" at Hastings bookstore Saturday. He will be available from 4 to 7 p.m. Farrow's book is a compilation of columns he wrote for TBY, letters to the editor at the Southeast Missourian and short essays...

10 years ago: Feb. 6, 1994 Christian Faith Fellowship has moved to former Liberty Baptist Church building at 207 Pindwood; its former location was at 309 Beech St. East in Scott City; pastor is the Rev. Marc Carbaugh. 25 years ago: Feb. 6, 1979 Cape Girardeau City Councilman Howard C. Tooke leads field of nine in city council primary election and will be joined in April's general election by Donald R. Strohmeyer, Gail D. "Woody" Woodfin and Timothy L. Kelley...

Portraits of a man and his dog, sculptures and abstract figures, weavings and paintings were among the selections displayed at the 26th annual High School Art Symposium at Southeast Missouri State University. Several noteworthy works from students at Central High School were among the best of show and finalist winners in the show...

ANNA, Ill. -- Clearn "Kat" Casper, 89, of Perks, Ill., died Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2004, at the Illinois Veterans Home in Anna. He was born May 24, 1914, son of Henry and Annie Dillow Casper in Union County, Ill. He served on the board of directors for First State Bank of Grand Chain, Ill., for 20 years. He served in World War II and was a 50-year member of the American Legion at Villa Ridge, Ill. He was owner and operator of Caspers Store in Perks for 51 years...

PATTON, Mo. -- The Rev. Charles Elmer Baker, 91, of Hannibal, Mo., died Sunday, Jan. 18, 2004, in a Hannibal hospital. He was born April 13, 1912, at Charleston, Mo., son of the Rev. Charles R. and Mary Ethel Bell Baker. He first married Frieda Cooper, who died in 1975. He later married Stella Schultz, who died in 1997...

ANNA, Ill. -- Marion Theresa Comp, 59, of Anna died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004, at Union County Hospital. She was born April 19, 1944, in Patterson, N.J., daughter of Richard C. and Marion Louise Richardelli Williams. Comp received a degree in accounting from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. She had worked in the food and nutrition department at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Velva L. Parrish, 81, of Chicago Heights, Ill., died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004, at her home. She was born Aug. 15, 1922, at Richland, Mo., daughter of Oscar and Lily Delores Hill Smith Sr. She and Frank Edward Parrish were married Aug. 2, 1950, in Piggott, Ark. He died July 14, 1994...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Hosie O. Richards, 90, of Advance died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004, at Puxico Nursing and Rehab Center in Puxico, Mo. He was born Feb. 25, 1913, at Zalma, Mo., son of John and Myrtle Borders Richards. He and Glenda Pickett were married Oct. 2, 1925, at Zalma...

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Edna Aline Green, 85, of Bloomfield died Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 9, 1918, in Advance, Mo., daughter of James William and Carrie Marie Gamble Hawkins. She and Barney Green were married April 21, 1933, at Marble Hill, Mo. He died March 3, 1988...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- William O. Henderson Jr., 29, of St. Ann, Mo., formerly of Charleston and Columbia, Mo., died Jan. 31, 2004, in Fairfax, Va. He was born Dec. 28, 1974, in Kansas City, Mo., son of William O. Henderson and Minnie Simpkins Henderson Thurmond...

Virginia Thurlkill, 85, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004, at Monticello House in Jackson. She was born May 30, 1918, in Haile, La., daughter of Jessie and Elizabeth Haile Ray. She and William Thomas Thurlkill were married Aug. 13, 1938, in Farmerville, La. He preceded her in death Dec. 23, 1980...

Leon Edward Stone, 85, of Jackson died Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2004, at Jackson Manor, where he was for the last four days. He was born May 10, 1918, at Lutesville, Mo., son of Hessie Edward and Blanche Edith Conrad Stone. He and Edna Mae Heatley were married Aug. 23, 1938. She preceded him in death July 26, 1985...

Back to college? SOME YEARS ago Southeast Missouri State College talked the legislature into elevating it to university status. Now it is eliminating subjects and academic disciplines. Certainly this should cause the legislature to reconsider the "university" designation and revert the school to a "college."...

To the editor: Students and parents in Missouri owe U.S. Sen. Kit Bond a great deal of gratitude. More than most, he is aware that we are living in a complex world society that is becoming increasingly technology-based and science-oriented. It is his vision that Missouri K-12 students, both public and private, be prepared to face that future. ...

To the editor: By now the whole world knows about the halftime incident at this year's Super Bowl. There's lots of information that we just don't know yet, like was it planned? And who knew it was going to happen? Let me assure you that KFVS12 had no prior knowledge or expectation that the incident would occur. Had we known, we would never have allowed such matter so completely at odds with our standards to be broadcast to the Heartland...

To the editor: I am the son of Don Call, whose mother was murdered in 1982. I have read the updates you print in your paper. My family and I, though upset about the DNA test results, are very grateful that you have kept my grandma's case in the public's eye. We hope you will continue to keep us and the public informed about future updates in the case...

Boxing Looks like Lennox Lewis is ready to do what no heavyweight champion has done in nearly half a century: leave boxing with a championship belt around his waist. The 38-year-old Lewis will hold a news conference today amid reports he will retire rather than risk his World Boxing Council title in a rematch against Vitali Klitschko. Secretive to the end, Lewis (41-2-1) was keeping his decision to himself...

If the Ohio Valley Conference's baseball coaches are correct, then first-year OVC member Jacksonville State will win the championship this year. The Gamecocks of Alabama received five first-place votes and 73 points in the preseason poll released by the league...

The Central boys swimming team had a diver make the state cut Thursday in SEMO Conference competition at Central Municipal Pool. Tanner Rust posted an 11-dive score of 385.41 to finish second in the meet. His six-dive score of 233.95 surpassed the state-qualifying mark of 215...

Gov. Bob Holden makes no bones about his relationship with unions. It is no surprise that a Democratic governor would curry favor with the broad base of support unions can deliver on Election Day. While Holden's 2001 executive order expanding collective bargaining rights for state workers infuriated most Republicans and some Democrats, the action was consistent with the labor ties the governor has nurtured...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Amber N. Windisch, 20, of 3126 Themis, No. 2, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of receiving stolen property...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Senate on Thursday unanimously confirmed the appointments of the two newest members of the Southeast Missouri State University's Board of Regents. Sikeston agribusinessman Edward "Ned" Matthews be-comes one of the six voting members on the school's governing board and one the panel's three Republican members. He will serve a six-year term...

Report calls for restricting more from Medicaid funds JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Medicaid recipients should have to prove their income is low enough to qualify for the health-care program, and investigators should search for alternative ways to collect from those with unpaid bills, a legislative report suggests. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- County commissioners packed a House hearing room Thursday in support of legislation that would greatly expand the power of Missouri's smaller counties to enact local ordinances. Enhanced ordinance authority was granted to first-, second- and fourth-class counties under a law adopted last year. The state's 89 third-class counties were included in the version of the bill that cleared the House but dropped from the final legislation...

