Stories from Friday, May 14, 2004

The Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department, Breakfast Optimist Club, and Missouri Department of Conservation will sponsor the 15th Annual Youth Catch and Release Fishing Day from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Capaha Park Pond. Ages 1 to 15 are invited to bring their own pole and bait to test their skills. There will be a casting contest and prizes will be given for the biggest and smallest fish. Lunch provided after the event. For more information call 334-2859 or 335-5421...

Photographs allegedly showing British troops threatening and urinating on a hooded Iraqi prisoner were "categorically not taken in Iraq," according to the British government. Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram told the House of Commons that the truck seen in the photos published by the Daily Mirror newspaper "was never in Iraq."...

ABU GHRAIB, Iraq -- Hoping to contain a spreading scandal, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld went to the Abu Ghraib prison camp on Thursday and insisted the Pentagon did not try to cover up abuses there. A top general with him said he had given clear guidelines months ago on the humane way to question Iraqi prisoners...

Scientists: Crater possibly linked to mass extinction WASHINGTON -- Millions of years before the dinosaurs vanished, an even bigger mass extinction wiped out more than 90 percent of the species on Earth. Now scientists think they may have evidence of an impact crater that contributed to the "Great Dying." A team led by Luann Becker of the University of California, Santa Barbara, reported in Thursday's issue of the journal Science that a crater off the northwest coast of Australia shows evidence of a large meteor impact at the time of the early extinction.. ...

ST. LOUIS -- J.D. Drew enjoyed his return to Busch Stadium, but his happy homecoming could have been better. Drew homered against his former team for the second straight day, helping the Atlanta Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 on Thursday and avoid a three-game sweep...

NBA PLAYOFFS SAN ANTONIO -- The final second featured two unbelievable shots. Tim Duncan's might have been better, but Derek Fisher's came last. Fisher swished the game-winning 18-foot jumper off an inbounds pass with 0.4 seconds left, giving the Los Angeles Lakers a stunning 74-73 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night for a 3-2 lead in their second-round series...

ST. LOUIS -- Attorneys for St. Louis Blues player Mike Danton have asked a federal judge to review a magistrate's decision to hold their client in an Illinois jail while he awaits trial in an alleged murder conspiracy. A motion filed this week in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis, Ill., asks for a prompt review of federal Magistrate Clifford Proud's May 7 order holding Danton at the Clinton County, Ill., jail...

WASHINGTON -- The House reminded voters Thursday that tax cuts have fattened their paychecks, voting to cement the lower taxes from a broadened bottom bracket. The tax cut is one of three that Congress plans to extend before they expire at the end of this election year. The House already voted to lock in tax cuts for married couples and plans to vote next week to preserve the $1,000 child tax credit...

WASHINGTON -- Wholesale prices, stoked by higher costs for gasoline and food, registered their biggest rise in a year during April, providing fresh evidence that inflation is awakening after a long slumber. The Labor Department reported Thursday that the Producer Price Index, which measures the prices of goods before they reach stores, rose by 0.7 percent last month, following a 0.5 percent gain in March...

WASHINGTON -- Sooty air pollution can cause genetic damage that can be passed along to offspring, Canadian researchers reported Thursday in a study on mice. Follow-up work is needed to learn if people can inherit pollution-damaged DNA that harms their health. In the meantime, the discovery is sure to increase scientists' worry about particulates, the microscopic soot particles emitted by factories, power plants and diesel-burning vehicles...

FRIDAY, MAY 14 Shawnee Community College, 7 p.m. in the college gymnasium at Ullin, Ill. Perry County High School in Perryville, 8 p.m., Perry Park Center Woodland High School, 8 p.m., in high school gymnasiumSATURDAY Southeast Missouri State University, 2 p.m., Show Me Center...

There are legitimate methods for interrogating dangerous men and women who may have information critical to saving lives, stabilizing Iraq and bringing a faster end to the war against terrorism. But the images of abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers, released last week, betray the spirit of what America stands for and will complicate the U.S. role in bringing peace to a troubled part of the world...

The Jackson girls' sprint relay teams have dominated the area track and field scene this season. Coming off wins in the 400- and 800-meter relays at the SEMO Conference Meet in Poplar Bluff last Friday, the Indians will try to continue their domination Saturday in the Class 4 District 1 meet takes place at Northwest High School...

