Stories from May 2004

I went to a college that valued its equestrian program, and I thought at the time there was something that separated horse people from everyone else. It was not that everyone else hated horses. They just never quite got what all the fuss was about. Watching the Lipizzaner stallions perform Friday night at the Show Me Center reminded me of that...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Lawmakers negotiating a final version of next year's state budget worked all week to reach compromise on difficult issues but could not find common ground on one of the biggest: Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, elderly and disabled...

Paul Bucher pitched five shutout innings and drove in two runs as Oran cruised to a 12-0, five-inning home victory against Bloomfield on Friday. Bucher allowed two hits. Oran 12, Bloomfield 0 Bloomfield 000 00 -- 0 2 3 Oran 401 7X -- 12 7 0 WP -- Paul Bucher, 2-0. LP -- Vaughn. 2B -- Bucher (O). Multiple hits -- Oran, Austin Dumey 2-3. Records -- Oran 12-2...

Jamie Birk and Suzi Lair had offensive statistics last season they would just as soon forget. But they've bounced back in a big way this year, turning in performances at the plate that figure to hold plenty of fond memories. Birk and Lair are two of seven Southeast seniors who will close out the home portion of their college careers this weekend when the Otahkians (14-29, 9-9 Ohio Valley Conference) host first-place Eastern Kentucky (34-14, 17-4) in a three-game series...

Forget Eastern Kentucky's suspect non-conference schedule -- Southeast Missouri State University coach Mark Hogan says the Colonels are for real. "I picked them to be No. 1 in our league," Hogan said. "They will be one of the best teams we've played. Statistically they will be the best club."...

Ah, springtime in Cape Girardeau. The dogwoods. Sniff. The beautiful parks. Honk! The poetic hills and valleys. Hack, hack! The nostalgic Mississippi Riv, Riv, Riv ... Achoo! In Southeast Missouri, where noses run as fast as the rivers, mold and a vast range of pollinating trees and plants team up like supervillains set out to destroy the day...

The Associated Press ST. LOUIS -- Seldom has a sixth-round draft pick attracted such attention. Jeff Smoker is the lone quarterback in the St. Louis Rams' three-day rookie minicamp and coach Mike Martz was watching him closely on Friday. He'll be scrutinizing him all weekend, maximizing the opportunity to put an early stamp on the former Michigan State star...

Armed with Palm Pilots and a $95 million budget, Democratic organizers hope to exploit voters' anger toward President Bush and the disputed outcome of the 2000 election to produce a record-breaking Nov. 2 turnout. They're doing it the old-fashioned way -- knocking on doors and registering voters -- with information-age technology, such as the hand-held computers carried street-to-street by canvassers...

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals followed a game-winning home run with a game-winning walk. LaTroy Hawkins walked Mike Matheny on a full count with two outs to force in the game-winning run in the ninth inning, giving the Cardinals a 4-3 victory Friday night over the Chicago Cubs and spoiling a sharp outing by Kerry Wood...

Representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will be coming to Cape Girardeau this week to inform residents of the danger of predatory lending practices. Those HUD representatives will join a group of local lenders and real estate agents to put on a presentation in the Lincoln Room of the Drury Lodge on Thursday...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Wide open. Probably wet. Definitely wild. That's how the Kentucky Derby is shaping up, even though Wimbledon and St Averil were scratched with injuries Friday and trainer Bob Baffert, a three-time winner, won't be around for all the fun...

The Associated Press PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- The European Union expanded at midnight today to take in a region isolated during the Cold War, creating a 25-nation economic giant with the potential to rival the United States. Church bells rang and fireworks exploded over eastern Europe in celebration...

CINCINNATI -- A federal appeals court Friday upheld a judge's decision to strip retired autoworker John Demjanjuk of U.S. citizenship, saying the government had proven he was a Nazi death-camp guard. The Justice Department said afterward it will begin what could be a years-long process to force the Ukranian-born Demjanjuk to leave the United States. ...

A program on methamphetamine designed to reach elementary students at the third- and fourth-grade levels was the focus of a presentation two Southeast Missouri State University professors made this week at Gov. Bob Holden's methamphetamine summit in Kansas City...

Cape Girardeau-based Rust Communications announced Friday the acquisition of the Shelbyville Times-Gazette in Shelbyville, Tenn., from David and Nina Gay Segroves. The 8,200- circulation daily newspaper is 60 miles southeast of Nashville and is the Rust family's second newspaper in Tennessee...

SOMERVILLE, N.J. -- Former NBA star Jayson Williams was acquitted of manslaughter Friday in the shotgun slaying of a limousine driver at his mansion, but found guilty of trying to cover up the shooting. Williams, 36, was convicted on four of six lesser charges related to tampering with evidence and trying to cover up the death of Costas "Gus" Christofi, 55, who was killed by a shotgun blast as Williams handled the weapon. Collectively, the charges carry a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison...

CAIRO, Egypt -- Arab outrage flashed across the Middle East on Friday as TV stations showed graphic images of naked Iraqi prisoners being humiliated by smiling U.S. military police. President Bush condemned the mistreatment, saying he shared "a deep disgust that those prisoners were treated the way they were treated."...

Jackson pleads innocent to new indictment SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- With a nod of his head, Michael Jackson pleaded innocent Friday to a grand jury indictment that expanded the child molestation case against him to include a conspiracy count involving allegations of child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. ...

LOS ANGELES -- Truckers parked their rigs on a busy freeway outside Los Angeles on Friday morning, snarling rush-hour traffic for miles in a wildcat protest over high diesel prices. About five tractor-trailers stopped in the northbound lanes of the Golden State Freeway in Commerce, 17 miles southeast of downtown, according to the California Highway Patrol. ...

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Led by a former Saddam Hussein general, Iraqi troops replaced U.S. Marines on Friday and raised the Iraqi flag at the entrance to Fallujah under a plan to end the monthlong siege of the city. A suicide car bomb on the outskirts that killed two Americans and wounded six failed to disrupt the pullout of Marines from bitterly contested parts of the city...

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea reportedly agreed Friday to open its heavily armed border for relief goods from the South, countering criticism it would rather remain isolated than accept aid for victims of a deadly train explosion. North Korea's Red Cross sent a telephone message to its South Korean counterpart Friday, saying it would allow South relief trucks to travel to the town of Kaesong just across the countries' border, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Sept. 11 commission said Friday that it went into its private interview with President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney with the understanding that it would be restricted to about two hours. The disclosure, which came amid questions as to why two Democratic commissioners left the three-hour meeting early, appears to contradict the suggestion by the Bush administration in March that it wouldn't be setting time limits amounting to one hour each for Bush and Cheney...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Members of the Kappa Alpha fraternity tried to load an antique cannon on their front lawn with fireworks, but destroyed the cannon and blew out the window of a second-floor apartment across the street. An 8-inch portion of the cannon, which legend says dates to the Civil War, crashed through the roof of the apartment building Thursday. No one was hurt...

NEOSHO, Mo. -- A southwest Missouri teenager faces a felony charge after he was allegedly caught attempting to secretly videotape girls in a high school locker room. Vincent James Ruzic, a 17-year-old senior at Neosho High School, remained jailed Friday on $5,000 bond on an invasion of privacy charge. He was expected to be arraigned Monday...

Correction: A story in Friday's edition should have reported that the Fujita Scale of tornado damage has six categories, with F-0 being the weakest. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.

Baseball X-rays on the bat of Philadelphia outfielder Pat Burrell showed no cork. Burrell had his bat confiscated Thursday by St. Louis manager Tony La Russa. The Arizona Diamondbacks played Friday in their first game without injured All-Star first baseman Richie Sexson, who was placed on the disabled list Thursday with a shoulder injury...

The SEMO Conference tournament's four quarterfinal games were postponed Friday due to rain and will be played today. Notre Dame will host two games today: Jackson and Central at noon, immediately followed by Notre Dame against Kelly. Sikeston will host the other two: Sikeston and New Madrid County Central at 9 a.m.; Dexter and Poplar Bluff at 11 a.m...

TULSA, Okla. t's Wednesday night, and the hottest teen hangout around is packed and throbbing with what seems an unholy beat. A DJ spins dance tunes upstairs, sending boys in sagging pants into contortions. Downstairs, girls surf the Internet from rows of iMacs flanking a glassed-in basketball court. Hundreds of new arrivals flow under a neon sign reading, "Oneighty," slowed only by a weapons check at the door...

New pastor named to Post Oak Congregational Church in Patton Darold Mills has been named the new pastor at Post Oak Congregational Methodist Church near Patton, Mo. Church Women United to hold Friendship Day dinner May 7 Church Women United, an ecumenical organization, will celebrate May Friendship Day May 7 at 6 p.m. ...

Today Gospel singing at 7 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church in Villa Ridge, Ill. The Gloryroad Travelers and Victory Way will perform. The Teen Challenge choir New Creations will perform on the lawn at Pulaski Christian Church at 6 p.m. A hot-dog roast will follow the service...

Future inspiration I AM a student athlete at Southeast Missouri State University. I believe it is time for us to retire the nickname of Indians. Because of its lack of use, I feel no connection or tradition associated with the name. I would much rather change to something that will be used. ...

In Friday's edition, the name of Brigitte Bollerslev, who was named volunteer of the year by the Jackson Rotary, was mispelled in a photo cutline due to a source error.

Correction In Sunday's edition of the Southeast Missourian, an article on LPGA touring pro Karen Stupples did not list the correct name of the Rotary Club chapter before which Stupples appeared on April 22. Stupples spoke to the Cape West Rotary Club. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error...

10 years ago: May 1, 1994 Under Missouri's gambling law, riverboat casinos can't float the Diversion Channel, says official with Missouri Gaming Commission; Lady Luck proposes to dock riverboat on Diversion Channel at Scott City. JEFFERSON CITY. Mo. -- First construction phase of $68 million Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau could be let out for bid as early as October 1995, if all federal money is in place...

McCLURE, Ill. -- Russell Miles Hill, 88 of McClure, died Friday, April 30, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Angela M. Brice, 93, of Jackson died Thursday, April 29, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 20, 1910, in St. Louis, daughter of John and Josephine Lamantia Sciortino. She and Ira F. Brice were married June 16, 1936, in Cape Girardeau. He died April 10, 1993...

Wendell E. Hashley, 82, of Connersville, Ind., died Wednesday, April 28, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, while visiting a son. He was born Nov. 21, 1921, in Jackson, Mich., son of Henry E. and Elizabeth Esterline Hashley. He and Florence E. Brown were married Nov. 15, 1942, in Richmond, Va. She died July 5, 2001...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Timothy Dean Jarrett, 55, of Sikeston died Thursday, April 29, 2004, at his home. He was born June 21, 1948, in Denver, Colo., son of Alton Lee and Juanita C. Buckendorf Jarrett. He and Christina Ewton were married Nov. 28, 1973, in Reno, Nev...

MOREHOUSE, Mo. -- Jacques Allen Hann, 46, of Morehouse died Thursday, April 29, 2004, at his home. He was born July 12, 1957, at Dexter, Mo., son of Bernard A. and Esther A. Michl Hann. Hann was employed at Industrial Tool and Die of Miner, Mo. Survivors include three sons, Josh Hann of Fort Campbell, Ky., Matt and Sean Hann of Scott City; his mother of Morehouse; seven brothers, Norman, Philip and Paul Hann, all of Dexter, Neal Hann of Morehouse, Julian Hann of Russellville, Ark., Leon Hann of Oklahoma City, Okla., Joseph Hann of Cape Girardeau; seven sisters, Bernadine Evans of Troy, Mo., Doloris Dee and Joan Moore of Sikeston, Mo., Trinita Smith of Pontiac, Mo., Mary Latham of Matthews, Mo., Matilda McMullun of Cape Girardeau, Eileen Hann of Dexter; and two grandchildren.. ...

Dennis E. "Deno" Stewart, 52, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born Jan. 15, 1952, in Gideon, Mo., son of Stancel J. and Maurine Nichols Stewart. Stewart was employed at Tipton Commercial Laundry and attended Lighthouse Baptist Church...

Gerri M. Lawson, 62, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Cletus J. Rollet, 79, of Perryville died Thursday, April 29, 2004, at his home. He was born July 30, 1924, in Perry County, Mo., son of Elbert and Nellie LaRose Rollet. He and Shirley M. Weinhold were married Sept. 24, 1955, in St. Louis...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Louise Aldred, 72, of Cairo died Thursday, April 29, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born July 6, 1931, at Morley, Mo., daughter of Harry and Velma Gilliland Barks. She married Herschel "Bill" Aldred. Aldred was a member of Cairo Baptist Church...

Selda Arabelle Briggs, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Jan. 12, 1914, in Monroe, Maine, daughter of Fred Fuller and Mildred May Brailey Barden. She and George Willis Briggs were married Aug. 30, 1935, in Monroe. He died in June 1981...

Larry Riley Johnson, 59, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born June 14, 1944, at Canalou, Mo., son of James Riley and Alice M. West Johnson. He and Rose Marie Campbell were married Nov. 14, 1964, at Canalou. She died May 26, 1997. He and Judy G. Weibrecht were married Sept. 19, 1998, in Cape Girardeau...

ORAN, Mo. -- Aubrey Dempsey "Jack" Whorton, 77, of Florissant, Mo., died Wednesday, April 28, 2004, at Christian Hospital Northeast in Florissant. He was born Feb. 20, 1927, in Russellville, Ark., son of True and Ather Deatherage Whorton. He and Peggy Louise Brindley were married Oct. 9, 1955...

To the editor: Although last week's Speak Out caller was quick to consign Native Americans to the "dustbin of history" and probably would not recognize us without feathers, moccasins and war paint, we are alive and well in the United States today...

To the editor: Autism is a word that strikes fear deep in the heart of every parent who hears the diagnosis. It is a moment of utter dread followed by grieving, a child's life ended before it has a chance to begin. And nothing could be further from the truth. ...

To the editor: I appreciate your presentation of information on autism in Missouri. When I first became interested in children with autism, I had to spend days researching different sources. The information in your articles is stated in a clear format that anyone could understand...

Reaching people who have no church to call their own has been an important element of La Croix United Methodist Church's growth. The church was formed more than a decade ago to reach the baby boomer generation and young families without a church home in Cape Girardeau...

Any mother can raise a good family if she follows her A, B, Cs. A -- Always trust your family to God's care. B -- Bring the family to church with you. C -- Challenge them to set great goals. D -- Delight in their achievements. E -- Exalt the Lord ; give thanks to God at mealtime...

After a couple of years of huge gaps between spending demands and revenue, nearly two-thirds of all states expect to end the current fiscal year in the black. That's good news for many reasons. One is that states are usually mandated by their constitutions to spend only what they raise in revenue. Another is that some vital programs will have funding that was cut for budgeting purposes restored in next year's budget...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items on Wednesday: At 3:03 p.m., an emergency medical service at 27 N. Park. At 4:38 p.m., an emergency medical service at 2829 S. Sprigg. At 4:55 p.m., a fire alarm at 630 North. At 8:33 p.m., an emergency medical service at 1400 S. West End Blvd...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Kevin Dewayne Reed, 20, 128 S. Park, Cape Girardeau, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Arrests...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Friday defended his speech a year ago on the deck of an aircraft carrier proclaiming the end of major combat in Iraq and said "we're making progress, you bet" in bringing stability to the war-torn country. Answering reporters' questions in the White House Rose Garden with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin at his side, Bush said that when he spoke aboard carrier U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln he also emphasized that "there was still difficult work ahead."...

NEW YORK-- It's time to let your hair down. Or is it time to pull it back? Now that you're feeling that warm breeze in your hair, try a little more wave and cut some bangs, suggests stylist Oscar Blandi. "What's happening now, as we go into spring, is a lot of bangs, layers to contrast the face -- not layers all over -- and you also will see a lot of short bobs," Blandi says...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- When it comes to mobilizing support or opposition on a particular issue, Missouri Right to Life is among the most adept of Capitol lobbying groups. The group's latest target is a proposed $350 million bond sale to fund capital improvements at higher education institutions...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- For some elderly Missourians, the annual arrival of property tax bills can lead to worries about how long they will be able to afford to keep their homes. Legislation awaiting the governor's signature, however, would afford property tax relief to senior citizens who find themselves unable to keep up with the ever-growing financial burden...