Federal Reserve Bank official to speak on Feb. 13 Dr. Patricia Pollard, a research officer and economist with the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis, will speak at the sixth annual Economic Outlook Conference on Feb. 13 at Southeast Missouri State University. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder on Thursday vowed to assume a role rooting out financial waste in state government if elected lieutenant governor this year. Although the lieutenant governor has no constitutional or statutory duties to provide such financial oversight, Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, said more can be done with the post...

Local high school seniors will have an opportunity this Sunday to receive help applying for federal financial aid for college. A statewide initiative through the Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel has resulted in the first annual Missouri College Goal from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday...

WASHINGTON -- The productivity of America's workers grew modestly in the final three months of 2003, raising hopes that companies will step up hiring to meet demand rather than relying solely on increased efficiency. The Labor Department reported Thursday that productivity -- the amount an employee produces for every hour on the job -- grew at a 2.7 percent annual rate from October through December. ...

WASHINGTON -- Investigators expanded their search Thursday for the source of ricin discovered on Capitol Hill after intensive testing of a Senate office mailroom failed to turn up the deadly poison's origin. The ricin was discovered in Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's office. Law enforcement officials say no letter or note has been found indicating how it got there, who was behind it and whether the Tennessee Republican was the target...

ST. LOUIS -- On Super Bowl Sunday, St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner said in a speech in Houston that his devout religious beliefs might have contributed to his benching last season. But on Thursday, the two-time NFL MVP said the speech was almost totally about the power of positive thinking...

SAVANNAH, Ga. -- A 17-year-old high school senior working at Hooters won't be getting class credit for her job, the Effingham County school board decided Thursday. Laura Williams wanted her hostess job at the restaurant with the risque reputation to count for credit as part of her school's work study program, which lets students leave school early so they can work for course credit. ...

NEW YORK -- Rep. Dick Gephardt, the former House minority leader whose presidential campaign collapsed in Iowa's caucuses, will endorse Democratic front-runner John Kerry. Kerry spokesman David Wade said the Missouri lawmaker will give Kerry his backing today in Warren, Mich., a blue-collar suburb of Detroit. The endorsement is a huge boost for Kerry who has been aggressively pursuing the backing of labor unions who had thrown their support to Gephardt...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Senate Republicans passed legislation Thursday to block the collection of union negotiating fees from state employees who aren't union members. But Democratic Gov. Bob Holden quickly promised a veto. The political showdown marked the latest development in battle stemming from Holden's June 2001 executive order granting collective bargaining rights to thousands of state employees...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A senior Afghan official said Thursday it was unclear if a U.S. airstrike last month killed civilians, as President Hamid Karzai claims, and reports of innocent casualties could be an attempt to discredit American forces. In the disputed airstrike targeting Taliban militants, the deputy interior minister told The Associated Press that ministry officials who traveled to the remote area where the attack took place saw graves of six victims, not 11 as previously claimed...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan's president pardoned the country's top nuclear scientist Thursday for leaking weapons technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea -- a move designed to ease domestic political pressures and head off a deeper inquiry into official involvement in years of nuclear proliferation...

LONDON -- British scientists studying how the human form of mad cow disease is transmitted say some people could be passing the illness through blood donations. Although it has not been proven that the brain-wasting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease can be transmitted through transfusion, the scientists did find a case in which a blood donor and the recipient died of it...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. and Iraqi forces captured more than 100 suspected guerrillas in raids across the country, arresting one of Saddam Hussein's intelligence chiefs and another Iraqi believed involved in a suicide bombing last month, a U.S. commander said Thursday...

HAMBURG, Germany -- A court acquitted a Moroccan on Thursday of helping the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers while they lived and studied in Hamburg, citing a lack of evidence he was involved in the al-Qaida cell's plans to attack the United States. Abdelghani Mzoudi, a longtime acquaintance of lead hijacker Mohamed Atta who even signed his will, smiled silently as he left the state court a free man after only the second trial anywhere of a Sept. 11 attacks suspect...

SEOUL, South Korea -- North and South Korea agreed today to hold high-level military talks to ease tensions between the nations, divided by the world's most heavily fortified border and embroiled in a standoff over the North's nuclear weapons development. The agreement came at the end of four days of Cabinet-level meetings. The Koreas held talks between their defense ministers in September 2000, but failed to open a second round of talks...

NEW YORK -- The first time OutKast was nominated for best album at the Grammys, in 2002, hip-hop's eclectic duo found their psychedelic rap upstaged by the old-time bluegrass songs of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Two years later, the rap funksters are nominated for best album once again and have a leading six nominations for their dazzling double-disc, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below." But also nominated for six Grammys are Beyonce, her beau, Jay-Z, and producer-singer-hipster Pharrell Williams.. ...

ATLANTA -- Americans, especially women, are getting fatter because they eat much more of everything than they did 30 years ago, and carbs are the biggest culprit, the government said Thursday. In the year 2000, women ate the equivalent of one more large chocolate chip cookie every day -- 335 more calories -- compared to what they ate in 1971...

Deadly storms dumped up to 10 inches of snow on parts of the Midwest and Arkansas, closing hundreds of schools and offices, sending a plane sliding off a taxiway and giving greyhounds a day off from the races Thursday. Farther south, heavy rain and lightning swamped streets and knocked out power in Mississippi, with Gov. Haley Barbour declaring a state of emergency in the hardest-hit areas...

LOS ANGELES -- The Robert Blake murder case was thrown into disarray Thursday when the judge relieved the actor's defense attorney because of "irreconcilable differences" with his client. The action forced an indefinite postponement of Blake's trial, which had been scheduled to enter the final phase of jury selection Feb. ...

RICHMOND, Va. -- Illegal aliens would be barred from attending Virginia's state-supported colleges and universities, and those already in school would be expelled under legislation that passed the House on Thursday. The measure, approved on a 71-29 vote with strong Republican support, now heads to the Senate...

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA took the rover Opportunity on its first real drive on Mars, a trip across pebbly soil that appears to be unlike anything else seen on the surface of the Red Planet, scientists said Thursday. Opportunity rolled forward about 11 feet on Thursday, leaving it closer to an outcrop of rocks that scientists want to spend days studying. ...

MORGAN CITY, La. -- For many hunters, duck season in the swamps of Louisiana means an outing with a pickup and a six-pack. For Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and Vice President Dick Cheney, it was a little different. The two men arrived near this coastal town in a U.S. ...

Pentagon halts Internet voting for November Citing security concerns, the Pentagon has canceled Internet voting that would have involved as many as 100,000 military and overseas citizens from seven states in November, a Defense Department official said Thursday. ...

SAN FRANCISCO -- In the year since an Associated Press investigation found that California had lost track of more than 33,000 sex offenders, the state has made only minor improvements in the way it maintains its Megan's Law database. The AP report in January 2003 found that many rapists and child molesters had failed to keep authorities apprised of their whereabouts or did not register at all...

NEW YORK -- The star witness against Martha Stewart testified Thursday that she had berated him at least twice and once even threatened to take her business elsewhere because she didn't like the telephone hold music. The testimony by Douglas Faneuil came during cross-examination by a defense lawyer who sought to show that the young brokerage assistant may have been out to get Stewart...