JERUSALEM -- A bitter debate among Israelis about whether to pull out of the Gaza Strip took on new urgency with the deaths of 11 young soldiers in fighting there this week. The losses energized the campaign in favor of a Gaza pullback, much as pressure from bereaved parents played a pivotal role in Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000...

LOS ANGELES -- After 11 years of solving many of Seattle's problems and few of his own, radio shrink Frasier Crane -- in the end -- followed his heart out of town. The multiple Emmy-winning NBC series, "Frasier," bowed out Thursday with an hour-long episode filled with slapstick comedy, warm moments and a subtle romantic twist at the end...

The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch As if the escalating violence in Iraq weren't discouraging enough, a shocking lack of oversight apparently has allowed many of the billions of dollars sent for rebuilding Iraq to disappear into a maze of corruption. Failure to take every step necessary to ensure the success of this most essential part of the U.S. mission is intolerable...

The Cape Girardeau County Chapter of the Civil War Round Table will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday at Hanover Lutheran Church, 2949 Perryville Road, Cape Girardeau. The annual outdoor cookout featuring Civil War era recipes cooked over an open fire will take place. Individuals interested in the historical events surrounding the War Between the States are invited to attend. Guests welcome. For more information contact Glenn Harper at (573) 833-6033 or Elroy Kinder at 334-4964...

Cape Girardeau police are looking for two men who robbed the Rhodes 101 store at 449 South Kingshighway around 12:20 a.m. Thursday. According to the police department, two men, one carrying a shotgun, came into the store and demanded money. They took an undetermined amount and fled on foot. ...

One of the initial graduates of Cape Girardeau County's drug court had his case bound over after his appearance in court on drug trafficking charges. Associate Circuit Judge Gary Kamp of the 32nd Circuit Court, Division III, bound over the case of William Corley and took under advisement that of Terri Adele. Both are charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia...

UPPERVILLE, Va. -- At the Hunter's Head Tavern, "guilt-free dining" has nothing to do with calories or carb counts. The English pub in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains this week became the first restaurant in the nation to get an animal welfare group's stamp of approval for the humane treatment of the animals on its menu -- from the beef stew to the shepherd's pie...

Projections for next year's state funding are looking up for local school districts, but some educators say the additional funding's impact will be minimized after years of cutbacks. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released district-by-district estimates Wednesday for the amount of money schools may receive next year compared with 2003-2004 and 2002-2003 funding levels...

Representatives from the police and fire departments were there. Mayor Jay Knudtson came. City manager Doug Leslie and Doug Austin of a residents' committee to pass the tax were prepared to give their presentations on the proposed fire sales tax issue. But no one from the public came to the Arena Building Thursday evening to learn about the proposal, which will be voted on June 8...

First came the dizziness, then the trembling and the numbness. Then came the coma. Ten days later, Amber Lackamp of rural Jackson woke up in a St. Louis hospital bed. She couldn't move her arms or her legs. She couldn't talk. She depended on a feeding tube for nourishment. She could communicate only by blinking her eyes...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- An effort by state lawmakers to override Gov. Bob Holden's veto of medical malpractice legislation failed Thursday despite an almost unanimous vote by majority Republicans in the House. The House voted 97-62 in favor of overriding the governor's April 27 veto, falling well short of the 109 votes needed for the two-thirds majority required. The chamber voted 93-61 last month to pass the bill...

STEVE ROBERTSON * photos@semissourian.com It's easy to spot the new Equinox -- it looks like a baby Chevy Trailblazer with its muscular flared wheel openings and chromed horizontal grill bar. The new compact SUV features front-wheel-drive or all-wheel drive, and it the longest vehicle in its class. A V6 engine and automatic transmission are standard.Chevy's new compact SUV offers smooth ride and plenty of gadgetry....

By Mark Kneer Joe Sullivan is the best newspaper editor I've ever worked with in my 20 years in the business. For most readers it might come as a surprise, but editors and circulation managers rarely speak at some newspapers. In fact, one of the industry's leading newspaper groups is having a conference later this month for editors and circulation managers on communicating with one another. Joe and I don't need to attend...

MIDVALE, Utah -- After a lot of red tape, Briana Lane has her skull back in one piece. The 22-year-old woman was injured in an auto accident in January, and doctors temporarily removed nearly half her skull to save her life. But for nearly four months afterward, the piece of bone lay in a hospital freezer across town -- and Lane had to wear a plastic street hockey helmet -- because of a standoff with Medicaid and the hospital over who would cover the surgery to make her whole again...