Southeast Missourian The SEMO Conference baseball tournament was scheduled to resume on Saturday, but once again Mother Nature had other plans. All four quarterfinal games on Saturday were washed out, forcing play to be rescheduled for Monday. Both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds will be played Monday, with the finals tentatively scheduled for Tuesday at a time to be determined...

The Central girls track and field team took first place at the Poplar Bluff Invitational late Friday night behind nine first-place finishes. The Tigers tallied 180 points to Jackson's 161. Nicole Jackson won the 100- and 200-meter runs for Central, and Dani Gross won the long jump and triple jump...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Experts estimate that one person in 20 picks up an infection during a hospital stay. Some legislators say the public deserves to know how often -- and where -- hospital-acquired infections occur in Missouri. Bills pending in the legislature would require hospitals to report such information to state health officials, who would compile the data and make it available to the public...

ST. LOUIS -- If St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz needs any landscaping done at his home, he knows who to turn to for advice. Then again, Jason Shivers would rather Martz keep him on for another job. Shivers, the Rams' fifth-round selection in the NFL draft from Arizona State, owns his own business, Shivers Landscaping, in Phoenix...

ST. LOUIS -- Another stingy outing by Matt Clement helped him beat the St. Louis Cardinals for the first time in his career. Clement worked eight strong innings for his first victory over St. Louis in eight starts, and Aramis Ramirez hit a three-run homer to give the Chicago Cubs a 4-2 victory Saturday night...

An overnight stay at the airport was rough on Boy Scout Brent Englehart. Storms stretching from Friday night into Saturday just kept coming, bringing thunder, lightning and, worst of all, rain. Englehart had to endure it all in a tent set up outside the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Clouds and drizzle didn't hurt attendance at the 19th annual Kow Pasture Klassic at Schindler's Tavern on Saturday. Sixty five teams signed up this year, an increase from 40 last year, according to Jenny Grojean, who owns the tavern with her husband, Jason. The event began at 8 a.m. and continued until 3:30 p.m. with teams teeing off every 10 minutes...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A Perryville teen was recently certified as an adult and served warrants related to methamphetamine arrests made April 1, according to the Perry County Sheriff's Department. Cody W. French, 16, was arrested during a search of a home at 425 N. Main St. in Perryville, along with another 16-year-old and three adults, Shawn L. Niccum, Jennifer A. Hahn and John French, all age 18. Police found an active meth lab at the site...

JONESBORO, Ark. -- Arkansas State University does more than pay lip service to its Indian nickname. The school has its Indian family -- three students who dress up as a Plains Indian princess, Indian chief and brave. Campus buildings are named for Indian tribes...

Over the course of his high school golfing career, Central senior Todd Obergoenner has experienced a good deal of success. Obergoenner has qualified for the state tournament the past two years, finishing 20th as a sophomore and climbing all the way to No. 5 last year...

LOS ANGELES -- A month after stalled contract renewal talks led the voices of "The Simpsons" to stop work, both the actors and Fox are getting more "D'oh!" Terms of the deal were not announced. "We couldn't be happier to have reached a multiyear deal with the enormously talented cast of 'The Simpsons,"' series producer 20th Century Fox Television said Friday in a statement...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Smarty Jones splashed his way past Lion Heart in the stretch and won America's premier horse race Saturday. The victory triggered the biggest payoff in the game, with the undefeated favorite earning a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park along with the Derby winner's share of $854,800...

Like Willie Ponder last year, Eugene Amano won't be favored to make the National Football League as a late draft choice. But Amano appears to have quite a bit going for him as he tries to join Ponder in being the second former Southeast Missouri State University star in the past two years to buck the odds and reach the NFL...

GIG HARBOR, Wash. -- For the past six years, convicted child rapist Laura Faye McCollum has lived a lonely existence inside the state's women's prison. On Monday, she is scheduled to move to the new Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island to live among 190 other dangerous sex offenders -- all of them men...

PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Revelers across ex-communist eastern Europe celebrated their historic entry to the European Union on Saturday amid scattered protests by demonstrators decrying a loss of national sovereignty. The overall jubilation differed sharply from May Days under communism, when people were forced to march in parades carrying banners of Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin and Soviet flags and listen to dreary speeches by party apparatchiks...

Workers and activists across the world used May Day rallies Saturday to press demands as varied as strengthened labor rights, an end to the war in Iraq and reunification of the Koreas. In the only apparent violence on International Workers Day, clashes erupted between youths and police in Berlin after a peaceful leftist demonstration. About 170 people were arrested...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Dave Wallace spent 10 years listening to amateurs crooning away on stage. He had heard enough. "I was so tired of karaoke," said Wallace, a karaoke bar entrepreneur from Wichita, Kan. The region was saturated with karaoke spots, and he wanted offer bar patrons something new. ...

Which do you enjoy more, the colors or the aromas of spring? The colors are more apparent, but the scents -- they're delicious. And, as with the colors, one by one the different aromas come and go. Trying to decide which is best brings to mind an old Disney movie in which Davy Crockett was trying to judge pies at a fair. Whichever pie he had just taken a bite of was his favorite...

NEW YORK -- The five-pocket jean is a classic -- no doubt about it -- but that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. This might be the right time for denim devotees to take a look at some newer models since a new generation of jeans has been born, emphasizing both fit and fashion...

No rock 'n' roller would be complete without jeans, and the creators of the Sacred Blue brand say jeans aren't complete without a little rock 'n' roll. "When real rock 'n' roll was coming up -- I'm talking about Zeppelin and The Ramones -- they (band members) were always wearing denim, and it was always worn denim. Sacred Denim wants to be that true denim, one of a kind, that fits to your body over time," says marketing director Tara Narayan...

PEORIA, Ill. -- When Dr. Julie Wohrley was in medical school almost 20 years ago, there was no lesson on breaking bad news to patients. In fact, she was taught never to show emotion, even when saying the worst. "There was no formal education. We mostly learned while we were caring for people, on the job," said Wohrley, a pediatric intensivist at OSF St. Francis Medical Center...

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- An air traffic controller from northwest Missouri is the first woman in the Missouri Air National Guard to receive the Bronze Star for her work in northern Iraq. Master Sgt. Lettia Whitaker was scheduled to receive the medal on Saturday for establishing the first air control service in northern Iraq that supported about 4,800 combat sorties...

NEW ORLEANS -- Danny Ellis took a one-stroke lead in the rain-plagued HP Classic, finishing off a 9-under 63 and adding a 66 in the second round. Charles Howell III (66-64) was second, and Masters champion Phil Mickelson (67-65) was three strokes back along with Matt Kuchar (69-63), Craig Bowden (66-66) and Ken Duke (64-68)...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Cheyenne, a cat that vanished in Florida seven years ago and was recently found wandering the streets of San Francisco, has been reunited with her owner. Pamela Edwards was flown to San Francisco Wednesday at Ellen DeGeneres' expense to pick up her pet at the city's Animal Care and Control department. Edwards and her daughter then went to Los Angeles to tape a future episode of DeGeneres' show...

The glacial pace of the NBA playoffs produced a day without basketball Saturday, the nine remaining teams -- seven of which have already advanced to the second round -- spending their time on practice courts instead of inside arenas. "We're trying to keep sharp and keep fresh at the same time. It's a little bit of a challenge," said Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, whose team is going through a longer state of limbo than any other playoff team...

LINCOLN, Neb. -- The orange construction cones and barrels that litter Nebraska's highways may be going high-tech. A University of Nebraska professor has developed robotic cones and barrels that can move out of the way, or into place, from computer commands made miles away...

Advance High School graduate Garrett Broshuis allowed just four hits and struck out a career-high nine in eight innings to lead Missouri's baseball team to an 8-0 victory Saturday over No. 1 Texas. The Tigers (27-16-1, 6-10 Big 12 Conference) have won the first two games of the series against the Longhorns (41-8, 13-6). The squads play again today in Columbia, Mo...

Southeast Missouri State University's baseball and softball teams both had scheduled home doubleheaders with Ohio Valley Conference opponent Eastern Kentucky rained out Saturday. The Indians and Otahkians will attempt to play noon doubleheaders today instead of regularly scheduled single games. At most, both teams will only be able to get in two games of scheduled three-game series. Any rained out OVC contests are not made up...

In the game of blackjack, an ace and a king make a strong hand. Who would worry about a hand like that? Only someone unfamiliar with blackjack. In the game of insect control, bats and people can make a strong hand as well, but you have to understand the game to win...

Special to the Southeast Missourian STEELE, Mo. -- There's a new home on the range in the bootheel. The Steele Firearms Training Complex opened to the public on Saturday. The shooting range will be open 2-6 p.m. each Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday; and 2-6 p.m. on Saturdays...

Golden Eagles I DON'T live in Cape Girardeau, but does the college not have a marching band called the Golden Eagles? Wouldn't that be a good name for a mascot? Not all bad apples I'M CALLING regarding the comments about the dope dealers and the trash who live on Tracy Street. ...

Johnson tops at Kimbeland Barbara Johnson was the medalist Thursday in the Kimbeland Ladies Golf League. Play of the day was "Best score on the par-4s." Johnson won the championship flight, Dorothy Holland in the A flight and Janis Gilbert in the B flight...

More NASCAR, please I'VE WAITED and waited and waited through the season for NASCAR reporting. I guess they don't realize that there are thousands of NASCAR fans in the area. There's people that meet every Sunday before the races, get together and go over their pools and watch the races together. ...

Cooper Son to Joseph M. and Tara L. Cooper of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 1:03 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, 2004. Name, Hunter Joseph. Weight, 5 pounds 1 ounce. Second son. Mrs. Cooper is the former Tara Robertson, daughter of Wesley Robertson and Donna Reynolds of Cape Girardeau. Cooper is the son of David Cooper and Cindy Thomas of Bloomsdale, Mo. He is employed at First Bank in St. Louis...

10 years ago: May 2, 1994 Scott City moves forward with plans for riverboat casino; city council announces its intentions to hire attorney to negotiate agreement with Las Vegas-based Lady Luck; gaming corporation has proposed building riverboat casino complex just east of Rhodes Travel Center off Nash Road...

Charles L. Anderson, 73, formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, May 1, 2004, at Delmar Gardens Nursing Home in Chesterfield, Mo. Arrangements are incomplete at Fords and Sons Funeral Home.

Lynn Thompson, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born March 7, 1923, at Holcomb, Mo., son of Mack and Bertha Fox Thompson. He and Betty Jo Nowell were married Feb. 22, 1942, in Pensacola, Fla. Thompson owned and operated the Best Western Motel in Cape Girardeau as well as motels in Mayfield, Murray, and Fulton, Ky., and he farmed in the Lilbourn, Mo., area. He was a member of Lynwood Baptist Church...

JoAnn Rozell Crader, 74, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born July 6, 1929, at Cape Girardeau, daughter of Edward and Rose Wittrock Mullins. She and Gene Crader were married March 27, 1949, in Cape Girardeau. He died March 30, 1994...

Gerri M. Lawson, 62, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Feb. 2, 1942, at Benton, Mo., daughter of Victor and Lillie LeDure Welter. She and James Lawson were married Jan. 22, 1983, at Benton. Lawson was a retired LPN...

McCLURE, Ill. -- Russell Miles Hill, 88, of McClure died Friday, April 30, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 15, 1915, at McClure, son of John T. and Allie Chapman Hill; he was raised by John and Maude Johnson Hill. He and Marjorie Westerwelle were married Nov. 16, 1941, in Reno, Nev...

Benjamin Theodore Reiminger, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 27, 1913, at Randles, son of Anton J. and Corena Mier Reiminger. He and Geri Statler were married Aug. 15, 1961, at Cape Girardeau...

Jimmy Lee Williams, 61, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at his home. He was born Jan. 18, 1943, at Crump, son of Oliver A. and Beulah Barks Williams. He and Valerie Feltus Wilson were married Nov. 26, 1988, in Cape Girardeau. Williams graduated from Delta High School in 1960. ...

To the editor: I am concerned that petty politics is being placed ahead of the common good in Missouri. State legislators know the governor would sign a bill that limits malpractice claims, but they insist on linking medical malpractice with industrial malpractice in House Bill 1304...

To the editor: I read the Speak Out comments about Jackson wanting a skatepark like the one here in Farmington. One comment tried to compare Cape Girardeau and Jackson to Farmington. Farmington has a skatepark made from the former city pool that was built during the Depression...

To the editor: Bravo to your paper for the extensive coverage of autism. I commend your publication for taking a leadership stand on educating subscribers on autism. There is no one answer to this terrible crisis in our nation, and your broad coverage has shown the many faces of autism...

America was built on small-town values with neighbors pitching in to take care of neighbors, parades to celebrate the big moments of a town's life. and houses with front porches. That small-town life is the setting for the house at 816 E. Olive St. in Scott City. The house is nestled in a quiet neighborhood built on a hill. Though it's less than 2 years old, it fits in well with the terrain. Its beige vinyl siding is low maintenance yet classic in its style...

Last week in a four-part series of stories, Southeast Missourian reporters Callie Clark and Bob Miller compellingly delved into the lives of autistic people and their families. Clark and Miller spent a month researching and writing about children who to the rest of us seem to live in their own world. The reporters talked to many autistic children, parents, therapists and teachers, and the stories discussed the newest developments in autism research and legislation...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Steven Thomas Nesmith, 21, of 1805 Wichita Vine, Wichita, Kan., was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Arrests...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items Friday: At 7:07 p.m., emergency medical service at 1302 Butler. Firefighters responded to the following items Saturday: At 12:01 a.m., vehicle fire at 614 Good Hope. At 3:15 a.m., fire alarm at 1429 Mount Auburn...

The International Association of Administrative Professionals will be the focus of KRCU's "Going Public" radio show today. Sherri Jenkins and Patty Eck, members of the IAAP, will discuss the association, Administrative Professionals Week and certification for such staff...

U.S. troops kill alleged attacker in Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan -- U.S. troops shot and killed a man who threw hand grenades at their patrol in southeastern Afghanistan, the Afghan and U.S. military said Saturday. The attack happened Friday in Khost, 90 miles south of the capital, Kabul, said Khial Baz, the military commander for Khost province. ...

Madison's watered-down beer quota allows 4 kegs MADISON, Wis. -- Police set a beer quota on an annual spring block party that draws thousands of drunken revelers, but Saturday's partiers weren't exactly tapped out: The limit was four kegs per household. ...

JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Attackers sprayed gunfire inside a Saudi oil contractor's office Saturday, killing at least five Westerners -- including two Americans -- and wounding at least 25 others. Police killed four gunmen in a shootout after a bloody car chase in which the attackers dragged the naked body of one victim behind their getaway car...

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Gunmen waved their weapons in Fallujah's streets and outside car windows Saturday, cheering what they called a victory as U.S. forces pulled back. But the Marines insisted they weren't going far and a new Iraqi force taking the front line will root out die-hard insurgents...

LOS ANGELES -- Ted Koppel solemnly read aloud the names of 721 U.S. servicemen and women killed in the Iraq war during an unusual edition of "Nightline" Friday. Koppel's recitation -- illustrated with corresponding photo, military branch, rank and age of each of the fallen since March 19, 2003 -- occupied the expanded 40-minute program...

PITTSBURGH -- United Methodist law clearly teaches that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, the highest court in the denomination ruled Saturday. The Judicial Council, in a 6-3 vote Saturday, said violating Methodist law on homosexuality could be cause for removal from church office...

I flew to Jefferson City Wednesday morning amidst 38-knot gusty winds and visited the state Capitol. I spent brief periods sitting or standing in the galleries and watching the Missouri House and Senate debate (generally not discuss) legislation, along with interviewing numerous people...

WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court Justice David Souter suffered minor injuries when a group of young men assaulted him as he jogged on a city street, a court spokeswoman said Saturday. The attack occurred about 9 p.m. Friday, court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said. ...