SARASOTA, Fla. -- An unemployed mechanic with a criminal record refused to answer questions about the whereabouts of an 11-year-old girl, though "strong evidence" linked him to her abduction outside a carwash, authorities said Thursday. Authorities said they believe Joseph P. Smith, 37, is the tattooed man in a mechanic's shirt who was seen in a carwash surveillance video leading sixth-grader Carlie Brucia away by the arm Sunday evening...

NEW YORK -- The New York Stock Exchange said Thursday it will not sue its former CEO and chairman over his lavish pay package, but is cutting the salaries of its top officials. Current chief executive John Thain said the potential case against Richard Grasso is in the hands of the Securities and Exchange Commission and New York state regulators. Grasso was ousted from the exchange in September over a $187.5 million compensation package that outraged Wall Street and regulators...

BOSTON -- The company credited with inventing the mutual fund 80 years ago was formally swept up in the improper fund trading scandal Thursday, as Massachusetts Financial Services agreed to relinquish $350 million in a deal that also forced out two top executives. ...

As the hair on top of my head gets thinner and whiter, I'd like to think that I am growing wiser too. I'm not exactly sure how anyone would measure his own WQ, or wisdom quotient. All I can do is share some of my thoughts (completely at no charge)...

srobertson Vehicle offers features not found on other compact sport utilities. Test your automotive knowledge. True or false: 1. Suzuki engines power Toro lawnmowers. 2. Suzuki engines power Arctic Cat snowmobiles. 3. In 1954 Suzuki was producing 1,000 motorcycles per month...

MOSCOW -- The purchase of nine Czarist-era Faberge eggs by a Russian tycoon who promised to return them to their homeland has prompted optimism in cultural circles that other great artworks sold by the Soviets could be returning home. The purchase of the eggs -- intricate treasures of jewels and precious metals -- from the estate of U.S. ...

Southeast Missouri State University never led Tennessee-Martin until early in the second half Thursday night. But once the Indians did finally go ahead, there was no stopping them as they broke a four-game losing streak with a 89-78 victory in front of 3,506 fans at the Show Me Center...

NEW YORK -- A federal judge opened the door for Ohio State sensation Maurice Clarett and teenage football stars to turn pro, declaring Thursday that an NFL rule barring their eligibility violates antitrust law and "must be sacked." U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin said legal issues are so clearly in Clarett's favor a trial is unnecessary. The NFL said it will appeal, and it will probably try to block the ruling before the April draft...

Junior college All-American cornerback Charles McCoy, who was recruited by Nebraska and also drew interest from co-national champion USC, stayed true to his word. The result is arguably the biggest signing in Southeast Missouri State University football history, as McCoy on Thursday faxed his national letter of intent to the Indians' coaching staff...

CALGARY, Alberta -- The St. Louis Blues snapped an eight-game winless streak when Scott Mellanby's goal with 4:15 remaining lifted them past the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. Keith Tkachuk gained the puck along the sideboards and worked it behind the net to Doug Weight, who saw Mellanby near the face-off circle. Weight passed and Mellanby wasted no time firing a shot into the top corner past Flames goaltender Roman Turek...

By Marty Mishow ~ Southeast Missourian Southeast Missouri State University's Otahkians have struggled with their long-range shooting most of the season, hitting just 30.2 percent of their 3-point attempts. But the Otahkians used impressive marksmanship from beyond the arc to bury Ohio Valley Conference rival Tennessee-Martin 83-60 Thursday night at the Show Me Center...

The Cape Girardeau City Council reviewed over $800,000 in city staff proposed budget cuts Thursday evening, but members said they don't know how much money they'll actually be willing to cut. "We might only get to $100,000," Mayor Jay Knudtson said at a special study session at the Osage Community Centre...

The conditions were bad enough to keep children from school but not bad enough to keep fishermen away from their trout. Advance, Zalma and most of the schools districts in between were closed Thursday as Southeast Missouri experienced its first major snowfall of the year...

It has been nearly a year since 14-year-old Nathaniel Kinsey donned a red bow tie and knickers and sang about cutting off the head of Sebastian the crab in a performance of "The Little Mermaid." But the thick French accent and flamboyant gestures of Chef Louie came right back to Kinsey during his only rehearsal for a special re-enactment of the part today and Sunday at Cape Girardeau's Central Junior High...

Churches are reserving entire theaters for opening day. A national evangelical organization is helping sell tickets from its Web site. Pastors are planning sermons timed to the movie's Ash Wednesday release. Mel Gibson's epic, "The Passion of the Christ," is the subject of an unprecedented marketing effort that has inspired everyday Christians and their spiritual leaders to sell the film and its message -- both to other faithful and the nonreligious...

WASHINGTON -- Intelligence analysts never told President Bush before the invasion of Iraq that Saddam Hussein's rule posed an imminent threat, CIA director George Tenet said Thursday in a heated defense of agency findings central to the decision to go to war...

For the first time, a businesswoman received the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's 2004 Rush H. Limbaugh Award. Judy Wilferth became the 16th recipient of the honor, which was presented Friday evening by David Limbaugh, a grandson of Rush H. Limbaugh Sr., at the Show Me Center during the chamber's annual dinner and dance...

It has been more than two months since Jackson started its season with a 67-55 loss to Farmington at the Farmington Tournament. Since that loss, the Indians have won 18 of 21 games with their three losses all coming to state-ranked teams. Friday night the Indians got a little revenge by routing Farmington 62-44 at Jackson in a matchup of district foes...

After sitting vacant for more than a year, the former Rhodes 101 station at 1036 N. Sprigg in Cape Girardeau will soon be the site of a new Dairy Queen. Ed Radetic, co-owner of King Williams Management, said the company has acquired the property and been granted a franchise for the restaurant...

By Marty Mishow Southeast Missourian According to first-year Murray State coach Mick Cronin, Cuthbert Victor is simply too nice. You'd have a hard time getting the rest of the Ohio Valley Conference to buy into that theory because the Racers' 6-foot-5 senior forward has been unkind to the league's teams for much of the past four seasons...

Jackson's wrestling team has had nine individual state champions in school history, and six of those have finished without a loss. Kremer Rampley, a senior 160-pound wrestler, will try to become the school's seventh undefeated state champion when he and the rest of the Indians start the road to the state championships with the district meet today at Jackson. ...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- John Kerry, virtually unchallenged in three weekend elections, pointed his fast-moving presidential bid south on Friday in hopes of knocking two Democratic rivals from the race. John Edwards' campaign accused Wesley Clark of taking "a dip into the gutter" with his latest attack...

WASHINGTON -- His support slumping in the polls, President Bush is campaigning more vigorously for re-election at the same time Republicans unleash their surrogates to take the shine off Democratic front-runner John Kerry. "The polls are where we expected them to be," Republican Party chairman Ed Gillespie said Friday in an interview, one of several GOP officials to attribute Bush's slippage to months of attacks by Democrats...