The Central baseball team pushed its winning streak to six games with a 13-2 win at Scott City on Thursday. The Tigers had 16 hits in their regular-season finale. Sean Bard led the attack with three hits, including a home run and a double. Bard drove in six runs...

RICHMOND, Ky. -- The Southeast Missouri State softball team pulled off one upset and almost came up with another Thursday in the first day of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. The Otahkians trailed just once in two games, at the bitter end of a 9-6 eight-inning loss to No. 2 Tennessee-Martin in the semifinals of the winners bracket...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Robert Eugene Tucker, 63, of Perryville died Tuesday, May 11, 2004, at his home. He was born Sept. 20, 1940, in Perryville, son of Hubert J. and Rose Bernice Tucker. He and Linda Ciebe were married Oct. 24, 1987, in Perryville. Tucker was a retired machinist from Boeing Aircraft...

Hilda M. Wallman, 90, of Pocahontas, died Thursday, May 13, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.

Elizabeth Daugherty, 97, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, May 12, 2004, at Chateau Girardeau. She was born May 4, 1907, at Clarkton, Mo., daughter of Ira Bragg and Polly Graham Tatum. She and Raymond Dale "Tim" Daugherty were married June 5, 1929, at Clarkton. He died May 8, 1984...

Robert Norwood King, 73, of Fallon, Nev., died Friday, May 7, 2004, at a care center in Provo, Utah. He was born Sept. 29, 1930, in St. Louis, son of Lawrence Norwood and Zoe Virginia Bull King. King was a retired radiologic technologist. He moved to Fallon in 1994 from Florida...

Kathryn Ruth Smith, 80, of Delta died Wednesday, May 12, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 2, 1924, in Baldwin, N.C., daughter of Hamilton Donely and Ruth Alma Greer Edwards. She and Clyde Harold Smith were married Nov. 6, 1943, in Elkton, Md. He died May 1, 1993...

Emily P. Fulenwider, 96, of Jackson died Thursday, May 13, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Aug. 19, 1907, in Gillespie, Ill., daughter of Thomas and Martha Seekamp Patterson. She and Allen Fulenwider were married in 1934 and he preceded her in death on May 13, 1978...

10 years ago: May 14, 1994 Missouri Highway and Transportation Department says no improvements are planned at Interstate 55-U.S. 61-34 interchange between Cape Girardeau and Jackson, unless there is local support and local financial assistance for project; motorists getting off interstate during rush-hour periods must cross one or both busy lanes of traffic on U.S. 61-34 to get to Cape Girardeau or Jackson...

One star (out of four) I went in to watch "New York Minute" not expecting much. I was right. The movie stars Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen as twin sisters Roxy and Jane who are completely different and don't get along at all. Roxy is skipping school so she can go to a video shoot and Jane is supposed to give a speech in hopes of getting into Oxford...

'Breakin' All the Rules' Starring Jamie Foxx, Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union, Jennifer Esposito and Peter MacNicol. Quincy gets dumped by his fiancée, but he then writes a best-selling book advising guys to avoid heartache by breaking up with their girlfriends before they can get hurt. ...

Since it opened in 1996, "Lord of the Dance" has filled large venues the world over and on Wednesday, Cape Girardeau will play host to Michael Flatley's Irish dance extravaganza. The production almost single-handedly thrust Irish dance into the spotlight and became a pop culture phenomenon, meaning that in addition to popularity and praise, it has also been the frequent brunt of jokes, especially when it comes to Flatley's over-the-top persona...

Missouri's own Brad Pitt is making a return to the big screen after a two-year absence with "Troy," one of the first big blockbusters of the summer. The film, which opens today, is a loose retelling of what is considered by many to be the greatest work of western literature, Homer's "The Iliad."...

Theater department names award winners Awards were presented Saturday at the Southeast Missouri State University Department of Theatre and Dance annual end-of-the-year banquet. The banquet celebrates the conclusion of the 2003-2004 season. The Outstanding Contribution-Acting award went to Daniel Boughton; Outstanding Contribution-Dance to Katherine Stricker; and the Outstanding Contribution-Design/ Technology to Alex Seiler. ...