By Adam Schaefer Throughout the past month I have noticed that the Southeast Missourian has been inundated with letters and opinions expressing discontent over Southeast Missouri State University's possible retirement of the Indian nickname and mascot. The majority of these comments have been made by alumni of the university and members of the community. However, there has been a glaring absence of opinions from the students...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A member of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council demanded Saturday that Iraqi authorities investigate reports that American guards abused inmates in the very prison where Saddam Hussein's regime tortured opponents. As international condemnation intensified, the scandal broadened with a British newspaper publishing new photographs of a hooded Iraqi prisoner, who reportedly was beaten and humiliated by British troops. ...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Gerald and Margaret Denton of Marble Hill announce the engagement of their daughter, Kimberly S. Denton, to Kory P. Thoma, both of Cape Girardeau. He is the son of Carlton and Jean Thoma of Jackson. Denton is a 1997 graduate of Jackson High School, and received a degree in finance from Southeast Missouri State University in 2001. She is a financial accountant at Noranda Aluminum in New Madrid, Mo...

ORAN, Mo. -- Eula Mansker Jr. and Karen Pobst of Oran announce the engagement of their daughter, Stephanie Gail Mansker, to Lucas Robert Fuemmeler. He is the son of Stephen and Emily Fuemmeler of Cape Girardeau. Mansker is a 1999 graduate of Oran High School. She is an installed sales coordinator at Lowe's Home Improvement of Cape Girardeau...

Mike and Brenda Moore of Washington, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Trisha Moore, to Edwin Van Weelden. He is the son of Gary and Ginger Van Weelden of Cape Girardeau. Moore received a degree in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University in 2001. She is a third grade teacher with Gasconade County School District...

Mr. and Mrs. Don Kania of Lewisburg, Tenn., announce the engagement of their daughter, Beth Ann Kania, to James Anthony Gosche Jr., both of Perryville, Mo. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Gosche of Cape Girardeau. Kania is a 2000 graduate of Marshall County High School in Lewisburg. ...

Kerry and Donna Thompson of Scott City and Richard Baer of Old Appleton, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Sidney Ann Baer, to Matthew Lee McAlister. He is the son of Talmas and Lena McAlister of Scott City. Baer is a 2003 graduate of Scott City High School. She is pursuing a degree in elementary education at Southeast Missouri State University...

Steve and Linda Meadows of Cape Girardeau announce the engagement of their daughter, Rachel Meadows, to William Dailey, both of Springfield, Mo. He is the son of Wayne and Linda Dailey of Willard, Mo. Meadows attended Ozarks Technical College. She is employed at UMB Bank...

Linda Kovacs of Cape Girardeau announces the engagement of her daughter, Donna Marie Kovacs, to John Daric Backfisch. He is the son of John and Kim Backfisch of Kelso, Mo. A May 15 wedding is planned at First Baptist Church in Delta.

Kristin Denise House and Brian Eugene Pender were married Oct. 11, 2003, at First Baptist Church in Jackson. The Rev. Ed Carter performed the ceremony. Soloist was the groom's father, Jim Pender. Parents of the bride are Michael and Cheri House of Jackson. The groom is the son of Jim and Rhonda Pender of Benton, Mo., and Clara Pender of Scott City...

NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- Jana Sydenstricker of Shelbina, Mo., and Roger Sydenstricker of Dallas, Texas, announce the engagement of their daughter, Lauren Renee Sydenstricker of Anna, Ill., to Brian Keith Heuring. He is the son of Norman and Dorothy Heuring of New Hamburg...

Mindy Hamlett of Cape Girardeau and Stephen and Patricia Estes of Fruitland announce the engagement of their daughter, Amy Marie Estes, to James Eric Crumpecker. He is the son of Curtis and Alma Crumpecker of Union, Mo. Estes is a graduate of Central High School. She received a bachelor of science degree in mass communication/advertising from Southeast Missouri State University in 2001. She is a customer service representative at RM Coco...

Eastern Kentucky entered Sunday's doubleheader against Southeast Missouri State University as statistically one of the nation's premier college baseball teams. The Colonels sure made believers out of the Indians after a dominating sweep, 11-4 and 3-0 in front of more than 300 fans at Capaha Field...

10 years ago: May 3, 1994 Man wearing blue and white baseball cap, sport coat and sunglasses holds up First National Bank at 37 Doctors' Park shortly after noon; robber brandishes small handgun and demands money from tellers, escaping with undetermined amount of money...

Dunker Daughter to Jason Lee and Tabatha Lynn Dunker of Perryville, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 6:14 p.m. Friday, April 23, 2004. Name, Phebe Chyann. Weight, 7 pounds 7 1/2 ounces. Second child, first daughter. Mrs. Dunker is the former Tabatha Grogg, daughter of Gina Grogg of St. Mary, Mo. She is a receptionist at Perry County Nursing Home. Dunker is the son of Jim and Kim Dunker of Perryville. He is mill manager with MFA Inc...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- James Lee White, 71, of Sikeston died Saturday, May 1, 2004, at his home. He was born June 6, 1932, at Ridgely, Tenn., son of Flaudie and Lillian Spence White. He was married to Gracie White, who preceded him in death. White was a farmer and attended Canalou Assembly of God Church...

JoAnn Rozell Crader, 74, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, April 30, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born July 6, 1929, at Cape Girardeau, daughter of Edward and Rose Wittrock Mullins. She and Gene Crader were married March 27, 1949, in Cape Girardeau. He died March 30, 1994...

Hazel Alma Jaco, 86, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, May 1, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 26, 1917, at Sedgewickville, Mo., daughter of Edward and Sarah Crites. She and Harley Jaco were married July 10, 1936, at Fredericktown, Mo. He died Dec. 31, 1978...

Charles L. Anderson, 73, of Chesterfield, Mo., formerly of Cape Girardeau, died Saturday, May 1, 2004, at Delmar Gardens at Chesterfield. He was born June 17, 1930, at Sikeston, Mo., son of Charlie and Lela Husk Anderson. He and Gae Hannah were married Oct. 15, 1974, at Granite City, Ill. She died July 17, 2002...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Alda Elizabeth Fisher, 90, of Marble Hill, formerly of Overland, Mo., died Saturday, May 1, 2004, at Elder Care of Marble Hill. She was born July 13, 1913, at Lutesville, Mo., daughter of William and Melola Eaker Myers. She and Dolphie Fisher were married Feb. 7, 1934, at Lutesville. He died Jan. 9, 1992...

Donald Lee Calhoun Sr., 67, of Scott City died Saturday, May 1, 2004, at the Fountainbleau Lodge at Cape Girardeau. He was born Aug. 10, 1936, at Scott City, son of Charles and Ethel Jones Calhoun. He and Betty Berghoff were married Oct. 4, 1996, at Benton, Mo...

Maxey L. Grimes, 84, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, May 2, 2004, at the Monticello House in Jackson. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at the Ford and Sons Funeral Home.

Start of something good I JUST wanted to say bravo, Show Me Center, on having the musical "Cats" here in Cape Girardeau. It was perfectly organized. The sound system was great. The performers were outstanding. We hope this is the start of more musical plays to come to the Show Me Center...

To the editor: Once again the community has demonstrated its generosity. Recently, the Salvation Army had a need for food and hygiene products for its pantry. With the help of KGMO and other media outlets, the word was put out to the community. The response we received was truly amazing. In total, more than 35,000 items were received...

Football The Chicago Bears signed one quarterback and released another, the team said Sunday. The Bears signed undrafted free agent Ryan Dinwiddie. The former Boise State quarterback was a two-time all-conference player who set school records for passing yards, passing efficiency and touch down passes. The team also released former Northwestern University quarterback Zak Kustok. He signed with the Bears as a free agent in March...

Eastern Kentucky's pitching dominated Sunday as Southeast Missouri State University played its final home softball games of the season. The Colonels (36-14, 19-4) solidified their hold on first place in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 3-0, 3-1 doubleheader sweep. The second game went 10 innings. The Otahkians (14-31, 9-11) are sixth among 10 OVC teams...

Southeast Missouri State University's track and field program turned in four first-place performances during Saturday's University of Illinois Invitational. Jay Heddell was a double winner as he captured the shot put and discus. Andrew Lambert won the long jump...

Despite the daily headlines about bombings and firefights in Iraq and Afghanistan, American soldiers are re-enlisting for military duty at rates that have exceeded goals set by the Pentagon. The reasons for signing up to serve another tour are as varied as the individual soldiers' backgrounds, but honor, duty and patriotism are at the top of the list for most...

Penfield to host program on investments for aging Juanita Penfield of Edward Jones will hold a free video program titled "What's Great About Growing Old," featuring NBC's "Today Show" weatherman Willard Scott. The event will be televised into the Edward Jones Investments office at 1749 Independence. It will address setting goals for retirement. For more information, call Penfield at 335-6681...

Cape man honored for volunteer work Eugene Simpson of Cape Girardeau was recently selected Volunteer Employee of the Month at the Tamms Correctional Center in Tamms, Ill. He volunteers about 1,000 hours a year as assistant scoutmaster for the Grace Methodist Troop 4002 in Cape Girardeau. ...

Ground has broken on yet another commercial project along North Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau. With construction crews bustling at the new RV park, the renovation of what will be the Capaha Center and the new Alliance Bank corporate headquarters, the northern stretch of that highway seems to be the place for spring and summer projects. You can add the bulldozing at 1131 N. Kingshighway to that list...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: At 3:18 p.m., a fire at 1119 Bloomfield. At 4:55 p.m., an alarm sounding at 2400 Veterans Drive.Firefighters responded to the following calls Sunday: At 4:16 a.m., an emergency medical service at 505 N. Kingshighway...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs A subject was taken into custody Sunday at Independence and Main for driving while intoxicated. Laura M. Duff, 22, 315 Third, Allenton, Mo., received a summons Sunday for failure to yield and driving while intoxicated...

Southeast Missouri At the recent Girl Scouts of Otahki Council annual meeting nominating committee members and a board of directors were elected and installed. Members at large elected include Sam Unnerstall, Mary Spell, Janet Varnon, Maria Childress, Pat Ray, all of Cape Girardeau, Vanita Jones of Fruitland, Carol Hudak of Jackson and Sally Elrod of Piedmont. ...

Mother's Day lunch on table in Scott City Kettle beef, butter potatoes, green beans, corn, slaw, dessert, lemonade, tea and coffee will be served from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Schock Community Arts Center. Plate meal will be prepared by Zeigler's Catering to help support the arts center...

A special Girl Scout ceremony was held recently at Centenary United Methodist Church to honor girls who earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, Girl Scout Silver Award and are graduating senior Girl Scouts. Cape Girardeau Elks Lodge purchased the pins and sponsored a dinner for the graduating senior Girl Scouts and their parents. Rep. Jason Crowell presented resolutions and KFVS anchor/reporter Amy Jacquin spoke at the event...

7 p.m. today City hall, 401 Independence Study session at 5 p.m. Communications by city staff Fire sales tax presentation. Public hearings A public hearing regarding the request of Dennis and Wendy Pennington for a special-use permit to open a day-care center for 10 to 20 children at their home at 832 S. Sprigg St. in an R-3, two-family residential, district...

WASHINGTON -- A replay of 1994? That's one question facing Federal Reserve policy-makers when they meet Tuesday and try to determine how an economy accustomed to super-low interest rates will react to a rise. A decade ago, shock waves from rate increases contributed to financial disasters in Mexico, Orange County, Calif., and elsewhere...

WASHINGTON -- A high-level Army investigation of prisoner interrogation techniques in Iraq has found no evidence that abuse by U.S. military police or intelligence officers is widespread, officials said Sunday. The review continues, however, and the Army has not determined whether all six soldiers charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners will face a military trial...

ST. LOUIS -- Missouri's newest state park is about to open at the confluence of the nation's two largest rivers. The 1,100-acre Edward "Ted" and Pat Jones Confluence Point State Park, to be dedicated by Gov. Bob Holden on Saturday is in St. Charles County where the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi. Until now, it was only possible to view the confluence across the Missouri River on the St. Louis County side...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- In a daring escape, American hostage Thomas Hamill pried open the doors of the house where he was being held late Sunday morning and ran a half-mile to a military convoy that was passing by, officials and his wife said. Hamill, 43, of Macon, Miss., identified himself to the U.S. soldiers, then led them back to his Iraqi captors, two of whom were captured...

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico announced Sunday it will recall its ambassador from Cuba and expel the Cuban ambassador, saying the communist-run island has meddled in Mexican affairs. The government also declared a political adviser in the Cuban Embassy a "persona non grata" and told him to leave Mexico immediately...

YANBU, Saudi Arabia -- American and European families packed their bags Sunday after a deadly attack on foreigners, and traumatized Saudi schoolchildren recounted how the attackers proudly summoned them to watch a victim's body being dragged through the streets...

Suspect in Serbian prime minister's death caught BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro -- A notorious paramilitary leader suspected of masterminding last year's assassination of Serbia's prime minister surrendered to police Sunday. Milorad Lukovic, known by his nickname "Legija," had been on the run since March 12, 2003, when pro-Western Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic was gunned down by a sniper in front of his Belgrade government headquarters...

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud Party rejected his plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank on Sunday, media polls indicated, an embarrassing defeat for the premier. The stinging result left the future of Sharon's "unilateral disengagement" from the Palestinians in doubt and his leadership in disarray. It could precipitate a major political crisis -- a Cabinet reshuffle, a split within the party or even early elections...

NAJAF, Iraq -- Dhia al-Shweiri spent several stints in Baghdad's notorious Abu Ghraib prison, twice under Saddam Hussein's rule and once under American. He prefers Saddam's torture to the humiliation of being stripped naked by his American guards, he said Sunday in an interview with The Associated Press...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A 33-year-old man from Alabama who has been trying to land a major label record deal for years was chosen Saturday as the winner of the reality talent show, "Nashville Star," which last year launched country singer Buddy Jewell's career...

NEW YORK -- This June, Fox presents rappers Method Man and Redman as stars of a new sitcom about adjusting to life in a stuffy gated community. Sound familiar? It should. Will Smith walked the same road in the early 1990s on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Go back even further, and you'll find the same culture shock themes in "The Beverly Hillbillies."...

NEW YORK -- As President Clinton rushes to finish his memoirs, he faces the more pressing task of writing a book deemed worthy of all the attention, an accomplishment no president has pulled off since Ulysses S. Grant. Some leading historians have ideas on how Clinton could do it...

DALLAS -- Keith Laney has lost nearly everything. His wife, Deanna, beat their three young sons with rocks -- killing two and permanently impairing the third. And now he could be forced to pay for her care. Deanna Laney was acquitted of murder by reason of insanity in April, so instead of being sentenced to prison, a judge committed her to a state hospital, where she could remain for the rest of her life...

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- This year's presidential election is going to be a class war: Class of '68 versus Class of '66. "If Yalies were going to vote based on who's an alum, you'd have to flip a coin," said sophomore Alissa Stollwerk, secretary of the Yale College Democrats...

dwilson The Rams sent a crystal-clear message in the draft last week that their quarterback situation is anything but solved. Mike Martz said prior to the draft that he wouldn't mind drafting a quarterback in the first round, and probably would have had J.P. Losman fallen into his lap instead of running back Steven Jackson. (By the way, the Rams made great use of their first round pick, because Jackson may be the next Deuce McAlister. And the Rams needed to add some toughness to their offense.)...

Today's column is a new feature that welcomes readers' inquiries about anything and everything. E-mail questions to factorfiction@ semissourian.com or call Speak Out (334-5111) and identify the call as a question for "Fact or fiction?" Q: My daughter lives in the Alpha Chi Omega sorority house at Southeast. ...

What do "Shaft," "Jaws" and New York City have that Cape Girardeau doesn't? Good theme music. But now a couple of Southeast Missouri State University teachers, a nationally recognized folk singer and the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau are putting together a project that, with the vocal aid of some local volunteers, may change that...

His tour of duty reads like that of the most courageous soldier. At Kirkuk Air Base in Iraq, he survived six mortar attacks, three rocket-propelled grenade strikes and small arms fire. He traveled on classified missions in Africa, the details of which he will never reveal. He parachuted from a C-130 aircraft over Italy...

Few Jackson residents will ever forget May 6, 2003, the night a tornado ripped a gash through the middle of town. But at 7 p.m. Thursday at city hall, county, city and weather officials will outline the disaster in detail -- from the images of emerging storms on radar to the breathtaking moments following the tornado to the months of cleanup...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The money is flowing freely again from the Missouri Capitol. The legislature's proposed budget for next year will include big spending increases for education, pay raises for state employees and hundreds of millions of dollars for growth in the Medicaid program for the poor, elderly and disabled. All without a tax increase...