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA on Friday pronounced its Spirit rover cured of the computer ills that crippled the vehicle for two weeks and had threatened its mission to search for geologic evidence that Mars was once a wetter planet. "I think I can say this morning with as much certainty as we can say anything here that our patient is healed," mission manager Jennifer Trosper said. ...

Had Kailey Spinks been a part of Lewis and Clark's expedition west in 1804, the first two things she would have packed for the trip are her pink teddy bear named Snuggles and a copy of "Green Eggs and Ham." The 9-year-old has been hearing about America's two great explorers since first grade, but a grant through the Missouri Department of Conservation is breathing life into the Corps of Discovery for Spinks and other fourth-graders at Alma Schrader Elementary...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A consultant's proposal for revising Missouri's school funding system will likely be opposed by lawmakers from districts where state aid would decline, the chairman of a legislative committee predicted. The plan by Craig Wood, a University of Florida education professor, would reduce state aid to 171 of Missouri's 524 school districts, including Cape Girardeau, by an average of 5 percent. ...

The local chapter of the United Way has decided to narrow its focus in the way it disperses its one-time grant money. Since 1999, the local United Way has divided its one-time grant money into the four biggest areas of needas determined by in-house assessments. Now, it has decided to focus its grants into one area...

Editor's note: Two men with direct knowledge of the illegal firearms market in Cape Girardeau were interviewed for this article. To ensure their safety and anonymity, pseudonyms of "John Jones" and "James Adams" were used. Their identities are known only to the Southeast Missourian and local law enforcement....

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A bullet that pierced a van's windshield earlier this week was linked Friday to a series of highway sniper attacks, bringing the total number of shootings to 21. The shooting Tuesday expands the sniper's target area: It happened about 15 miles south of where most of the other attacks occurred, authorities said. ...

LOS ANGELES -- After two trials that ended in hung juries, county prosecutors dropped brutality charges Friday against a former police officer who was videotaped slamming a handcuffed teenager onto a patrol car. In response, the U.S. attorney's office said it would investigate the July 6, 2002, incident and decide whether federal charges should be filed against Jeremy Morse, 26. ...

PARIS -- As a British coroner embarked on a new probe into the death of Princess Diana, a former French investigator in the case on Friday rejected claims that murder or conspiracy were to blame and accused news media of dredging up "fantastical theories" about the August 1997 car crash in Paris...

GONAIVES, Haiti -- Thousands of protesters yelling "Aristide must go!" vowed Friday to repel any attempt to retake control of Haiti's fourth-largest city, a day after it was seized by armed militants in a revolt against the government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. ...

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- A second American in three weeks was arrested in Brazil on Friday after being accused of making an obscene gesture during new customs procedures for U.S. citizens. Police said Douglas A. Skolnick, 55, raised his middle finger while being photographed and fingerprinted. ...

BERLIN -- Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder unexpectedly announced Friday that he will give up leadership of the governing Social Democrats, freeing him to concentrate on steering the country while handing over to a trusted aide the job of quelling dissent within the party. ...

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is considering relocating Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip to areas of the West Bank he wants to annex in a final peace deal, his spokesman said Friday, a plan Palestinians denounced as a land grab and a violation of international law. ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The next U.S. Embassy in Iraq, scheduled to open in July, will eventually become the biggest American diplomatic mission in the world, U.S. officials say. While the future U.S. diplomatic presence in Baghdad is still in the planning phases, officials here agree that an enormous American contingent -- of 3,000 or more U.S. ...

Self-destructing talent I GREW up watching and listening to the Jackson Five. Then Michael Jackson got out on his own and is doing quite well. His sister, Janet, did the same. But in their incessant, desperate bid to seek attention, their talent is forgotten. And now, sadly, we must watch them self-destruct...

THOMPSONVILLE, Ill. -- Danny Shelton leaned into a speaker phone toward the end of talks with a satellite company promising to sell his Three Angels Broadcasting Network to thousands of cable operators across the country. "Let's call it a deal," he said. "It seems the Lord is opening up these doors."...

Dunford Daughter to Charles Warner and Cellie Lynn Dunford III of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 11:26 p.m. Monday, Feb. 2, 2004. Name, Kaelynn Bethanie. Weight, 7 pounds 13 ounces. Mrs. Dunford is the former Cellie Totten, daughter of Jodie Anderson of Richview, Ill. She is employed at Southeast Hospital. Dunford is the son of Charles Dunford of Benton, Ill., and Rebecca Dunford of West Frankfort, Ill. He is employed at Bob Evans Restaurant...

10 years ago: Feb. 7, 1994 Lady Luck and Boyd Gaming representatives are slated to appear before Cape Girardeau City Council this evening, their first opportunity to pitch their riverfront casino proposals PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Sabreliner Corp. has received special award from Army Aviation Association of America for its actions during last year's flood at its Perryville facility...

A story in Thursday's edition should have reported that the Hansel & Gretel Boutique has not closed. It has moved from Westfield Shoppingtown West Park to its new location at 3048 William St. The store is now in its 30th year of operation. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error...

Robert C. Friedrich Jr., 69, of Jackson died Friday, Feb. 6, 2004, at his home. Arrangements are incomplete with McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

CAIRO, Ill. -- Gilbert R. Swoboda III, 57, of Cairo died Friday, Feb. 6, 2004, at his home. He was born Oct. 30, 1946, in Cairo, son of Gilbert R. and Dimples Swoboda. Swoboda was a graduate of Murray State University in Murray, Ky. He retired as office manager for Gilbert R. Swoboda and Co. Wholesale Liquors...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Lawrence W. Coppaway, 77, of Perryville died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004, at Potosi, Mo. He was born Oct. 28, 1926, in Perry County, son of William and Mary Cambron Coppaway. Coppaway was a self-employed truck driver. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Leon J. Tomberlin, 78, of Mound City died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He was born Dec. 25, 1925, in Miami, Fla., son of James Emory and Stella Leonard Tomberlin. Tomberlin was a retired pipefitter and was a member of the Plumbers Local No. 519 in Miami...

Wilma C. Maloney, 80, of Jackson died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Feb. 18, 1923, in Shannon County, Mo., daughter of Martin Luther and Eva Jane Barnett Williams. Maloney was a licensed practical nurse 37 years at the former Deal Nursing Home, retiring in 1990...

ANNA, Ill. -- Evelyn A. Anderson, 89, of Hendersonville, N.C., died Friday, Feb. 6, 2004, at St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago. She was born Nov. 21, 1914, in Makanda, Ill., daughter of Guy A. and Rose Aden Henry. She and Theodore Anderson were married June 29, 1940, in Chicago...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- Joyce Jewel Brown, 61, of East Prairie died Thursday, Feb. 5, 2004, at East Prairie Nursing Center. He was born June 19, 1942, at Hayti, Mo., daughter of Frank and Josie Holt Pride. Brown lived in Ste. Genevieve, Mo., 10 years, moving back to East Prairie a year ago. She was a member of Ste. Genevieve Baptist Church...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Virginia Marie Martin, 69, of Marble Hill died Friday, Feb. 6, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 31, 1934, at Delta, daughter of Edgar Estes and Rebecca Garner Hinkle. She and Charles Martin were married 27 years ago...