Diana Marie Steele, 43, of Cape Girardeau, died Wednesday, May 12, 2004, at her home. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

CHAFFEE, Mo.-- Gradon Street Davis Sr., 87, of Chaffee died Thursday, May 13, 2004, at Chaffee Nursing Center. He was born May 25, 1916, in Russellville, Ark., son of Joseph and Mary Elizabeth Dotson Davis. He and Mildred Brown Crowden were married Feb. 17, 1948...

Golf Peter Lonard and J.L. Lewis each shot a 6-under 64 to share the lead Thursday at the Byron Nelson Championship. Tiger Woods hit only six fairways on the TPC at Las Colinas, but still managed to make seven birdies in a 65 that left him tied with Dudley Hart...

To the editor: In response to Speak Out comments: I as a soldier am deeply embarrassed by the lack of professional behavior on the part of the accused soldiers in Iraq. Their actions, whether they realize it or not, reflect upon soldiers and service members as a whole. We need the Iraqi people's trust and cooperation if we ever hope to withdraw our troops. Humiliating them is not going to help our cause. This type of behavior is neither encouraged or tolerated in the U.S. Army...

To the editor: I want to thank all of you for your coverage of the community recording of Kevin Danzig's "The Great Mississippi." Kevin, who has been reading online coverage of the project in the Southeast Missourian, has been overwhelmed with the positive public response. We are both aware that your coverage has raised public awareness and bolstered the credibility of the effort...

To the editor: I am deeply offended and outraged over the apparent rift in the commotion caused by alleged prison abuse and the gruesome beheading of one of our own citizens. While there seems to be no shortage of hot air being expended on Capitol Hill for the well-being of the terrorists with American blood on their hands, there is little outrage by the same for the death of Nick Berg...

Fantastic show MIKE DUMEY has done it again. He has produced a fantastic show with the junior high students. From the little animated narrator to the funny genie, they all were just delightful. Dumey provides such a good time and devotes so much of his talent. We ought to be really glad we have got Mike Dumey in this town. He is a special person...

FROHNA, Mo. -- Marie Rose Klugman, 53, of Des Moines, Iowa, died Sunday, May 9, 2004, at Taylor Hospice House in Des Moines. She was born May 25, 1950, at Frohna, daughter of Theophil and Hattie Popp. She was raised in the Frohna area. Marie was an award-winning professor of statistics at Drake University, and held degrees in geography and mathematics...

Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Kenneth Raymond Kern, 83, of Cape Girardeau died at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, May 12, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Feb. 14, 1921, in Lafayette, Ind., son of Claude J. and Edna Pearl Ingram Kern. He and LaDonne Hellmeyer were married Dec. 24, 1949, in Bellevue, Ohio. She preceded him in death...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Jemorrio Antonio Betts, 20, of Charleston died Sunday, May 9, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo., of a gunshot wound. He was born July 16, 1983, in Sikeston, son of William Henry and Mary Louise Parker Betts. Betts was a 2002 graduate of Charleston High School and played on the basketball team. He attended Lane College in Jackson, Tenn., and was enrolled at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Henry W. Johnson, 72, of Cairo died Monday, May 10, 2004, at his home. He was born Nov. 16, 1931, at Wyatt, Mo., son of Redmond and Mary Cobb Johnson. He married Mary Jones. Johnson was employed by Swift Co., Mae Flowler Lumber Co., Burkart Manufacturing, and Alexander County...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Chance E. Kitchen, 25, of Charleston was dead on arrival Sunday, May 9, 2004, at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo., of a gunshot wound. He was born March 20, 1979, at Sikeston, son of Frank Williamson and Lynette Kitchen...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Sue Masania, 75, of Los Angeles, Calif., died Friday, Dec. 12, 2003. She was born March 20, 1929, at Lutesville, Mo., daughter of Leslie and W.W. "Buster" Choate. She first married Bob Seabaugh, and later married Anthony Masania...

Hulda Rebecca Huckstep, 99, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 13, 2004, at the Lutheran Home. She was born July 22, 1904, in Jackson, daughter of William and Elizabeth Slaughter Loenneke. She married Jesse Huckstep, who preceded her in death. Huckstep lived in Cape Girardeau County all her life, and was a cook at Sunny Hill Restaurant. She was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church at Tilsit...

Pro wrestling card slated for Saturday Gateway Championship Wrestl-ing returns to the A.C. Brase Arena Building in Cape Girardeau with "Wrestling Mayhem" on Saturday night. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the eight-match card begins at 8. The featured match is Kory Twist against Chaz Wasson...