ST. LOUIS -- The creator of DVD-copying software being challenged by Hollywood is taking his case to Capitol Hill, in support of a measure meant to further define consumers' rights under federal copyright laws. Robert Moore, founder and president of 321 Studios Inc., said Friday he was invited to appear May 12 before the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. The panel will hear testimony concerning the Digital Media Consumers' Rights Act...

Debra Baker tells people she has TiVo. But she really doesn't. The 33-year-old New York tax consultant has a variant -- a digital video recorder offered through her cable company. She didn't know what "DVR" stood for until then. "I thought DVR was Time Warner's name for TiVo," she said...

Every spring, Patty Ball sees her yard at 3041 Melrose in Cape Girardeau as a blank canvas. An avid artist of horticulture and landscaping, Ball has spent 6 to 7 hours every spring and summer day of the past 13 years amid the stone walkways of her garden, digging and planting...

The Associated Press FONTANA, Calif. -- No flying beer cans and jeers for Jeff Gordon on Sunday at California Speedway. It was all cheers and smiles as the California native won his second straight NASCAR Nextel Cup race. A week after beating fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a controversial finish at Talladega, Gordon dominated on the way to victory in the Auto Club 500, his third victory in eight tries on the 2-mile California oval. He is the only Cup driver with more than one win here...

ST. LOUIS -- After Matt Morris and Carlos Zambrano matched zeros, the St. Louis Cardinals took advantage of the Chicago Cubs' bullpen again. Scott Rolen capped a three-hit game by lining a bases-loaded single off Kyle Farnsworth to the warning track in the 10th inning, giving St. Louis a 1-0 victory Sunday...

He scored more than 60 goals over his final two varsity seasons, set the school goal-scoring record and led his team to its highest finish in the program's history. On Wednesday, Central senior Heath Orr signed with the University of Central Arkansas to continue his soccer career. ...

Notre Dame Regional High School used some late heroics to pull out a wild 8-7 victory over Jackson in the SEMO Conference baseball tournament semifinals Monday night at Capaha Park. Lee Essner hit a one-out, two-run hit over the left fielder's head off Jackson reliever Kyle Brown in the bottom of the seventh to win the game. Essner, who also had a win in the quarterfinal, picked up the win by fanning the Indians in order in the top of the seventh...

10 years ago: May 4, 1994 Cape Girardeau's massive flood-control project continues to take shape along Walker Branch, with new bridge to Town Plaza area scheduled to open today; bridge spans Walker Branch from Town Plaza parking area to Kingshighway...

Marberry Son to Paul and Karen Marberry of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 3:09 a.m. Monday, April 26, 2004. Name, Zachary Paul. Weight, 8 pounds 13 ounces. Mrs. Marberry is the former Karen Underwood, daughter of Phil and Carolyn Underwood of Portageville, Mo. She is employed in customer relations at AmeriGas Propane. Marberry is the son of Alvin Marberry of Cape Girardeau. He is a heating and air conditioning technician with Dutch Enterprises...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Mason M. Garris, 12 days old, of Crosstown, Mo., died Monday May 3, 2004, at his home. Surviving are his parents, Michael S. and Jodie L. DeRousse Garris of Crosstown; four sisters, Joni, Maggie, Abby and Libby Garris; grandparents, Michael and Alice Garris of Crosstown and David and Betty DeRousse of Perryville...

Donald Charles Poe, 79, of The Villages, Fla., died Thursday, April 29, 2004. He was born Sept. 10, 1924, in Cape Girardeau. Poe attended Central High School and Southeast Missouri State University. He received a master's degree in education from the University of Miami, and master's and doctorate degrees in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He was a psychology professor at Stephens College in Columbia until retiring...

BENTON, Mo. -- Celeste Amelia Scherer, 94, of Benton died Monday, May 3, 2004, at her home. She was born Jan. 14, 1910, at Kelso, Mo., daughter of John and Louise Logel Enderle. She and Cletus Charles Scherer were married May 4, 1932, at Kelso. He died May 13, 1956...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Ida Rae Burris of Cairo died Sunday, May 2, 2004, at Daystar Care Center. Heavenly Gates Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Ida M. Tyler, 73, of Mounds died Sunday, May 2, 2004, at Daystar Care Center in Cairo, Ill. Heavenly Gates Funeral Home in Cairo is in charge of arrangements.

THEBES, Ill. -- Melba L. Jackson, 71, of Thebes died Sunday, May 2, 2004, at her home. She was born April 11, 1933, at Scopus, Mo., daughter of Greeley J. "Bob" and Mary E. Kirkpatrick Hanners. She and Hubert F. Jackson were married July 12, 1958. He died Nov. 29, 1993...

BELL CITY, Mo. -- W. Max Bollinger, 86, of Bell City died Thursday, April 29, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Sept. 29, 1917, at Bell City, son of Walter and Zella Proffer Bollinger. He and Jane Luke were married March 23, 1945, at Fredericktown, Mo...

Thanks for taste THANKS TO the downtown merchants who participated in the Taste of Old Town event. The food was great, and our group had a wonderful time. We're hoping you bring it back next year. Amazing performance I AM a retired teacher who has arthritis. ...

To the editor: I am a senior student-athlete at Southeast Missouri State University, and I am very concerned about the current mascot/nickname debate. I believe it is vital for this institution to stop living in the past and retire the Indian/Otahkian nicknames. ...

To the editor: I am writing in response to the sad display of politics by state Rep. Matt Muckler, a Ferguson, Mo., Democrat. Muckler misrepresented to you that I worked against pro-life legislation. The fact is that Muckler controlled whether his amendment was a roll-call vote or voice vote, so he had the power to save his amendment. ...

To the editor: Joseph Goebbels said, "If you tell a lie, tell a big one. Never change it. If you tell it often enough and loud enough, it becomes accepted as truth, and you no longer have to tell it. The masses will believe and tell it for you." Fundamentalists like the Limbaughs assert that revisionist historians have betrayed our Founding Fathers and that Christianity is under attack through sinister elements in our courts. ...

To the editor: Regarding Sunday's story "Embracing the Indian": Pay close attention to our neighbors in Jonesboro, Ark. It seems they have a much better grip on reality than the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents. I have several friends of Cherokee descent. From what they tell me, the regents are more worried about the nickname than they are...

To the editor: The American public has recently become aware of the apparently widespread use of so-called independent contractors in the Iraqi occupation. The televised images of the brutal murder and dismemberment of four of these highly paid soldiers of fortune in Fallujah has led directly to a bloody siege with high casualties of civilians, insurgents and our forces...

To the editor: Thank you for your continuing efforts to educate your readers to the etiology of the autism epidemic. Our son, Andrew, 11, is the lead plaintiff versus Eli Lilly Co. and the makers of vaccine containing thimerosal. His case is currently stayed in U.S. District Court in New York pending changes to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program...

To the editor: In response to the article "Cases of child autism have increased 850 percent in Missouri": For the past 11 years we have struggled to raise our 13-year-old boy with autism, which took him away from us at age 2. Thank you for one of the most concise, accurate and insightful articles I have ever read on the subject -- and we have read a lot. Raising awareness is the first step toward finding a cause and cure. Your article does just that...

Basketball Kevin Garnett got 120 of 123 first-place votes to beat two-time winner Tim Duncan for the honor Monday, three days after his Minnesota Timberwolves won a playoff series for the first time. Garnett has played at an MVP level for years, but this was a breakthrough season for the Wolves. ...

Gov. Bob Holden has vetoed a good bill that would have addressed major problems with jury awards and venue and offered new protection for some defendants. Now the legislature must attempt to override the governor. The road to tort reform is paved with good intentions, but detours and roadblocks are making any meaningful change all but impossible...

Achievement academy recognizes area students Several local students recently received recognition from the United States Achievement Academy, including: Ashton Brooke Phillips, a national award winner in honor roll and an all-American scholar. Phillips is the daughter of Greg and Debbie Phillips of Scott City...

BENTON, Mo. -- With a soft-bristled brush in hand and their attention focused on Gold, a Jersey cow, a group of third-graders from Kelly Elementary School stood and brushed her coat as they learned about how much milk she produces in a day. Students were asked to guess how much milk a dairy cow could produce or how often Gold had to be milked. ...

There's a new radio station in Cape Girardeau that is operated by students at Southeast Missouri State University. The station, 103.7 KDMC the Rage, is student-run and operated by the radio programming strategies class at the university. When I first walked into the station, it was amazingly quiet. ...

Editor's note: The student Amber Karnes is writing about, Nathan Wibbenmeyer, died in December 2003 after a battle with cancer. By Amber Karnes With the end of school approaching, everyone's stress levels are at an all-time high as we prepare for finals and graduation. People's priorities can seem a little out of whack, including mine -- wait, especially mine...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Stephen L. Ashe, 50, 12165 Ollis Lane, Marion, Ill., was arrested Monday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and failure to drive in a single lane...

Cape Girardeau Firefighters responded to the following items on Sunday: At 4:14 p.m., an emergency medical service at 1049 N. Kingshighway. At 6:11 p.m., an emergency medical service at 1448 N. Kingshighway. Firefighters responded to the following items on Monday: At 12:02 a.m., a fire alarm at 3093 William St...

Sharon says he will modify his Gaza plan JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday he will come up with an alternative withdrawal plan after his proposal to pull out of the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank was resoundingly rejected by members of his Likud Party. Israeli officials suggested the original plan -- which had U.S. backing and was popular with Israelis -- would be slightly scaled down and the new version would not be put to a Likud vote...

WASHINGTON -- It's an odd medical meeting that features Rodgers and Hammerstein and brilliantly colored paintings rather than, say, X-rays. What does belting out "Oklahoma" or putting oil to canvas have to do with brain health? Perhaps a lot, when the singers are active 70- and 80-year-olds and the painters are in the throes of dementia. ...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court, sidestepping a dispute over cussing, refused Monday to consider whether a Montana man's foul language to a law enforcement officer was free speech protected by the Constitution. The man, Malachi Robinson, was walking down the street about midnight four years ago when he called the Missoula county deputy in a nearby squad car a "[expletive] pig." The deputy got out and confronted Robinson, who uttered another expletive at the officer...

WASHINGTON -- A biological or chemical attack leaves hundreds of lawmakers too sick to work. Others are ready to carry on, but, under rules of Congress, they may be forbidden to act at a time of dire national emergency. House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif., had his committee meet last week to discuss how to prepare for mass incapacitation to assure that Congress will continue to function after a cataclysmic attack...

WASHINGTON -- The reported abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers threatens to undermine part of President Bush's rationale for unseating Saddam Hussein: that the United States had ended a regime that was torturing and abusing Iraqis. The disclosures undermine American claims to a moral high ground as the United States tries to put down a growing insurgency and gain international support in Iraq...

WASHINGTON -- Piracy of American movies, music and computer programs remains a problem worldwide with some of the worst offenses occurring in Ukraine, China, Russia and Brazil, the Bush administration said Monday. The administration named 52 trading partners to various violation lists as part of an annual report...

WASHINGTON -- Construction spending registered its best month on record in March, but manufacturing growth slowed a bit in April, weighed down in part by higher costs for materials. The Commerce Department reported Monday that the value of buildings put in place jumped by 1.5 percent in March from February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $944.1 billion, the highest level on record...

NEW ORLEANS -- At the ninth hole, Vijay Singh thought he was out of the HP Classic. At the 18th, he knew the tournament was his for the taking. Singh made a 25-foot birdie at No. 18 Monday to win the rain-delayed tournament, denying Masters champion Phil Mickelson his second straight victory and Joe Ogilvie his first title...

SPANISH LAKE, Mo. -- A suburban St. Louis toddler was found unharmed about an hour Sunday after a thief drove off in the car he was in. The 19-month-old boy was in the backseat of the 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier. The mother told police she had left the car idling while she dropped something off for a friend...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Legislation abolishing mandatory tests for motor vehicle emissions in the St. Louis area won preliminary House approval Monday. The federal government requires high-pollution cities to test vehicles for emissions as a condition of receiving federal highway dollars...

URBANA, Ill. -- A University of Illinois research team is working on turning pig manure into a form of crude oil that could be refined to heat homes or generate electricity. Years of research and fine-tuning are ahead before the idea could be commercially viable, but results so far indicate there might be big benefits for farmers and consumers, lead researcher Yanhui Zhang said...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- American hostage Thomas Hamill was sitting in a mud shack with a bullet wound festering in his arm when he heard the rumble of Army Humvees and made a break for it. He stumbled into the desert and waved his shirt to get the attention of passing soldiers...

NAJAF, Iraq -- U.S. forces in Najaf came under their most intense attack yet by Shiite militiamen in a clash Monday that may have killed up to 20 Iraqis. But the military still held back from going after the militia's leader, a radical cleric, to avoid angering Iraq's Shiite majority...

YANBU, Saudi Arabia -- The U.S. ambassador traveled to this Saudi oil-industry city Monday with a simple message for the gathered Americans: Go home. We cannot protect you. Huddled in a meeting room in a Holiday Inn still pocked with bullet holes after the latest in a string of attacks on Westerners killed two Americans and four others, many said they would heed his words...

TAMPA, Fla. -- Sitting in his purple-draped dressing room, sipping tea amid sweet-scented candles, Prince is as peaceful and serene as a superstar could be before showtime -- until you utter THAT ONE WORD: Comeback. Just mention the idea that his latest album, "Musicology" -- coupled with a tour, TV specials and magazine covers -- has anything to do with regaining the spotlight, and a slight frown falls over Prince's chiseled, pretty face...

YORKVILLE, Ill. -- Norma Yeates, looking for a way to shave her husband's $385-a-month prescription drug bill, learned she has a lot of homework ahead before signing up for one of the new Medicare discount cards. As the Bush administration heralded the opening of enrollment for the cards on Monday, it added a cautionary note to Yeates and others: Don't sign up just yet...

CHICAGO -- Take a piece of pita bread, a little tuna, some olives and capers and -- presto -- it's a low-carb "sort of Mediterranean" pizza. The impact of the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet and other low-carbohydrate eating plans is everywhere at this year's food industry show of new products...

The Associated Press RAPID CITY, S.D. -- After getting involved in a fight in the legislature over a bill to ban civil unions, Tom Murphy decided to reveal a secret he had kept for four decades, through school, an Air Force career and then as a member of the city council:...

NEW YORK -- A pesky computer worm snarled hundreds of thousands of machines worldwide Monday in the latest virus-like outbreak to take advantage of a known flaw with the Windows operating system. Because the new worm, dubbed "Sasser," does not require users to click on an e-mail attachment to activate, it spreads more rapidly than most viruses. It was discovered late Friday and spread as employees returned to work and booted their machines...

Sooner or later every parent becomes an unpaid chauffeur. Our 12-year-old daughter, Becca, is at that age where she and her friends need a ride to the cinema. At that age, kids don't want their parents to shepherd them into the movie theater. They just want money and a car ride...

ST. LOUIS -- Blues forward Mike Danton returned to the St. Louis area from California on Monday to face charges in an alleged murder-for-hire plot, a federal marshal said. Danton arrived by airplane with other prisoners and received no special treatment, said Karen Simons, chief deputy federal marshal for the southern district of Illinois...

ST. LOUIS -- Greg Maddux put on a triple-threat performance: He helped beat the St. Louis Cardinals with his arm, bat and legs. Maddux pitched seven strong innings, stole a base, got an infield hit and scored twice in the Chicago Cubs' 7-3 victory over the Cardinals on Monday...

Count Gary Garner among the multitude of men's college basketball coaches who were elated when the NCAA Division I Board of Directors rescinded the controversial 5-8 rule last week. "There's not a coach in the country who is not extremely happy about the rule change," Southeast Missouri State University's Garner said...

An industrial recruiter and a regional planning representative spoke at a Cape Girardeau County Commission public hearing Monday regarding the proposed ethanol plant to be constructed just outside the Cape Girardeau city limits. The public hearing was attended by only one individual, a commissioner candidate, two economic development officials and a newspaper reporter. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- An admitted trespasser who was clotheslined by a wire cable strung across a wooded path to keep all-terrain vehicles out of a Mississippi County farm is not entitled to damages for his injuries, a state appeals court has ruled...