David C. Ware, 70, of Des Moines, Iowa, died Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004, at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. He was born Nov. 20, 1933, in St. Louis, son of Richard M. and Ina Ware. He and Donna Weston were married Feb. 12, 1972, in Indianola, Iowa. Ware was formerly of Cape Girardeau and attended Trinity Lutheran School and was a 1953 graduate of Central High School...

Gloria M. Kiehne, 82, of Jackson died Friday, Feb. 6, 2004, at her home. She was born March 3, 1921, in Batesville, Ark., daughter of Adolph and Alma Walker Mohrstadt. She and Harold F. Kiehne were married Feb. 18, 1939. He died Oct. 2, 1972. Mrs. Kiehne was a director nine years at Jackson Public Library, retiring in 1986. ...

To the editor: The final version of the Energy Policy Act that emerged after months of secret negotiations is seriously flawed. It undermines existing environmental protections, increases greenhouse gases that lead to global warming and fails to reduce oil consumption through energy conservation...

A long time ago in a country far away, an innocent man died. Feb. 14, 270 A.D., a bishop of the Church was put to death for being too good. The bishop was known for his good deeds, his acts of kindness, his caring of the helpless and homeless. He was encouraging other people to be advocates for the weak and outcast...

Gospel singing service set in Villa Ridge Shiloh Baptist Church in Villa Ridge, Ill., will feature the Gloryroad Travelers of Mounds and Pickin' Pennies of Anna in a gospel concert at 7 p.m. tonight. Christian Women's Club meets on Monday The Cape Girardeau County Christian Women's Club will meet at 11 a.m. Monday at Delmonico's in Jackson. The speaker is Freddie Brammer of Potosi, Mo. Music will be by Amanda Berry and Alisha Bohnert. For information or day-care reservations, call 243-2866...

A few years ago, the Missouri Department of Transportation estimated that an additional $1 billion annually was required to fund all the projects the state needed. This projection followed the agency's decision in 1998 to junk a 15-year plan that promised to run a four-lane highway to every community of 5,000 people or more...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded Wednesday to the following item: At 7:15 p.m., medical assist at 1124 S. Ellis. Firefighters responded Thursday to the following items: At 12:37 a.m., medical assist at 3003 Themis. At 8:44 a.m., medical assist at 1004 Maple...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Javon Jeremy Buxton, 25, 1310 Shelby, Siketon, Mo., was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Arrests...

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Cole D. Abbott, 19, of Cape Girardeau was arrested Sunday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...

WASHINGTON -- The nation's unemployment rate fell to 5.6 percent in January, the lowest level in more than two years, as employers stepped up hiring -- but not at a brisk enough pace to ease concerns about the prolonged job drought. Job growth is expected to be a key issue as November's presidential election nears. The economy has lost more than 2 million jobs since President Bush took office, the worst job creation record of any president since Herbert Hoover...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush appointed a conservative former judge and a moderate former Democratic senator Friday to head a special commission to "figure out why" inspectors haven't found the weapons that intelligence experts said Saddam Hussein was hiding in Iraq...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Point guard Randy Pulley was dismissed from the Missouri basketball team Friday, the school's athletic department said. "Randy has been dismissed from our squad and will transfer from Mizzou at the end of this semester," coach Quin Snyder said in a statement. "We will help him in any way we can, and we wish him well in the future."...

DENVER -- The University of Colorado president vowed Friday to mount an impartial investigation into whether the football program enticed recruits with alcohol-fueled sex parties that may have led to rape. Speaking before nearly 200 people at an emergency meeting of the university regents, President Elizabeth Hoffman chose two former state lawmakers, Democrat Peggy Lamm and Republican Joyce Lawrence, to co-chair the commission...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- President Bush will visit southwest Missouri on Monday to talk about his economic initiatives while participating in a forum with small business owners and workers. Bush will appear as part of "A Conversation on the Economy" in Springfield from 12:25 p.m. to 1:25 p.m. at SRC Automotive, Inc., 4431 W. Calhoun...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The University of Missouri system's chief has asked outside contributors help cover the $50,000 raises he proposed this year for chancellors of the system's campus in St. Louis, Kansas City and Rolla. In letters faxed Wednesday to the leaders of campus advisory groups, university president Elson Floyd asked each to come up with $50,000 apiece by April 1. ...

UNITED NATIONS -- International donors pledged $520 million Friday to start the long process of turning Liberia from a failed war-ravaged state into a democracy with a thriving economy. Secretary of State Colin Powell announced a $200 million U.S. pledge and urged the world community to help Liberians seize what may be "their last, best chance for peace, prosperity and democracy."...

MOSCOW -- A bomb blew apart a subway car packed with rush hour commuters Friday morning, killing 39 people and wounding more than 130 in the deadliest terrorist attack in Moscow since Russia launched its second war in Chechnya in 1999. President Vladimir Putin blamed Chechen separatists, although it was unclear whether the blast was the work of a suicide bomber or someone who merely placed a device on the train as it left the station...

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- A team of surgeons successfully removed the second head of a Dominican baby Friday in a complex operation that doctors believe to be the first of its kind. The medical team led by a Los Angeles-based neurosurgeon completed the operation on 7-week-old Rebeca Martinez in nearly 11 hours...

NEW YORK -- The one-second flash of Janet Jackson's breast at the Super Bowl could end up putting the brakes on years of plunging standards in the down-and-dirty entertainment industry. "This particular event might be, for the moment, the straw that broke the camel's back on the patience of the audience," said talk show host Carson Daly, a veteran presence on MTV, which produced the offending halftime show. "Tolerance of this sort of sexual imagery may have reached its peak."...

MUNICH, Germany -- Declaring himself "too old to have regrets," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Friday he wasn't sorry he called France and Germany "old Europe" -- a comment that caused bad blood in the run-up to the Iraq war. During a visit here for a NATO ministers meeting, Rumsfeld sat down with European journalists and explained what he had meant by that remark a year ago, when European opposition to war in Iraq was at a fever pitch...

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- Ronald Reagan turned 93 in seclusion Friday in his Los Angeles home while schoolchildren serenaded his wife, Nancy, at his presidential library and she dedicated the cornerstone for a new pavilion to house the former Air Force One...

SARASOTA, Fla. -- A tattooed mechanic with a long rap sheet was charged with murder Friday after authorities found the body of an 11-year-old girl whose kidnapping was captured on a carwash surveillance camera. Police said Joseph P. Smith told a witness that he had kidnapped and killed Carlie Brucia, and authorities used that information to find the sixth-grader's body in a church parking lot a few miles from the carwash...

By John P. Lictenegger and James C. Sterling The University of Missouri opened in 1839. Over the years it has been known as the University of the State of Missouri, Missouri University, the University of Missouri, Missouri State University and sometimes just MU and Mizzou. Despite the fact "Missouri State University" is chiseled in stone in the state Capitol, members of the legislature think that it is a name they can give away to someone else in 2004...

It's not that Sarah Costello played poorly during her first season as Southeast Missouri State University's point guard last year. But Costello and Otahkian coach B.J. Smith are quick to acknowledge that her senior season improvement has been akin to night and day...

LONDON -- Lennox Lewis is going out on top, and he insists he won't be back. He retired Friday after a professional career of more than 14 years, the first active heavyweight champion to quit in nearly 50 years. The 38-year-old boxer said that after months of deliberation he decided to leave the ring rather than defend his WBC title in a rematch against Vitali Klitschko...

Fifth- and sixth-graders are leaving Central Middle School these days with the newly acquired ability to cook dinner for their families, communicate in sign language and perform military marching drills. More than 300 students -- about half the school's population -- signed up for a four-week after-school program that will run through Feb. 20...

American youth are changing the way they meet their mates. By Laura Johnston ~ Southeast Missourian Images of red hearts, cuddly bears and vivid roses are in abundance across Southeast Missouri as retailers market Valentine's Day gifts for Feb. 14...

NEW YORK -- It was black and white, and watched all over. In the days when hardly anyone had color television, on Feb. 9, 1964, the Beatles appeared live in the living rooms of 78 million Americans -- four out of every 10 -- on "The Ed Sullivan Show."...

The way Saturday afternoon's game was unfolding, Murray State coach Mick Cronin figured the Racers' only chance of winning was for Southeast Missouri State University to run out of gas. It probably took longer than Cronin had hoped, but he finally got his wish. The Racers used a late 15-0 run to defeat the Indians 80-74 in front of 5,123 fans -- a season-high crowd -- at the Show Me Center...

Personal tragedy fuels Southeast Missouri State University volleyball coach Cindy Gannon's fund-raising commitment to fight breast cancer. Her mother died on July 1, 2000, after a six-year battle with breast cancer. Gannon's loss prompted the coach to found Dig for Life, a program that raises money to increase breast cancer awareness and encourages women to receive regular mammograms...

Saxony Lutheran's first-year varsity boys basketball program picked up its first conference title with a 71-64 win over Meadow Heights at the Mississippi Valley Conference Tournament Saturday at Oak Ridge. In a foul-plagued game in which Meadow Heights picked up two technicals, the Crusaders used a strong fourth quarter to come away with the win. Meadow Heights led 55-45 heading into the fourth quarter, but was outscored 26-9 in the final period...

ST. LOUIS -- Jackson senior guard Linden Hahs scored 12 points Saturday night in the third-place game of the Ameritime Classic on the Maryville University campus. But it was the 30-second span in which Hahs scored six points that turned the tide as Jackson won its matchup with Jefferson City, 45-37...

Jackson won its first district wrestling title since 1996 by capturing the Class 3 District 1 meet Saturday at Jackson. The Indians finished with a team score of 167, just ahead of Northwest with 150 and Fox with 147. Jackson sent nine wrestlers to sectionals, one behind Northwest's 10. The top four from each weight class qualify for sectionals...

As a basketball player, Kenja White would probably make a good quarterback. Or perhaps a pitcher. White showed off her right arm Saturday with a shot from about 70 feet at the halftime buzzer that highlighted Southeast Missouri State University's third straight victory, a 74-60 win over visiting Murray State Saturday night...

Sen. John Kerry won crushing caucus victories in Michigan and Washington on Saturday, trouncing his Democratic presidential rivals and predicting, "George Bush's days are numbered." The Democratic front-runner by far, Kerry fashioned his latest wins by outsized margins. The Massachusetts senator's share of the vote in a multi-candidate field hovered at 50 percent in Washington and Michigan...

LOS ANGELES -- Fresh from being given a clean bill of health, the Spirit rover drilled its first tiny hole in a rock on the surface of Mars, NASA scientists said Saturday. "We made some history here. We put the first planned hole on Mars," said Stephen Gorevan, a scientist handling some of Spirit's workload...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The final passage Thursday of a resolution that would nullify a key component of Gov. Bob Holden's controversial directive on collective bargaining looks to set up a rare regular session veto override effort within the next two weeks...

CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Political leaders in Wyoming have a dilemma their colleagues in many other states can only dream of: what to do with a projected $1.2 billion surplus. Suggestions for lawmakers range from extra funds for schools and prisons to saving more money for a rainy day...

James Clark likes to come to gun shows to meet good, friendly, law-abiding citizens. "Nobody ever got shot at a gun show," explained Clark of Poplar Bluff, Mo. On Saturday he joined crowds at the SEMO Gun Show in Cape Girardeau held at the A.C. Brase Arena Building...

AS MEDIA OUTLETS MARK INCREASED ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT RECORDS, LAWMAKERS LOOK AT CLOSING HOLES IN SUNSHINE LAW By Marc Powers ~ Southeast Missourian JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- In a bit of irony, the legislative committee proceedings that produced Missouri's first open meetings law in 1973 took place, as was the practice of the time, in secret...

FRED LYNCH * flynch@semissourian.com Central Middle School fifth-graders Emily Middleton, right, Martia Lewis and Blake Ozbun made bagel pizzas with other students in the after-school kitchen cooking class on Tuesday.By Laura Johnston ~ Southeast Missourian...

SAN FRANCISCO -- California now has 638 inmates awaiting death, some of them for more than one murder. But some of the state's counties have condemned many more inmates than others of similar size, according to an Associated Press review of Corrections Department data...

LOS ANGELES -- The traditional notions of a television season -- reruns in summer, new shows in the fall -- are obsolete for Fox. Fox will develop and premiere new shows year-round, network entertainment president Gail Berman said Friday. "The economic model that created this business has lasted too long," Berman said. "We've seen cable companies make inroads while we hid our heads in the sand. We need to change our business."...

MUNICH, Germany -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, defending the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq to a skeptical international audience, said Saturday he is confident Saddam Hussein's removal eventually will spread "seeds of freedom" through the Middle East...

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- An infant girl born with a second head bled to death Saturday after complex surgery to remove her partially formed twin, her parents and doctors said. A medical team completed the 11-hour operation Friday night and said 8-week-old Rebeca Martinez died seven hours later. Doctors had warned after the surgery that the girl would be at great risk of infection or hemorrhaging...

SHANGHAI, China -- The suit maker seeking Bill Clinton's endorsement hoped to use the former U.S. leader's "worldwide charisma." The man behind Bush Diapers was playing with the president's Chinese name -- "bu shi," which also means "not wet."...

NAW ZAD, Afghanistan -- A 15-year-old boy released after spending a year at the U.S. prison for terror suspects in Cuba says he was detained after Afghan militiamen falsely accused him of being a Taliban sympathizer. Mohammed Ismail Agha was reunited last week with his family in a remote southern Afghan village after a year as one of the youngest inmates in Guantanamo Bay, a high-security prison holding about 650 suspected al-Qaida and Taliban fighters detained since the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan began after the Sept. ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A U.N. team began its mission in Iraq on Saturday to study prospects for early legislative elections opposed by the United States but demanded by the powerful Shiite Muslim clergy. The Sunni Muslim president of Iraq's Governing Council, however, insisted the U.N. findings will not be binding on the Iraqi leadership, reflecting divisions among Iraqis over how to restore an independent government by July...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Insurgents are killing at least one and as many as five Iraqi intellectuals every month, hoping to stop people from working with the U.S.-led coalition, coalition spokesmen said Saturday. Still, they said more and more intellectuals and professionals are coming forward to help thwart the insurgents' aims...