Editor's note: Sam DeReign is a senior at Oran High School and a columnist for the Class of 2morrow. By Sam DeReign ~ Southeast Missourian For most people, it was just another average weekend filled with Nick at Nite marathons and "The Iron Chef." But for thousands of high school students across the nation, it was a weekend of fake tans, gallons of hair gel and enough fruit punch to keep those awkward nondancing moments at bay. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Although they have worked together on several issues over the past four legislative sessions, Gov. Bob Holden and Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder aren't exactly political allies. But the two men are in agreement concerning the qualifications of Jeff Davis -- Kinder's chief of staff and general counsel -- to serve on the Missouri Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities industries. ...

A record 1,119 students will graduate from Southeast Missouri State University on May 15 at a commencement ceremony where U.S. Sen. Jim Talent will be the featured speaker. The ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. at the Show Me Center. Participating in the ceremony will be 969 undergraduate and 150 graduate students...

The Cape Girardeau City Council may revise term limits for advisory board members because of the difficulty in getting people to apply for positions on city committees. The city staff recommended the city council eliminate the current two-term limit and allow committee members to serve indefinitely...

Three people pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Monday to the Jan. 12 robbery of the Bank of America in Cape Girardeau. Derek E. Riggs, 25, of Bloomington, Ill., pleaded guilty before Judge Catherine E. Perry to one felony count of bank robbery and one felony count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. ...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Missouri State Highway Patrol will honor a Perryville man for saving two lives in a car crash that killed two other occupants of the car. The patrol and the Perryville Volunteer Fire Department will give John G. Plunkett the Honorary Trooper Award at the quarterly meeting of the Perry County E-911 Emergency Management Agency on May 21...

Philip Green drives a pickup truck through the shallow River des Peres in the St. Louis area Monday as three other city workers sit in the back and lob gray, golf ball-sized pellets into the water. They're throwing larvacide, a product that's not harmful to humans or wildlife, but will keep mosquitoes from growing into adults. It's part of the city's effort to keep the mosquito population down, and help fight the West Nile virus...

EUREKA, Mo. -- Central senior Todd Obergoenner carded a one-over-par 73 to capture medalist for the second consecutive year in the Class 4, District 1 golf tournament at Aberdeen Golf Course on Monday. Central finished second out of 10 teams with a 315 to qualify for the state meet. The Tigers finished with the same team score as Poplar Bluff, but the Mules won the tie-breaker. Both teams qualified for the state meet May 17-18 at Rivercut Golf Course in Springfield, Mo...

10 years ago: May 5, 1994 Fast-food establishments like McDonald's and Burger King won't be setting up shop on Southeast Missouri State University campus; board of regents has awarded new food service contract to Morrison's Hospitality Group. A thousand additional copies of the Southeast Missourian's history book, "Images of the Past in the City of Roses," have been printed and are available for sale...

Sons of the American Revolution The Sons of the American Revolution met April 19 at the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center in Jackson. Members can trace their ancestors back to a patriot in the American Revolutionary War. Members in attendance were Wendel Miller, Steven Pledger, Dr. Jerry Driver, Dr. Walter Schroeder, Ron Beasley, Leon Lefler, Thad Lake and Randy McLain....

King Son to Rick A. and Yvonne G. King of Oran, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 8:46 a.m. Wednesday, April 28, 2004. Name, Nicholas Albert. Weight, 8 pounds 10 ounces. Third child, second son. Mrs. King is the former Yvonne Sheetz, daughter of Don and Barbara Sheetz of Westfield, Ind. Mr. and Mrs. King are owners of Kings Mobile Pressure Cleaning Co. He is the son of Bill and Marilynn King of Morley, Mo...

Loren Maire-Angelique Letner, 28, of Miami Beach, Fla., died Thursday, April 29, 2004, in a fall at her home. She was born Dec. 22, 1975, in Memphis, Tenn., daughter of Levin Grey Letner and Kathleen Murphy Payton. Letner attended schools in Jonesboro, Ark. She received a degree in political science from Arkansas State University, and was a graduate of Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, La...

Lester R. Simmons, 78, of Scott City died Tuesday, May 4, 2004, at his home. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements.

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Ruby F. Ashcraft, 91, of Advance died Tuesday, May 4, 2004, at Advance Nursing Center. Morgan Funeral Home in Advance is in charge of arrangements.

Colleen Lowry, 78, of Fruitland died Tuesday, May 4, 2004, at her home. Ford and Sons Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau is in charge of arrangements.

Pauline E. Archer, 77, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, May 4, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center. Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- Willie Ray Smith, 77, of East Prairie died Tuesday, May 4, 2004, at his home. He was born Jan. 2, 1927, at Portageville, Mo., son of John Samuel and Minnie Mae Caldwell Smith. He and Shirley Ann Skelton were married July 18, 1960, at Charleston, Mo...

ANNA, Ill. -- Charles A. Thornton, 79, of Anna died Monday, May 3, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 13, 1924, at Lick Creek, Ill., son of William "Bill" and Addie Manus Thornton. He and Betty Jane McDonald were married Dec. 30, 1945, in Piggott, Ark...

ZALMA, Mo. -- Curtis L. Speer, 82, of Paris, Tenn., died Monday, May 3, 2004, in Paris. He was born Jan. 8, 1922, at Zalma, son of Willie and Mandy Eaker Speer. He and Bobbie L. Dulaney were married March 22, 1946. Speer had been a general supervisor at Emerson Electric Co...

Glenda Long, 65, of Union City, Tenn., died Monday, May 3, 2004, at Obion County Nursing Home. She was born July 22, 1938, in St. Louis, daughter of Thomas and Mary Greer Lovelace. Long was a retired licensed practical nurse, and worked 30 years at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Union City. She was a member of Mount Ararat Cumberland Presbyterian Church...

Maxey Leroy Grimes, 84, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, May 2, 2004, at Monticello House in Jackson. He was born Nov. 21, 1919, in Mount Vernon, Ill., son of Francis L. and Gertrude Agnes Maxey Grimes. He and Opal Pierce were married Oct. 28, 1945, in St. Louis...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Merlin P. Rousseau, 84, of Perryville died Sunday, May 2, 2004, at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis. He was born Feb. 4, 1920, in Perry County, son of Frank and Henrietta M. Klump Rousseau. He and Therese Janin were married Aug. 25, 1962, at Perryville...

Clara E. Mahy, 88, of Cape Girardeau died Monday, May 3, 2004, at the Lutheran Home. She was born Jan. 6, 1916, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Monroe and Myrtle Comer McLain. She and Richard T. Mahy Sr. were married July 19, 1944, in St. Louis. He died March 7, 2000...

Pride and respect I STARTED to say it has been interesting to watch and read reaction to the name change for SEMO. But it isn't anymore. Many who want change have stooped to twisting into slandering the pride and respect the university had for representing a proud people. Hate has raised it's ugly head. There are those who either don't understand or refuse to believe we were proud to remember our nation's American Indian...

To the editor: Emerging medical data suggest there may be a correlation between immunizations containing mercury given to the children in the last 1980s and early 1990s with the recent rise in autism. Mercury, a dangerous toxin, has been used as a preservative in immunizations for 50 years. States required more immunizations in the 1980s. A 2-year-old would have received 10 to 12 shots containing mercury, far exceeding allowable amounts for adults...

To the editor: Missouri Right to Life is disappointed to see that state Rep. Matt Muckler of Ferguson, Mo., made a special attack on a pro-life colleague, state Rep. Jason Crowell of Cape Girardeau, in a letter to your newspaper. The floor debate in perfecting House Bill 1339 lasted most of the day in which pro-abortion legislators threw sharp and bitter abuse at the bill's sponsor, state Rep. Jane Cunningham...

To the editor: I find it a little bewildering that political correctness at Southeast Missouri State University has gone astray. I graduated from SEMO in 1960 and had a football scholarship during the Kenneth Knox era. The school is not thinking creatively, even though it appears to be under political pressure to change the name. ...

To the editor: Ethan and Friends for Autism has already received several calls for information. Many thanks go to Callie Clark, Bob Miller and Don Frazier for their outstanding coverage of autism. MIKE SCIORTINO Cape Girardeau...

Mack places second in MARS series stop Joey Mack posted his best career finish on the Mid-America Racing Series with a second-place showing this past weekend in Bolivar, Mo. Mack, based in Benton, Mo., won his heat prior to the runner-up finish in the feature. He stands eighth in the circuit's season points race...

Southeast Missouri State University's scheduled baseball game Thursday night against visiting Evansville has been canceled due to overscheduling by Evansville. It will not be made up. The Indians (18-23, 8-9 Ohio Valley Conference) are back in action this weekend with a three-game series at Morehead State (12-29, 5-13). There will be a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and a noon game Sunday...

Jackson School District officials believe they've found a solution to space needs at the high school. For a decade now, the students -- there are 1,200 now -- and their teachers have lived with aging buildings and crowded classrooms in the heart of the city...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Thomas Joseph Matthew Jr., 41, 1919 Old Sprigg Road, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, traffic violations and failure to register a motor vehicle...

Firefighters responded to the following items on Monday: At 5:59 p.m., an emergency medical service at 975 Normal Ave. At 6:03 p.m., an emergency medical service at 10 S. West End Blvd.Firefighers responded to the following items on Tuesday: At 8:24 a.m., an emergency medical service at 3714 Stonebridge Drive...

Cape Girardeau city officials officially broke ground on the Independence Street widening project Tuesday afternoon on the lawn of the city's main fire station even as the real construction work was beginning a block away. The ceremony marked the start of work on the last of 18 street projects funded with a half-cent transportation sales tax approved by voters in August 1995. Voters five years later extended the tax to Dec. 31, 2005, to fund additional road projects...

The manager of The Mix, a local hangout for young people, learned when she made her deposit at the Bank of America Monday morning that someone had spent $50 at The Mix using counterfeit $10 bills. Diane Wagner, director of media relations for Bank of America in Chicago, said the teller at the bank's northwest branch on Kingshighway noticed the counterfeit money when she was counting out The Mix's deposit...

WASHINGTON -- About 350 people die each year in "non-crash" motor vehicle accidents, with most succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning, federal safety officials said Tuesday. There are roughly 200 such deaths annually, most occurring in cold weather when people leave their vehicles running in a garage or other enclosed space, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. ...

WASHINGTON -- Unable to settle on a compromise spending level, Republican leaders and the White House switched gears Tuesday and decided to initiate formal House-Senate talks on a huge highway and transit spending bill. Lawmakers emerging from a GOP leadership meeting with White House chief of staff Andrew Card said they would turn to House and Senate negotiators to thrash out a deal on the six-year highway bill that has eluded them for months. ...

WASHINGTON -- More than one in five working adults in Texas and five other Southern and Southwestern states don't have health insurance, a new study says. In another 37 states and the District of Columbia, at least one in every 10 working adults is uninsured, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which is leading a campaign to build support for expanding health coverage...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. commanders plan to keep American troops at the current level in Iraq -- about 135,000 -- until the end of 2005, Pentagon officials said Tuesday. The decision acknowledges Iraq is much more unstable and dangerous than generals had hoped earlier this year, when they planned to cut the number of troops occupying Iraq to about 115,000...

From staff and wire reports The Federal Reserve held a main short-term interest rate at a 46-year low Tuesday in an attempt to keep the economy humming. Fed chairman Alan Greenspan and his Federal Open Market Committee colleagues -- the group that sets interest rate policy in the United States -- left the federal funds rate unchanged at 1 percent, where it has been since last June. ...

ATHENS, Greece -- The sprint to the Olympics is being run through an obstacle course. Frantic work -- including on the main stadium -- slogs on in mud, through rainstorms and at night. Roads and squares are ripped up for repaving or new rail lines. Cement mixers and cranes snarl city traffic. Whirlwinds of dust spin through neighborhoods...

St. Louis Blues forward Mike Danton pleaded innocent Tuesday to charges that he conspired to kill an acquaintance in a murder-for-hire plot. Danton, wearing an orange jail-issued jumpsuit, spoke in calm and measured tones in brief responses to questions from U.S. Magistrate Gerald Cohn at the federal courthouse in East St. Louis, Ill. He is charged with conspiring and using a telephone across state lines to attempt a murder...

A Missouri Bootheel man has pleaded guilty to operating a chop shop that resold auto parts from stolen vehicles, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Thomas Wade Brock, 63, of Miner, Mo., also pleaded guilty Monday to five additional federal charges of trafficking in motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts, and one count of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Sentencing was set for June 28...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State workers would be allowed to choose between time off or extra pay as compensation for working overtime, under legislation given first-round approval Tuesday by the House. Rep. Bill Deeken, R-Jefferson City, said his legislation would raise morale by letting state employees know they can be paid extra for working extra hours. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Seesawing gasoline prices jumped 17 cents overnight at many stations around the region, leaving regular unleaded selling typically for $1.88 per gallon, said Mike Right, a gasoline analyst for AAA. The news was even worse for users of premium fuel, some of which was topping $2 per gallon for the first time in Missouri...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Some Catholic Republican lawmakers are upset with their church for lobbying against GOP proposals to cut the Medicaid health-care program and support life sciences research. The rift began with a March 15 letter to lawmakers from the Missouri Catholic Conference, signed by the state's five bishops. ...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghanistan joined the U.S. military in criticizing Pakistan's offer of amnesty for al-Qaida and Taliban fighters holed up along the border, saying going "soft" on terrorism will undermine the battle against insurgents threatening landmark Afghan elections...

KARSHI-KHANABAD AIR BASE, Uzbekistan -- The din of bulldozers and steamrollers competes with the roar of aircraft engines at this U.S. outpost for the anti-terror campaign in Afghanistan. The Americans are digging in for the long haul -- but walking on eggshells...

YANBU, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia blamed a wanted man with links to a London-based opposition group for an attack on an oil contractor's office, saying Tuesday he had slipped back into the kingdom to lead his brother and two cousins on a bloody rampage...

LANDSTUHL, Germany -- Thomas Hamill's kidnappers had surgery performed on his wounded arm during his three weeks of captivity in Iraq, an Army doctor said Tuesday. Hamill, speaking publicly for the first time since he escaped Sunday in a risky run to freedom, said he feels well and was looking forward to seeing his wife and going home to Mississippi...

DIEN BIEN PHU, Vietnam -- Atop a tranquil hill, the memories of battle amid red-earth trenches and barbed wire are still vivid for the elderly men who make the pilgrimage here. Hundreds of veterans of Dien Bien Phu have filed into this small border town in recent weeks -- to celebrate a long-ago victory, to mourn the fallen, but mostly just to remember...

Iranian prof won't appeal new death sentence TEHRAN, Iran -- A university professor has decided not to appeal a reinstated death sentence, effectively challenging Iran's hard-line judges to execute him for criticizing clerical rule, his attorney said Tuesday. ...

CONCORD, N.H. -- Not so long ago, Asian food wasn't Asian as such. Until recently, most people knew it as Chinese food. And it wasn't California sushi, fresh spring rolls or pad thai. It was fried rice (will that be shrimp, pork or beef?), teriyaki on a skewer, red spare ribs and sweet and sour chicken...

DENVER -- A federal appeals court Tuesday ordered an imprisoned former Forest Service employee responsible for the largest wildfire in Colorado history to pay $14.7 million in restitution. A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with federal prosecutors who argued Terry Lynn Barton should pay the cost of emergency restoration of national forest southwest of Denver. The 2002 Hayman fire charred 138,000 acres and destroyed more than 100 homes...

LOS ANGELES -- A Tanzanian man who entered the United States illegally was charged Tuesday with making a phony terror threat on a West Los Angeles shopping mall, the FBI said. Zameer Mohamed, 23, was charged in federal court with a single felony count of using a telephone to maliciously make a false threat. ...

NEW ORLEANS -- An investor group headed by former Vice President Al Gore said Tuesday it is buying a cable channel and launching a news network that will offer "irreverent and bold" programming for young adults. The group is buying the Newsworld International channel from Vivendi Universal Entertainment for an undisclosed sum. ...

TYLER, Texas -- A man who stockpiled machine guns, bombs and enough cyanide to kill everyone inside a building the size of a small-town civic center was sentenced Tuesday to more than 11 years in prison. William Krar, 63, pleaded guilty in November to possessing a dangerous chemical weapon and could have gotten life in prison. His common-law wife, Judith Bruey, 55, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess illegal weapons and was sentenced to nearly five years...