TEHRAN, Iran -- President Mohammad Khatami said he will obey orders from Iran's supreme leader to hold legislative elections on Feb. 20, but warned they would not be fair because thousands of reformist candidates have been disqualified. In a joint letter sent to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday, Khatami and Parliament Speaker Mahdi Karroubi wrote that the government would hold the elections as scheduled only because Khamenei had ordered it to do so, but that people would have little motivation to vote.. ...

ROLLA, Mo. -- A man shot and killed another man who had broken into his home and shot him and his wife, authorities said. David W. Brown, 45, was pronounced dead at the scene Friday night. The couple, James Butler, 48, and Suzanne Butler, 44, each suffered single gunshot wounds and were taken to hospitals with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. James Butler was released from the Phelps County Regional Medical Center on Saturday afternoon...

BENTON, Mo. -- A Butler County man will spend 28 years in prison for an attack on a volleyball player at the Poplar Bluff Junior High School last year. Todd Michael Oliver, 19, was sentenced Thursday after earlier pleading guilty to attempted forcible sodomy...

Overturned van spills 700 live rodents PEARISBURG, Va. -- A cargo van filled with cages carrying more than 700 gerbils, rats, mice and other rodents overturned Thursday, sending the animals scurrying onto a highway and sparking a bizarre large-scale rescue of the small animals. ...

The ranch style home is a traditional favorite for good reason -- it's just plain practical. The rooms are easily accessible and the primary rooms are all on one floor. And when combined with good building and finishing materials, the ranch style home is very attractive...

Scott City speeding I'D LIKE to make a comment about the Scott City interchange. There is a need for another way out of town. The port road was a big help, but I hope people on James Street don't get their hopes up that the Scott City police will control the speeding. That won't happen. Ask the people on Ruth Street...

Ready for baseball SINCE 1998, the Southeast Missouri State baseball team has been very competitive at the Division I level. Since 1998, the SEMO baseball program has seriously contended for the OVC championship with titles in 1998 and 2002. ...

Saxony deserves coverage In response to the statement in SportsTalk on Sunday, Feb. 1, entitled "Critique of coverage," personally I believe that the publicity which Saxony Lutheran High School is receiving right now is great. We are a fairly new high school, and are trying to build a new building in order that the students will not be so cramped. Therefore, any publicity can help them reach their goal...

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- Mr. and Mrs. George Thurm of Altenburg celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a dinner and reception Oct. 12, 2003, at the American Legion Hall in Jackson. An open house was held Oct. 19 at Concordia Lutheran School gym. Thurm and Verna Ludwig were married Oct. 11, 1953, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Pocahontas, by the Rev. E.C. Elzey...

Mr. and Mrs. Cletus Reutzel of Jackson celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows in the wedding chapel aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean. A reception followed the ceremony. Hosts were their children, Larry Reutzel of Norman, Okla., Randy Reutzel of Marietta, Ga., Linda and Harold Watson of Jackson; and a granddaughter, Samantha Watson of Jackson...

Eddie and Gail Allen of Broken Bow, Okla., announce the engagement of their daughter, Nicole Courtney Allen, to Thomas Steven Haupt, both of Springfield, Mo. He is the son of Johnnie and Kathie Haupt of Fruitland. Allen is a graduate of Oklahoma School of Photography. She is a director at Jenny Craig in Springfield...

Yvonne Jones of Eureka, Mo., announces the engagement of her daughter, Kristin Nicole Jones, to Darryl W. McRaven, both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Becky Welker of Cape Girardeau and Darryl McRaven of Jonesboro, Ill. Jones is a graduate of the occupational therapy program at St. Louis University. She is a pediatric occupational therapist at Kenny Rogers Children's Center in Sikeston, Mo...

Phillip and Leta Wagoner of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Laura Beth Wagoner, to Lance Christian McClard, both of Columbia, S.C. He is the son of Richard and Rebecca McClard of Jackson. Wagoner is a 1996 graduate of Central High School. She received a degree in human development and family studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2001. She is pursuing a master's degree in social work from the University of South Carolina in Columbia...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Debbie Hennemann of Perryville and Dennis Hennemann of Jackson announce the engagement of their daughter, Sydni Nicole Hennemann, to Jason Robert Bey. He is the son of Gina Bey and Dennis Bey of Perryville. Hennemann is a 2002 graduate of Perryville High School, a graduate of Stage One the Hair School, and is attending Mineral Area College. She is employed at Park-Et Restaurant...

Mr. and Mrs. James Bowers of Whitewater announce the engagement of their daughter, Alaina Marie Bowers, to Kenny Gaebler. He is the son of Kenneth Gaebler Sr. of Delta and June Miller of Tampa, Fla. Bowers is a 1997 graduate of Delta High School. She received a bachelor's degrees in child development from Southeast Missouri State University in 2001, and in early childhood education in 2003...

Mary Darlene McLane and Jason Ray Mason were united in marriage Nov. 8, 2003, at Oak Ridge United Methodist Church. Craig Petzoldt performed the ceremony. Pianist was Krystal McLane of Oak Ridge. Vocalists were Danetta Held of Cape Girardeau, sister of the groom, and Lisa Lee of Oak Ridge...

Amy Leigh Sater and Gregory Lynn Ludwig were married Oct. 11, 2003, at First Christian Church. The Rev. David Felty performed the ceremony. Organist was Betty Fadler of Marble Hill, Mo. The bride is the daughter of Mary D. Sater of East Prairie, Mo., and the late John R. Sater. Earl and Dorothy Ludwig of Jackson are parents of the groom...

A winter youth basketball program in its second year in Cape Girardeau is thriving by teaching that winning isn't everything. In this league, players are recognized for sportsmanship and Christian behavior. The Upward Basketball program was started by Lynwood Baptist Church member Richard Kinsey, who was asked to help by his church's minister...

10 years ago: Feb. 8, 1994 Scott City Council approved measure last night which will allow voters to decide whether or not they want riverboat gaming in city; vote is slated for April 5, same day Missourians ballot will on revised constitutional amendment that would allow riverboat gambling...

Charles Lee Fisher Sr., 64, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Feb. 7, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born July 4, 1939, in Ottumwa, Iowa, son of Keith Charles and Virginia M. Castle Fisher. He and Sharon A. Petary were married March 9, 1960, at Ottumwa...

James H. Killen Sr., 80, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Feb. 7, 2004, at Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis. He was born Nov. 9, 1923, in Lauderdale County, Ala., son of Benton and Alma King Killen. He and Gertrude Reiter were married Jan. 28, 1956, in Arkansas...