CHICAGO -- Habitual marijuana use increased among U.S. adults over the past decade, particularly among young minorities and baby boomers, government figures show. The prevalence of marijuana abuse or dependence climbed from 1.2 percent of adults in 1991-1992 to 1.5 percent in 2001-2002, or an estimated 3 million adults 18 and over...

CORONA, Calif. -- Southern California's first wildfires of the season burned homes and brushlands and forced thousands of people to evacuate on Tuesday, portending what could be an especially dangerous and costly summer. A man was charged with negligently setting the largest blaze...

Has anyone else noticed that, as men get older, the little quirks that became apparent in their youth become full-blown eccentricities? Take my grandfather, for instance, a child of the Depression. He's always been a thrifty guy, running around turning off lights behind his kids and grandkids, making sure we don't refrigerate the whole neighborhood, only turning on the air conditioning after one of the dogs spontaneously combusts. ...

A few weeks ago I was asked by a second-grade teacher if she could bring her class to Sunny Hill Garden Center on a field trip. I usually decline to conduct these visits during our spring rush for safety reasons. We are usually short-handed, we have lots of customers on the premises and sometimes we have tractors and forklifts moving around. Dortha Strack or I gladly lead these visits in the summer and fall when there is less activity going on at the garden center...

When asked what May 5 is, nearly anyone will usually know it is Cinco de Mayo, a May holiday commemorating Mexico's independence from France. However, the date does have a little different meaning for me: It is my grandmother's birthday. Although she has been gone for many years, memories of her flood my mind. ...

Kay Ehlke and Chuck McElroy were not the most decorated or recognized Southeast Missouri State University athletes over the past four years. But Ehlke and McElroy more than distinguished themselves in the classroom. Tuesday night, that pair earned the top individual honors during Southeast's annual All Sports Year End Celebration at the Show Me Center. The event was sponsored by Southeast Missouri Hospital...

Oran scored three runs in the fourth and one in the sixth to defeat Kelly 6-5 in a high school baseball game Tuesday. Matt Seyer scored the winning run in the sixth on an infield error after he had reached base with a double, one of his three hits on the day...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Playing its fourth game in two days, Notre Dame Regional High School simply ran out of fumes Tuesday night in a 13-2 five-inning loss to top seed Sikeston in the SEMO Conference championship game at VFW Stadium. Little-used Tony Longman got the start for the Bulldogs with main starters Blake Urhahn and Lee Essner unavailable. ...

ST. LOUIS -- Marc Bulger on Tuesday agreed to a four-year contract with the St. Louis Rams -- a deal that could affect whether two-time NFL MVP Kurt Warner will be released next month. The Rams did not disclose terms of the deal with Bulger, who coach Mike Martz has said would enter the preseason as the team's starting quarterback...

PHILADELPHIA -- The entire sequence was a blur to Mike Matheny. So was his throw to first base that saved the St. Louis Cardinals. Matheny made a play behind the plate to record the final out and help the Cardinals hold off the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 Tuesday night...

The Washington Missourian The Missouri General Assembly has passed what lawmakers call a "landmark" tax relief bill that will provide senior citizens and the disabled some relief from rapidly rising property taxes caused chiefly by reassessment every two years...

CHICAGO -- Coke and Pepsi, trying to put more fizz into their soda sales, are about to launch new brands that taste like their flagship drinks but contain half the sugar, carbs and calories. Coke's C2 and Pepsi's Edge are to hit the market nationally this summer. In advance, the companies offered tastes to supermarket executives, restaurant owners and other potential retail distributors at the Food Marketing Institute's annual trade show in Chicago...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- While Missouri's public school systems will receive a record-high level of state financial aid during the upcoming fiscal year, some lawmakers say it isn't enough. The final version of the education budget drafted by negotiators from the Senate and House of Representatives will disperse $2.76 billion among Missouri's 524 school districts for the fiscal year beginning July 1 -- $142.9 million more than budgeted for the current fiscal year...

After several months of searching, a committee from the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri has found a new home for Cape Girardeau's first mural. Instead of its location at 116 N. Main, where it has been for 18 years, the James Parker mural will be repainted on the side of Mollie's Cafe & Bar at 11 S. Spanish St...

Tuesday night, Bonan Wang attended the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club's 45th annual John Blue Academic Excellence Dinner, where she and other high school students were acknowledged for being in the top 10 percent of their classes. Awards, however, are nothing new for 17-year-old Wang, who has received several for her prowess in academics and in music...

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce board of directors gave unanimous support to the city's fire sales tax measure on Tuesday and authorized spending $1,000 to help campaign for its passage in a June 8 special election. The money will be given to the Committee to Vote Yes for the Fire Sales Tax, a private group headed by retired Cape Girardeau businessman Harry Rediger...

CHICAGO -- In a growing practice that troubles some ethicists, a Chicago laboratory helped create five healthy babies so that they could serve as stem-cell donors for their ailing brothers and sisters. The made-to-order infants, from different families, were screened and selected when they were still embryos to make sure they would be compatible donors. Their siblings suffered from leukemia or a rare and potentially lethal anemia...

WASHINGTON -- The deaths of 10 prisoners and abuse of 10 more in Iraq and Afghanistan are under criminal investigation, the Army disclosed Tuesday as U.S. commanders in Baghdad announced interrogation changes and the White House reached out to the Arab world to try to blunt a widening and increasingly damaging controversy...

Most everyone has seen the reports showing the horrible conditions of breeding facilities known as "puppy mills." Charles Stucker, director of the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, says puppy mills aren't the only source of unwanted dogs that eventually are given away to shelters or euthanized...

by Jason Parker Here's an idea. Let's go out and get drunk then drive home and get caught then get charged with a felony and let's say that you're a superstar defensive player on a certain St. Louis football team. In the words of the two guys on the Guinness commercials...."Drive home drrrrrrunk and git caught..... BRRRRRRILLLIANT!"...

Outside the mind of Laurence Frost Ah religion, the last bastion of the hypocritical. Don't get me wrong, anyone can believe anything they want if it helps them to be a better person. But that freedom should only extend so far as their personal space. When people start to use that freedom to inflict pain or their will on others, that's when all the problems begin...

by Leroy Grey Each month, we'll bring you an inside look at the music you hear on The Zone @ 107.1 and the artists that make it. Insider here: I have to be careful about what I write for the column. This magazine's spell-checker has been acting funny. One of these days, I'm expecting umlauts over all the band names... which would actually be cool, come to think of it...

by Jim Obert Spring festival is May 8-9 Crawfish & BBQ Festival is June 5 Spring is in the air, so take a short drive across the fancy new bridge in Cape Girardeau and head for Alto Vineyards & Winery in the quaint town of Alto Pass in Southern Illinois. It is on hilly Highway 127 south of Murphysboro and north of Anna-Jonesboro...

by Leroy Grey Well, May means the end of school, and the beginning of the summer movie season. Each week's got one event movie, instead of a couple of contenders. So, there's about half as movies to talk about this month. Whuzupidat? Consider:...

WHAT'S GOING ON! Forget April showers bringing May flowers, May ushers in some serious music entertainment to the Cape Girardeau region. There is huge variety of music for every listener, some new artists, some groups that have come back into town for a visit, and some dynamic local artist who have kept live music going for many years...

1. Does John Kerry take Botox injections? Answer: Yes, Definitely! 2. Is Michael Jackson's nose fake? Answer: Reply hazy, try again. Answer #2: It is certain! 3. Should SEMO change the name of their mascot? Answer: Better not tell you now. 4. Is today really yesterday?...

by Tom Edwards It has been discovered that women typically talk 6 times more than men. In many ways the more a person talks, the less they actually say. Let's call it economy of grammar. Men have it, women don't. Two men can sit in a room for hours and hours, not say a word to each other, maybe a few gutturals here and there for clarification, and enjoy a highly efficient and mutually rewarding level of communication...

Thank you Thank you for all the weight that was to gain, Thank you for taking the pain. I'm so glad you chose to give birth to me. Thank you for all the time and caring. Thank you for loving me through all my child, adolescent and teenage years. Even though you had some sleepless nights, red eyes and tears...

Following a vote this week by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce board of directors to unanimously back a sales tax holiday in August, the city council gets its turn. Council members are expected to decide the issue at their May 17 meeting. For more on this story, read Friday's Southeast Missourian...

A broken finger, a broken ankle, a dislocated shoulder, scrapes, bruises and black eyes don't bother Joey Hann ... as long as they're from rugby. "It's just a part of the sport," he said. "It's a risk that everyone understands. Everyone's dedicated enough to the sport to risk those injuries."...

10 years ago: May 6, 1994 Southeast Missouri State University and one of its former fraternities, Kappa Alpha Psi, are being sued for damages by parents of student who died earlier this year after alleged hazing beating. Don Harrison, president of Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents, was honored this week for endowment he provided to College of Business; Harrison's donation and subsequent naming of college in his honor was announced last fall...

GRASSY, Mo. -- Lloyd Lee Shular, 67, of Grassy died Tuesday, May 4, 2004 at his home. He was born Oct. 18, 1937, at Bollinger County, son of Lee and Clara Shular. He was married to Anna Shular, who died Feb. 18. Shular was a commercial construction worker...

BROWNWOOD, Mo. -- Ruby F. Ashcraft, 91, of Brownwood died Tuesday, May 4, 2004, at Advance Nursing Center. She was born July 1, 1912, at Brownwood, daughter of Lyman and Elsie Taylor Pritchett. She and J.B. "Bill" Ashcraft were married Oct. 1, 1929. He preceded her in death...

Colleen R. Lowry, 78, of Jackson died Tuesday, May 4, 2004, at her home. She was born March 15, 1926, in Cobden, Ill., daughter of Collie E. and Farris Wallace Norris. She and Byford Lowry were married April 13, 1956, in Cobden. He died May 22, 2001...

Pauline Elizabeth Archer, 77, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, May 4, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center. She was born July 24, 1926, at Lilbourn, Mo., daughter of Orville and Nellie Pankey Lynn. She and Charles Elvis Archer were married May 13, 1944, in Piggott, Ark. He died Oct. 31, 1983...

Richard E. Hildebrand, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at Jackson Manor in Jackson. Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

A memorial service for Mary Virginia Brown of Jackson will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau. Brown, 50, died Sunday, April 25, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau.

After a courageous battle with emphysema more than 45 years and most recently cancer, Lester Raymond Simmons, 78, of Scott City passed away peacefully, Monday, May 3, 2004, from this earth at his home. He was born April 10, 1926, son of Otis and Reatha Davis Simmons. He and Dortha Rogers were married Nov. 19, 1949. He and Delories Spriggs Cochran were married April 7, 1961, and would have celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary...

BLOOMSDALE, Mo. -- Mamie M. Aubuchon, 84, of Bloomsdale died Monday, May 3, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 22, 1919, in Ste. Genevieve County, Mo., daughter of James and Annie Akins Carron. She married Henry Aubuchon, who preceded her in death...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Joyce A. Shumpert, 61, of Marble Hill died Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 7, 1942, at Ancell, Mo., daughter of Rufus and Ethel Stone Sanford. She and Charles Shumpert were married Oct. 15, 1968, in Scott City...

Bill W. Tipton, 80, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, May 4, 2004, at his home. He was born May 19, 1923, in Tiptonville, Tenn., son of James W. and Annie-Laurie Montgomery Tipton. He and Patsy Bode were married Dec. 22, 1946, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. They were married more than 57 years...

Act of kindness I WOULD like to thank the kind stranger who paid for my purchases at Carol's Hallmark at Town Plaza. The thoughtfulness made me and the employees want to return the gesture by being kind to someone else. Thank you from the young mother in a hurry...

To the editor: The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry was extremely disappointed in Gov. Bob Holden's veto of House Bill 1304, which would have provided much-needed civil justice reform for Missourians. For the second year in a row, the governor has chosen to ignore Missouri's employers -- especially the medical community -- by vetoing this legislation. ...

To the editor: Regarding the team nicknames and mascot at Southeast Missouri State University: There is a deep history shared between the university and the Indian culture. An Indian statue was once placed on top of Houck Stadium. The statue was given to the university during my term as president of the board of regents. ...

To the editor: In regard to your recent series of articles on autism, you presented both sides of the vaccine debate. However, a recent Speak Out caller contends that our nation is plagued by a terrible myth: "Vaccines are somehow connected with autism." The Southeast Missourian highlighted several studies during the series that both refute and support this hypothesis...

To the editor: Doctors in many areas are being robbed of their profession by the high cost of malpractice insurance. Picture, if you will, becoming critically ill and faced with no doctor. Picture also the need of surgery and no surgeon. Imagine a car accident, a serious train derailment or an airline disaster with no doctors. That's exactly what can take place should the cost of malpractice insurance continue to rise...

Baseball Mike Piazza broke Carlton Fisk's major league record for home runs as a catcher Wednesday night, hitting No. 352 in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants. Piazza drove a 3-1 pitch from Jerome Williams off the bottom of the scoreboard in right-center to give the New York Mets a 1-0 lead. ...

Hemperly records ace at Cape Country Club Bob Hemperly of Cape Girardeau shot a hole in one on Wednesday at the Cape Girardeau Country Club. Hemperly used a 6 iron on the sixth hole, which plays 135 yards. Bill Gerecke, Morris Osburn and Ken Brockett were witnesses...

Baseball Jackson Senior Babe Ruth: Tryouts for the Jackson Senior Babe Ruth will be Saturday and May 15. Sessions will be 1-3 p.m. at the Jackson Legion Field. Open to players 16 to 19 prior to Aug. 1. Players fee is $80. Info: Rick Chastain, 204-1134...

Four members of the Southeast Missouri Bodybuilding team placed in the top six at the NPC Grand Prix event Saturday in Rockford, Ill. Ron McCubbin of the Southeast Missouri Bodybuilding Team placed first in the novice class bantamweight division (143 1/4 pounds and below) at the NPC Grand Prix...

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Southeast Missouri State University's softball team closed in on a spot in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament by beating host Eastern Illinois 2-1 Wednesday. The Otahkians (15-31, 10-11) remained in sixth place among 10 squads, and they lead seventh-place Austin Peay by three games. Both squads have three regular-season games remaining. The top six finishers qualify for the tournament...

Scott City's Andy Stephens held Bell City to three hits over seven innings as Scott City's baseball team picked up a 7-1 victory over the host Cubs. Stephens struck out 11. Matt Schaefer had two hits for Scott City (6-8), and Ryan Glastetter had a solo home run...

Faster is better when it means the difference between winning and losing or breaking a school record. Area athletes are participating in a program called Acceleration at St. Francis Medical Center that helps build speed and stamina. The program is open to high school and college students and recreational athletes, and helps turn them into better athletes. An open house is planned Tuesday at the Center for Rehabilitation...

Today Blood drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Notre Dame Regional High School, sponsored by the National Honor Society. All donors will receive a T-shirt. Blood pressure screening at 10 a.m. at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center, sponsored by the Generations Family Resource Center at Southeast Missouri Hospital...

A common steroid treatment for premature babies with lung problems can damage their brains and slow their growth, the first long-term study of the practice found. The bodies of many premature babies do not yet make a chemical that keeps the lungs from collapsing when the infants exhale. Respirators keep them breathing but can stretch the fragile lungs. This causes inflammation and other damage, contributing to chronic lung disease...

My intensive study of mature female sexuality, reported in last week's column, produced some interesting results. The modern mature woman likes sex and wants it in her life. But the one catch in this rosy picture of healthy sexuality is that many of these same women didn't necessarily have the desire for it. We've even got a name for this condition, and it's not called a headache. It is called FSAD: Female Sexual Arousal Disorder...

National Day of Prayer provides an opportunity for communities throughout the land to seek divine guidance and spiritual answers to our most important questions. On this National Day of Prayer, our nation finds itself waging a War on Terror. "Let Freedom Ring," the theme of this year's event, could be a battle cry. It also could be a prayer, an entreaty to God to guide this sweet land of liberty...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Gary D. Morris, 27, 808 S. Pacific, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of burglary and second-degree stealing. Thomas J. Matthews, Jr., 42, 1919 Old Sprigg, was arrested Monday on a St. Francois County warrant for failure to appear for failing to cover and secure his vehicle load...

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County Commissioners looked over invitations to bid on installing central heating and air conditioning for the courthouse during their regular meeting Tuesday. A pre-bid conference will be held May 13; bids are due and will be opened at 11 a.m. ...

Standard Democrat NEW MADRID, Mo. -- Residents of New Madrid County wanting to carry concealed weapons can begin making applications. New Madrid County Sheriff Terry Stevens announced Tuesday his department will accept applications for concealed firearms permits. Individuals wishing to apply for a concealed gun permit must have a copy of a certificate of completion of firearm safety course and show proof of residency in New Madrid County...

Standard Democrat SIKESTON, Mo. -- Four months into the deployment of the 1140th Engineer Battalion, family members continue to adjust to life without their loved ones. As parents adapt to the dual responsibilities of both mom and dad, sometimes it's the children who are unintentionally taking a backseat in the transition...

Submitted photo During National Volunteer Week Visiting Nurse Association Hospice of Southeast Missouri honored volunteers. Pictured from left, are, Linda Biggs Hospice volunteer coordinator; John Marshall volunteer and Sister Mary F. Reis Hospice chaplain.Southeast Missourian...

Tracy's Place features Patrick Rafferty on guitar Guitarist Patrick Rafferty will play from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at Tracy's Place, 127 W. Main St., Jackson. For more information, call 243-9299. Cape County Republican women meeting Friday The Cape County Republican Women's monthly meeting is planned for Friday at the Grecian Steak House in Cape Girardeau. ...

Southeast Missouri The local Parents Without Partners group has planned the following events for May: Line dance lessons from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, as well as May 19 and 26, at Circle S Saddle Co. in Gordonville. A general meeting orientation and discussion is planned from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at Riverside Regional Library...

Southeast Missouri Greek Week, held annually at Southeast Missouri State University, celebrates membership in the Greek community. Fraternity and sorority members at Southeast volunteered at the Special Olympics, collected food and money for donation, participated in Girls and Boys Club activities, cleaned up area parks, conducted a blood drive and sponsored the first "Throw a Pie" contest. More than 1,200 hours of service was volunteered during Greek Week...

Fried chicken, ham on menu at Daisy meal The New Salem United Methodist Church at Daisy will hold a fried chicken and ham supper beginning at 4 p.m. Saturday. The menu includes fried chicken, ham, potato salad, green beans, corn, slaw, bread and cake. Children 5 and under eat free...

Monday marked the debut of a column -- "Fact or fiction?" -- on Page 2A welcoming questions of about any kind from Southeast Missourian readers. Feedback is already coming in positive, although I think the interest is more about the concept than the first installment...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration asked Congress Wednesday for a $25 billion down payment for next year's U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, a retreat from the White House's earlier plans not to seek the money until after the November elections...

WASHINGTON -- Consumers will not have to wait until this summer to see what kind of impact a Federal Reserve decision to move to higher interest rates would have on their pocketbooks. The Fed's policy of telegraphing its intentions has already sent consumer rates higher...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- For the second time this session, the House has passed legislation overhauling the state's system of handling alleged cases of child abuse and neglect. The 170-page bill, prompted by the 2002 death of Springfield foster child Dominic James, would clarify the evidence needed before someone is placed on the state's child abuse registry. It would also open many records and court proceedings to the public...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- There will be no tax refunds for Missourians this year under the revenue-capping provisions of the Hancock Amendment to the state constitution. State Auditor Claire McCaskill's confirmation Wednesday of the lack of tax refunds came as little surprise, considering that state revenue fell during the 2003 fiscal year -- the second straight declining year...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Owners of mobile home parks would have to give residents at least four months' notice before forcing them off the property in most cases, under a bill passed by the Senate and sent back to the House on Wednesday. Mobile home residents have complained for years of being forced to move with little to no notice. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. -- Legislation revising Missouri's laws on large animal feeding operations and creating a process for adoption of stricter local rules won Senate passage Wednesday. Approved on a 24-9 vote, the bill brings state law in line with federal regulations and definitions for large farms whose chief business is feeding and breeding large numbers of livestock...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- After a couple of years of job losses during a gloomy economy, the chief executive is now touting recent growth as he ramps up his re-election campaign. Republican President George W. Bush? Yes, but also Democratic Missouri Gov. Bob Holden, who although of a different party and citing different reasons, is nonetheless tying his election hopes to the same economic improvement as the president...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Farmers in parts of Southeast Missouri are busy replanting corn, thanks to some pesky blackbirds. "Birds are always a challenge," said agronomist Anthony Ohmes of the University of Missouri Extension office in Charleston. "It's very frustrating to see the birds out there."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Hospitals would be required to report their rates of hospital-acquired infections under legislation that won final approval in the Senate on Wednesday. The bill, sent to Gov. Bob Holden on a 31-0 vote, directs state health officials to collect the reports and make the information public starting in late 2006. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A bill prompted by a prosecutor's frustration in a child abduction case moved closer Wednesday to final passage. The legislation creates the crime of "child kidnapping," which would apply in cases where a child under 14 is taken without a parent's consent. ...

FERGUSON, Mo. -- A suburban St. Louis high school teacher has been suspended for taking seven students on an unauthorized shopping trip for more than two hours, leaving five students unsupervised in her classroom. Ferguson-Florissant School District officials have declined to publicly identify the McCluer South-Berkeley High School teacher, who is on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into last Friday's matter...

PEORIA, Ill. -- When Dr. Julie Wohrley was in medical school almost 20 years ago, there was no lesson on breaking bad news to patients. In fact, she was taught never to show emotion, even when saying the worst. "There was no formal education. We mostly learned while we were caring for people, on the job," said Wohrley, a pediatric intensivist at Peoria's St. Francis Medical Center...

U.S.-led forces launched an assault against militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, raiding hideouts in the holy city of Karbala. U.S. military officials said 10 al-Sadr followers were killed. U.S. troops fought al-Sadr fighters outside a cemetery where more than 50 militiamen took part in the shooting, ambushing three U.S. Humvees. As the Americans returned fire, mourners who had come to bury their dead in Najaf's sprawling cemetery ran for safety...

ABU GHRAIB, Iraq -- The commander of U.S.-run prisons in Iraq apologized Wednesday for the abuse of prisoners by American guards and said he will invite observers from the Red Cross and Iraqi government into Abu Ghraib prison. Inmates shouted protests about mistreatment as Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller led journalists through the lockup, the scene of photographs that showed Iraqi prisoners being abused by smiling U.S. guards...

Three bombs explode in Athens within half hour ATHENS, Greece -- Three bombs exploded outside a police station Wednesday in a series of timed blasts, causing serious damage and rattling security forces just 100 days before the Olympic Games. No injuries were reported. ...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Two British election workers and their Afghan interpreter were slain Wednesday in eastern Afghanistan, the first fatalities in a string of assaults on U.N. staff preparing for crucial balloting. The United Nations said the killings would slow a drive to register some 10 million Afghans for the September vote, but officials promised to press on despite the surging Taliban-led violence...

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- Sindiswa Moya has already buried her boyfriend because of AIDS. Now the former police officer battles for her own life. In an open letter to President Thabo Mbeki, Moya made a desperate plea for medicine. "My immune system is weak and I am running out of time," the 34-year-old wrote in a recent edition of The Sunday Times newspaper...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistani intelligence has uncovered a plot by a small band of terrorists to hijack and possibly blow up a plane bound for the United Arab Emirates, the prime minister said Wednesday, prompting the nation to put its airports on "red alert."...

STAR CITY, Russia -- American astronaut Michael Foale, just back from six months aboard the international space station, said Wednesday that only a demanding work program would justify spending a full year in space. Russia is pressing NASA to agree to extend crew stints on the space station from the current six months to one year, which would free up places on its Soyuz crew capsules for paying space tourists...

And then there was the Penn State student who used the "death in the family" excuse once too often. "It was an Italian student," recalled Carol Shloss, an English professor of 30 years who now teaches at Stanford. "Every time he had a paper due, he had a grandmother who had died. That was a three-strikes-you're-out rule. You don't have three grandmothers -- not in an Italian family."...

WASHINGTON -- Breaking with others in his industry, the chief executive of CVS Pharmacy called Wednesday for legalizing imports of prescription drugs. The statement by the nation's largest wholesale purchaser of prescription medicines came a day after the Bush administration's health secretary said legalizing imports appears inevitable. ...

NEW YORK -- Developers of the Freedom Tower will break ground on the 1,776-foot skyscraper at the World Trade Center site on July 4, Gov. George Pataki said Wednesday. The July 4 date is well ahead of Pataki's stated goal of breaking ground by late summer...

The Kansas City Star Those responsible for abusing Iraqi detainees at a prison near Baghdad should be held accountable and punished. Reports of the abuses and the disturbing photos of naked Iraqi prisoners posed next to leering Americans have done incalculable damage to the U.S. mission in Iraq...

As quickly as the F-3 tornado arrived, it moved on, but signs of its destruction remain. By Bob Miller Southeast Missourian The tornado could have killed anyone in its path. Firefighter Steve Grant. Fork lift driver Jeff Grammer. Handyman Danny Davis. They practically shook hands with the twister. Met it up close. Bowed to its face and begged for mercy...

WASHINGTON -- Acknowledging mistakes but stopping short of an apology, President Bush told the Arab world on Wednesday that Americans are appalled by the abuse and deaths of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of U.S. soldiers. He promised that "justice will be delivered."...

LOS ANGELES -- A construction worker had six nails driven into his head in an accident with a high-powered nail gun, but doctors said Wednesday they expect him to make a full recovery. Isidro Mejia made his first public appearance Wednesday since the April 19 accident that left him with 3 1/2-inch nails embedded in his face, neck and skull. He told reporters in Spanish from his wheelchair that he does not remember much about the accident, but is grateful to be alive...

Southeast Missouri State University's future identity may take the shape of a bird or a beast. A university committee narrowed its nickname list to two -- red hawks and red wolves -- from five Wednesday as it considers possible replacements for Southeast's longtime Indian and Otahkian nicknames...

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly First Friday Coffee tomorrow at the Show Me Center. This month's program will feature a discussion of Cape Girardeau's upcoming tax issues and the launching of Shape Up Cape. A continental breakfast kicks things off at 7:15 a.m. The program will begin at 7:30 a.m...

Since the 1930s, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3838 in Cape Girardeau has been helping people, veterans and civilians alike. Every year they donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to the causes of a long list of organizations and individuals. But this year, the reassessment of an aging and increasingly inadequate building has led the members of the VFW to put themselves on that list...

A 5-year-old boy was injured when the bicycle he was riding was hit by a car. According to Cape Girardeau police, the child, Charles Seabaugh, was riding his bicycle south on Evondale Drive around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. A car driven by Kyle A. Thomas, of 2208 Nottingham, made a left turn onto Evondale from Nottingham, then backed up. The driver apparently did not see the child and struck him. Seabaugh was reported to be in good condition Wednesday morning. No tickets were issued...

Central Junior High School's musical "Aladdin" will takes the audience to a land of magic carpets and genies, sultans, princesses and harem girls, to a whole new world of wonderful sights and sounds. Involved in transporting the audience to that land are nearly 175 junior high students who have some role in the production, whether as actors, production staff or in the choir...

Out of last year's tornado in Jackson came the realization that another area of emergency preparedness was needed: spiritual support in the aftermath of a disaster. Out of that recognition has grown an informal group of about a dozen local ministers who took special training from the American Red Cross so that in the event of another disaster, they can offer a systematic, long-term support system for victims...

The climb was long and arduous. But when 6-year-old Hunter topped the mountain of gymnastic mats, he smiled and enthusiastically clapped his hands, a skill the Jackson boy just recently learned. "I wasn't sure if he'd be scared climbing the mats or not," said his mother, Sandy Ross, watching from the sidelines in the Parker Hall gym at Southeast Missouri State University...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri National Guard armories in Bernie, Caruthersville and Dexter could soon be converted into community centers and public meeting halls under legislation the Senate approved on Wednesday. The bill, a version of which the House of Representatives has already passed, would transfer ownership of the armories from the state to the city in which each is located at no cost...

The Associated Press HOUSTON -- Roger Clemens moved into second place on the career strikeouts list behind fellow Houston-area native Nolan Ryan and became the first six-game winner in the majors, leading the Houston Astros over Pittsburgh 6-2 Wednesday night...

PHILADELPHIA -- With one swing, David Bell made up for a rare tough night in the field. Bell tied a career-high with four RBIs, including a three-run homer, leading the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night...

NEW YORK -- Spider-Man is coming to a base near you. In the latest example of a sponsor's stamp on the sports world, ads for the movie "Spider-Man 2" will be placed atop bases at 15 major league ballparks during games from June 11 to 13. The promotion, announced Wednesday, is part of baseball's pitch to appeal to younger fans -- and make money along the way...

PIEDMONT, Mo. -- The U.S. Corps of Engineers wants to build a $90 million concrete wall to halt seepage that is threatening a Southeast Missouri dam. The source of concern is the Clearwater Lake Dam near Piedmont, which opened in 1948 to control flooding along the Black River. Corps officials are worried that another major flood like those in 1993 and 1995 could cause the dam to break...

Southeast Missouri State University track and field coach Joey Haines fully expects his women's team to capture its second consecutive Ohio Valley Conference outdoor title and its third straight OVC championship overall. But, for the first time in a while, Haines also expects Southeast's men's squad to challenge for a conference crown when the league's outdoor meet takes place this weekend at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. Action begins at 2 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday...

Jay Heddell is getting married next month, he's graduating May 15 and he's already got eight Ohio Valley Conference titles in his pocket. Life is indeed sweet for Southeast Missouri State University's senior who ranks among the top shot put and discus athletes in school history...

May 6, 2004 Dear Leslie, I never ride in DC's pickup truck. That's because the passenger seat is stacked with papers from her offices, gardening tools, ceramic knickknacks she hasn't told me about yet and the detritus of her four-hour weekly commute to Southern Illinois. The floorboard on the passenger side is layered with more of the same. There really is no passenger side...

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Two members of the Kappa Alpha fraternity have been charged in a cannon explosion that blew out the window of a second-story apartment and sent a piece of the cannon through its roof. Seth R. Fagan, the president of the chapter's fraternity, and Daniel B. Dunn, both 21 and students at the University of Missouri-Columbia, were charged on Monday with reckless exploding and third-degree assault, both misdemeanors...

Three stars (out of four) I was excited when I was told that this week's movie for review was "Envy." While viewing it, however, I was slightly disappointed. The movie stars Ben Stiller as Tim Dingman and Jack Black as Nick Vanderpark...

BIRCH TREE, Mo. -- Wanda Mae Holden, the mother of Missouri Gov. Bob Holden, died Thursday at her home after a long illness, the governor's office said. She was 77. Holden, a Kansas City native, moved to Birch Tree after marrying Robert Lee Holden in 1948 and was a homemaker who helped manage their Shannon County farm...

Perryville's Mardi Gras Mayfest underway PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Starting today, Perryville is holding its Mardi Gras Mayfest with parades, live music, food, refreshments, a 5K race and more. The whole event gets underway at 5 p.m. and the parade starts at 6 p.m. ...

The Cape Girardeau City Council is expected to vote May 17 on whether it will observe Missouri's sales tax holiday in August. Mayor Jay Knudtson and Councilman Hugh White both say the council is leaning toward approving the holiday. The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce board of directors unanimously endorsed the tax holiday at its meeting Tuesday...

About a year to the hour after a tornado ripped the roof off of the police and fire station, pulverized a bakery and destroyed just about everything in its two-mile path, city, county and weather officials Thursday night were able to laugh at a public commemoration ceremony...

Associated Press Writer JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri's multi-billion-dollar Medicaid program would be spared all but the smallest of cuts under a compromise state budget given final approval late Thursday night. Passage of the nearly $18.9 billion budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 came after House and Senate negotiators broke a standoff over funding for the government-run health care program...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Legislation that would authorize the state to sell $450 million in bonds to bail out Missouri's Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund derailed in the Senate on Thursday. The impasse occurred on a substitute version of the measure offered by state Sen. Bill Foster, R-Poplar Bluff, that would temporarily increase the amount Missouri employers pay into the fund instead of selling bonds...

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- It's been two years since the Bollinger County Museum of Natural History was incorporated and four years since volunteers began fixing the building where its antiquities are housed. In this short span, the museum has become known for its dinosaur exhibits, especially the bone fragments of the Hadrosaur -- known colloquially as the "Missouri dinosaur."...