Brenda Pearl Gould, 59, of Scott City died Saturday, Feb. 7, 2004, at her home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City.

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Aline Karraker, 82, of Murray, Ky., formerly of Dongola, died Saturday, Feb. 7, 2004, at her son's home in Murray. She was born Jan. 1, 1922, at Dongola, daughter of Lewis and Josephine Kaufman. She and Howard Lamar Karraker were married in 1940...

ANNA, Ill. -- Dorothy B. Coffman, 77, of New Braunfels, Texas, and formerly of Anna, died Friday, Feb. 6, 2004, at her home. Arrangements are pending at Crain Funeral Home in Anna.

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Bernice Ancell, 86, of Chaffee died Friday, Feb. 6, 2004, at her home. She was born March 22,1917, at Crump, Mo., daughter of Ernest Kirby and Ida Mae Williams Crump. She and Lee Ancell were married Sept. 15, 1934. He died on July 28, 1989...

DONGOLA, Ill. -- Ellen E. Smith, 75, of Dongola died Friday, Feb. 6, 2004, at home. She was born April 13, 1928, in Alto Pass, Ill., daughter of Melvin and Alma Fox Tellor. She and Claude E. "Hoggie" Smith were married Jan. 1, 1943, at Jackson, Mo. He died Jan. 24, 1985...

Robert C. "Bob" Friedrich Jr., 69, of Jackson passed away Friday, Feb. 6, 2004 at his home. He was born May, 18, 1934, in Jackson, son of Robert C. Sr. and Ollie L. Seabaugh Friedrich. He and Patricia Ruth "Pat" Schulte were married July 2, 1959. She passed away June 7, 1995...

To the editor: State Rep. Rod Jetton seems surprised that people were offended by his rude behavior after he heckled Gov. Bob Holden during the State of the State speech last month. Woody Cozad, a well-known Republican, discussed in a December 2001 commentary how business is conducted at meetings of the Grand Order of Pachyderms, a Republican social club in Kansas City:...

To the editor: I just sent a letter to my son's principal at Clippard Elementary School tooting the horn of his classroom teacher, Shawn Brooks. During a time when many educators are grumbling about cuts and readjustments, here a teacher (among many, I am sure) who deserves some limelight. Here are excerpts from my letter:...

To the editor: Human population growth is the most pressing environmental problem facing the world, and voluntary family planning is the most effective answer. The United States joined 179 countries at a 1994 population conference in Cairo to pledge support for international family planning efforts, but the Bush administration has indicated it will not reaffirm the commitment this year...

The president of the Missouri Bar Association, accompanied by judges and lawyers, made a compelling case last week regarding state funding for Missouri's judicial system. If the state's courts have to take a 10 percent budget cut, said Bill Corrigan Jr. of St. Louis, criminal trials would be less speedy and civil lawsuits would be bogged down...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls on Friday: At 4:38 p.m., a medical assist at 11 S. Kingshighway. At 8:31 p.m., a medical assist at 321 N. Spring St. At 8:36 p.m., a citizen assist at 525 S. Sprigg. Firefighters responded to the following calls on Saturday:...

Two motorists were injured in separate accidents Saturday in Southeast Missouri. Brittany Reinagel, 19, of Ironton, Mo., was injured in an accident at 11:34 a.m. on Highway 72, two miles east of Highway 51 in Bollinger County, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said...

Southeast Missouri State University students, employers and the school itself benefit from internships, the school's director of career services said Friday. Jerry Westbrook, the director, outlined the benefits of student internships to over 100 business leaders at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce First Friday Coffee at the Show Me Center...

Mary Burton, executive director of the Southeast Missouri chapter of the American Red Cross, will be the guest today on KRCU's "Going Public" radio show. She will discuss the various services provided by the Red Cross. The show will air at 3 p.m. on 90.9 FM...

WASHINGTON -- The independent commission reviewing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks met with President Bush's national security adviser Saturday in an interview commissioners described as candid and productive. Condoleezza Rice met with the commission privately for four hours Saturday at the White House to discuss what the administration could have done to prevent the attacks...

WASHINGTON -- The men put in charge of the Iraq intelligence commission have wide experience with covert information -- one in federal courts, the other in Congress. Laurence Silberman is a blunt conservative who oversaw the highly secretive panel of judges responsible for ruling on government wiretaps against alleged foreign terrorists and spies...

HONOLULU -- When Anquan Boldin discovered he has been chosen for the same number of Pro Bowls as Steve McNair, the Arizona receiver almost demanded a recount. "Steve McNair has never made the Pro Bowl?" asked Boldin, the only rookie selected for today's game. "That's crazy. That's not right. He's the MVP, the best. How could three better quarterbacks get elected every year? It's way overdue."...

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Jeremy Roenick is realistic: Labor agreement or not, this is probably his last trip to the All-Star game. So he, like everyone involved with the midseason classic, hopes the NHL shows off its best side. "The league's in a situation that we need positive things to happen," said the 34-year-old Roenick, the Philadelphia Flyers forward and one of the NHL's most outspoken players...

AT&T Pebble Beach National Par Scores Saturday at Pebble Beach, Calif., Purse: $5.3 million; Played on three courses all Par 72: Pebble Beach Golf Links, 6,816 yards; Poppy Hills, 6,833 yards; Spyglass Hill GC, 6,862 yards Third RoundVijay Singh 67-68-68 -- 203 -13...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Last year, the Missouri Department of Transportation installed 63 miles of guard cables in the grassy median of Interstate 70 to cut down on crossover collisions. But the $11.1 million project wasn't carried out by choice. Until Missouri outlaws open containers of alcohol in motor vehicles, the state remains under federal order to spend 3 percent of its federal road construction funds each year on traffic safety projects. ...

STOCKTON, Mo. -- As bundled-up locals gingerly stepped across slush-slickened sidewalks Friday morning, the unmistakable aroma of fire-kissed burgers blended with falling flurries in the winter air. On an otherwise questionable day for a barbecue, a small community once left for dead by the weather gave its townspeople reason to revel in a new beginning...

ST. LOUIS -- Vice President Dick Cheney defended the war in Iraq and touted the U.S. economy Saturday night while helping the Missouri Republican Party raise more than $500,000 for this year's election. Cheney, the keynote speaker at the Republicans' annual Lincoln Days, said the evidence indicates that Saddam Hussein had the intent to use weapons of mass destruction, even though inspectors have not found any massive stockpiles...

NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- Jessica Wolfe carefully untangled, smoothed out and fluffed up a small clump of light brown, tan and black wool as she prepared it to be spun into yarn. Jessica, a fifth grader at White Eagle Elementary School, and her classmates were learning about the art of spinning from artist-in-residence Charlotte Main...

SIDNEY, Ill. -- Not all weapons makers are huge conglomerates like Smith & Wesson or General Dynamics. Some supply an entirely different market -- and build their weapons in rural Champaign County. Edhellen Armoury, hidden in plain sight on a farm near Sidney, supplies weapons for fantasy medieval combat, or "foam fighting," as it is also known...