CHANTILLY, Va. -- NASA on Thursday introduced a new class of 11 astronauts, a group that includes three teachers who are giving up the classroom for the chance to fly into space. The teachers, selected from a field of more than 1,000 applicants, will live, work and train with more than 100 other astronauts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The new astronauts could be scheduled for space flights by 2009...

PHILADELPHIA -- St. Louis manager Tony La Russa expected a high-scoring game where the bullpens would get stretched thin. Instead, the Cardinals' relievers kept it under control. Hector Luna's three-run homer capped a five-run first inning and the Cardinals got three scoreless innings from five relievers for a 7-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday...

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants are thinking about signing quarterback Kurt Warner if the two-time NFL MVP is released by the St. Louis Rams in a salary-cap move. "We've been talking," Mark Bartelstein, Warner's agent, said in a telephone interview Thursday...

WASHINGTON -- Huge federal budget deficits threaten the nation's long-term economic stability, Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said Thursday as he raised new concerns about impending financing problems in Social Security and Medicare. A day of reckoning will come, Greenspan warned, because there is no "free lunch."...

Scheherezade Faramarzi ~ The Associated Press NAJAF, Iraq -- U.S. soldiers seized the governor's office Thursday in the holy city of Najaf, wresting control from Shiite militiamen loyal to a radical cleric in battles that left an estimated 40 insurgents dead...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- A blindfolded man described as an Iraqi-American being held hostage in Iraq was shown pleading for help on an Arab television station Thursday. The man, speaking in English, identified himself as Aban Elias and said he was from Denver and worked with the Pentagon as a civilian engineer. He was wearing a black-and-white kaffiyeh, or headdress, over his eyes...

The "Battle at Benton 50" has been rescheduled for tonight at the Auto Tire and Parts NAPA RacePark in Benton, Mo. The event features the only Missouri appearance for the Stacker2 Xtreme DirtCar Series, which is making its first stop at the 3/8-mile track in Benton...

For a team that has had its share of troubles in the field this season, a one-error game would be considered an improvement for Central's baseball team. Unfortunately, the Tigers' one error on Thursday cost them two runs -- including the go-ahead run -- in a 7-3 loss at rival Jackson...

The majority of schools competing in the Missouri High School Activities Association are public schools. That majority spoke loud and clear in voting on the MSHSAA annual ballot, the results of which were released Thursday. Member schools voted 309-128 against deleting the 1.35 multiplier that applies to private and parochial schools' enrollments for MSHSAA classification purposes. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's multi-billion-dollar Medicaid program would be spared all but the smallest of cuts under a compromise state budget given final approval late Thursday night. Passage of the nearly $18.9 billion budget came after House and Senate negotiators broke a several-day standoff over funding for the government-run health-care program...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Fearing Israel will seize him, Yasser Arafat fortified his West Bank headquarters with hundreds of concrete-filled barrels and wrecked cars Thursday, saying he's determined to go down fighting. Israel, which has repeatedly threatened the Palestinian leader, said it has no immediate plan to go after Arafat. ...

JACKSON, Miss. -- Thomas Hamill is tired after his hostage ordeal in Iraq but told family members in an emotional phone call that he is excited to soon be returning home, his grandmother said Thursday. "He called me and we had a good talk," the 92-year-old Vera Hamill said Thursday. "He said he wants to be back home but he doesn't want to be in the limelight."...

Spider-Man ads on bases didn't fly with baseball fans. A day after announcing a novel promotion to have advertisements on bases next month, Major League Baseball reversed course Thursday and eliminated that part of its marketing deal for "Spider-Man 2."...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush may seek more money for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan next year than the $50 billion figure his budget director cited months ago, White House officials say. The acknowledgment comes amid growing doubts in Congress that the amount will be enough to finance U.S. operations in the two countries, especially in an increasingly violent Iraq. Lawmakers also say they will probably give the administration less leeway than it wants in spending the money...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kirk Triplett closed with three straight birdies for a course-record 8-under 64 Thursday and took a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Wachovia Championship. Triplett took only 11 putts over the last nine holes -- including a 45-footer for birdie on No. 9, his last hole -- to pull away from an enormous pack of players at Quail Hollow...

WASHINGTON -- John Negroponte won easy Senate confirmation Thursday as the United States ambassador to Iraq as Democrats put aside their opposition to President Bush's postwar policy to support his choice. The vote was 95-3. "I urge my colleagues to vote for Mr. ...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- A Chaffee man was killed Wednesday in a single-car accident on Scott County Road 227 a mile south of New Hamburg. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Anthony Glueck, 49, was southbound when he lost control of his car about 10 p.m. The car skidded off the the road, struck an embankment and overturned...

Jackson boys basketball coach Mike Kiehne resigned his coaching position late last week. Kiehne led the Indians to a 22-5 record this season, their highest win total since 1993. He was the head coach at Jackson for three years and posted a record of 45-35 in that time...

The Perryville boys track and field team placed first at the Jefferson County Conference meet, a two-day meet which concluded Thursday at Herculaneum. Kyle Dobbelare won both hurdles events and finished second in the long jump and triple jump. Perryville's girls junior varsity team won with 140 points and the boys won with 163 points.Varsity...

Enthusiastic audience I TOTALLY disagree with Kathryn Alfisi's opinion that the Lipizzaner show was too long. I did not see people leaving, and the crowd was very enthusiastic about the performance until the very end. As for the performers getting treats, what would you give a horse for a wonderful performance? It was a great show...

A distance of about 150 miles separates sisters Margaret Schneider and Annie Schuchart, but their mutual love of painting in watercolors makes sure they see quite a lot of each other. Starting tonight, the sisters' work will be on display at the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri's "Artful Excursions: Sisters Paint Europe" exhibit...

'New York Minute' Starring Ashley Olsen, Mary-Kate Olsen, Eugene Levy, Andy Richter, Andrea Martin, Darrell Hammond and Jared Padalecki. Twin sisters Jane and Roxanne Ryan journey from Long Island to New York City, where Jane is set to deliver a speech to qualify for a prestigious college scholarship. ...

NEW YORK -- Hey ladies (and guys who think he's hot): Wanna meet Hugh Jackman? It's easy, though it could be expensive and a little embarrassing. All you have to do is buy tickets for his Broadway musical "The Boy From Oz," preferably in the front row, and show up late, preferably after the first couple of numbers have come and gone...

In response to concerns from local lenders and real estate agents, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development came to Cape Girardeau Thursday to warn people of predatory lending practices. Frank Montgomery, an equal opportunity specialist with HUD, came to the Drury Lodge to speak to over a dozen area bankers, loan officers, real estate agents and concerned members of the public about unscrupulous practices that are sometimes used when purchasing or refinancing a home...

Ross and Rachel, together again as "Friends" fades into history. Were you expecting anything different? Along with millions of other views, about 15 Southeast Missouri State University students were glued to the set, waiting to find out how television's most popular comedy would all end...

Christians can be tolerant people who respect another's religious beliefs without accepting those claims as truth. In an era of postmodernism, America needs to reclaim its godly values and freedoms, says syndicated newspaper columnist and author David Limbaugh...

ST. PETERS, Mo. (AP) -- A St. Louis area man infected with the virus that causes AIDS faces charges for allegedly having sex with his girlfriend and at least three other women, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Friday. Aaron Sindelar, 28, of St. Peters, was charged with recklessly risking another with HIV infection, a felony that carries a sentence of five to 15 years in prison. He was in state custody...

The lights were back on the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge Thursday night, a week later than the contractor expected. Scott Meyers of the Missouri Department of Transportation said he hasn't been told whether they're on permanently. Sachs Electric of St. Louis said the parts needed to seal the lights from moisture were on their way and would be delivered April 23, with the lights back on May 1...

BENGHAZI, Libya -- Libya sentenced five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor to death by firing squad after convicting them Thursday of intentionally infecting more than 400 children with the AIDS virus in an experiment to find a cure. Relatives of the children shouted for joy as the sentences were handed down, but Bulgaria's justice minister called the verdicts "absurd." Some human rights groups say Libya concocted the experiment story to cover up unsafe hospital practices. ...

YELWA, Nigeria -- Militants from a predominantly Christian tribe killed at least 500 people in two attacks on a Muslim town in central Nigeria, a senior Red Cross official said Thursday. Although an exact toll from the raids Sunday and Tuesday was unavailable, Red Cross workers who interviewed witnesses and families of victims, and inspected a mass burial site "estimate 500 to 600 dead," said Umar Abdu Mairiga, head of the Nigerian Red Cross team visiting the mostly Muslim town of Yelwa after the assaults by the Tarok tribe. ...

CAIRO, Egypt -- An audio recording attributed to Osama bin Laden offered rewards in gold Thursday for the killing of top U.S. and U.N. officials in Iraq or of the citizens of any nation fighting there. The 20-minute recording, dated Thursday, appeared on two Web sites known for militant Islamic messages. The voice sounded like that of bin Laden and the words were laden with Quranic verse, but the authenticity of the recording could not immediately be verified...

WASHINGTON -- The government rejected over-the-counter sales of morning-after birth control Thursday, citing concern about young teenagers' use of the pills. But regulators left open the possibility they will reconsider. Proponents immediately accused the Food and Drug Administration of bowing to conservative political pressure -- noting that the agency had overruled its own scientific advisers, who had overwhelmingly called easier access to emergency contraception a safe way to prevent thousands of abortions.. ...

WASHINGTON -- A lawyer from Portland, Ore., was arrested by FBI agents Thursday as part of the investigation into the deadly train bombings in Spain, federal officials said. Brandon Mayfield, a U.S. citizen, was taken into custody on a material witness warrant, said a senior law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity. ...

Cape Girardeau The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Christy C. Dubs, 51, 1722 Belleridge Pike, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and failure to drive in a single lane...

Baseball Chicago shortstop Alex Gonzalez has a broken bone in his right wrist and could miss six weeks, the latest injury setback for the Cubs. Gonzalez was hurt in the seventh inning of Wednesday night's 2-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks when he was struck by the ball on a pitch from Mike Koplove. ...

10 years ago: May 7, 1994 Jackson lawyer John Lichtenegger is commencement speaker at Southeast Missouri State University in afternoon; 663 undergraduates and 36 graduate students receive diplomas at Show Me Center exercises. The 1994 version of Cape Girardeau Riverfest T-shirt is on sale through Riverfest Association; white shirts feature full-color print caricature of spirited river pirate dancing jig around Cape Girardeau's downtown clock...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Bernice Penn, 70, of Sikeston, Mo., died Tuesday, May 4, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 27, 1933, in Wyatt, Mo., daughter of Jim and Doris Davis. She married Fred Penn who died May 2, 1987...

Jasper Jordan, 81, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, May 4, 2004, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was born March 12, 1923, in Chicago, son of Eli and Peggy Jordan. Jordan was retired from Continental Can Co. in Chicago. He was a U.S Army veteran of World War II...

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Edward Johnson, 74, of Mounds died Thursday, May 6, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born March 8, 1930, in Rockford, Ill., son of Julius and Ollie Vaughn Johnson. Johnson was a retired general contractor, and a member of Shiloh Baptist Church at Villa Ridge, Ill...

MOUND CITY, Ill. -- Elmer W. Nance, 83, of Mound City died Thursday, May 6, 2004, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Feb. 19, 1921, in Cairo, Ill., son of George and Radie Singleton Nance. Nance was a retired auto mechanic and service station owner. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church...

Lillian H. Ruesler, 96, of Friedheim died Thursday, May 6, 2004, at Jackson Manor Nursing Home in Jackson. She was born Nov. 30, 1907, at Friedheim, daughter of Emil and Sibilla Kayser Hobeck. She and Walter Ruesler were married Nov. 9, 1927, in Friedheim. He died Dec. 31, 1971...

Richard Elmer Hildebrand, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at Jackson Manor in Jackson. He was born Sept. 6, 1924, in Lebanon, Pa., son of Charles and Virginia Hildebrand. He and Marjorie Blaylock were married Jan. 10, 1946, in Blytheville, Ark...

Paul Eugene Hahn, 55, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, May 6, 2004, at his home. He was born Oct. 18, 1948, in Cape Girardeau, son of Paul D. and Anna Rodenberry Hahn. Hahn was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church. Survivors include his mother, Anna Whitley of Cape Girardeau; a brother, Danny Hahn of Egypt Mills, Mo.; three sisters, Patty Brown of Cape Girardeau, Vicki Henderson of Villa Ridge, Ill., Marilyn McClard of Chaffee, Mo.; and a stepsister, Kathy Williams of Cape Girardeau...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Anthony Joseph Glueck, 49, of Chaffee died Wednesday, May 5, 2004, in a car accident on County Road 227. He was born May 19, 1954, in Cape Girardeau, son of Joseph August and Marie Ida Menz Glueck. Glueck was a farmer with Essner Farms in New Hamburg, Mo. He was a member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church at New Hamburg, St. Joseph Sodality and Knights of Columbus Council 6420 at Scott City...

To the editor: A lot has been said about how our soldiers treated a few Iraqi prisoners. The liberal press has reported a whole lot of things negatively. With all the resources they have for covering the Iraq situation, you would think the media could find at least one instance of our people doing something good over there...

To the editor: I just finished reading Bob Miller's story on Ben Rushin. I still have tears in my eyes as I am writing this note. I have known Ben and Richard Rushin for about year now. I met Richard through a mutual friend. I coach in the JAYF football league with the mutual friend. ...

To the editor: My great-grandmother was a Cherokee Indian who was dropped off in the Trail of Tears march. I am very proud of my Indian heritage. I am also a Jackson Indian (Class of 1945) and am proud to be one. I believe that calling the Jackson team "Indians" is a compliment to my ancestors instead of any kind of insult. I hope the name will not be changed...

To the editor: The articles on autism were great. As a parent of a boy with autism, it is nice to know I am not alone and sad that there are so many. Please keep us informed of anything new that can help or give some peace of mind. SHARILYN PAULS...

The first phase-in of the Medicare prescription plan authorized by Congress has arrived. Prescription discount cards are available, and individuals who are eligible for them will want to carefully weigh all their options, probably with assistance and information from sources readily available to them...

When I was growing up on the Killough Valley farm in the Ozark hills over yonder, animals weren't considered pets, no matter how domesticated they were. Even dogs and cats had jobs. Dogs were supposed to bark at strangers. Cats were supposed to control the mice...

STEVE ROBERTSON * photos@semissourian.com The 2004 Grand Marquis retains the traditional, stately Mercury sedan style. The nearly 4000-pound car gets surprisingly good gas mileage and has an excellent safety rating.srobertson The Grand Marquis appeals to a conservative, mature buyer...

By John O'Neill ~ From The Wall Street Journal HOUSTON -- In 1971, I debated John Kerry, then a national spokesman for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, for 90 minutes on "The Dick Cavett Show." The key issue in that debate was Mr. Kerry's claim that American troops were committing war crimes in Vietnam "on a day-to-day basis with the full awareness of officers at all levels of command."...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush, struggling to control a growing crisis, apologized Thursday for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers and called it "a stain on our country's honor." He rejected calls for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation but complained about Rumsfeld's handling of the controversy...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State revenue rose again in April, and net revenue for the fiscal year is up 4.8 percent, the state Department of Revenue said Friday. Net general revenue for April rose 2.8 percent, to $836 million, compared to April 2003. For the first 10 months of the fiscal year, which began July 1, net general revenue has increased 4.8 percent compared to the same period in 2003, the Revenue Department said. ...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Republican lawmakers reveled Friday in the passage of a state budget that, after several austere years, boosts spending for seemingly everything and yet likely remains balanced. The nearly $18.9 billion operating budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 is more than $1 billion larger than the current budget...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Cross burning with the intent to intimidate would be a specific crime under legislation that cleared the Missouri Legislature on Friday. The Senate sent the bill to Gov. Bob Holden on a 34-0 vote. The House of Representatives had previously approved the measure 160-1...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Struggling under its own inflated size and opposed by pro-life activists, a plan to issue $372 million in bonds for university construction projects appears to have run out of time in the legislature. The bill received initial Senate approval in late April, but senators have yet to vote on sending it to the House. The legislative session ends in one week, May 14...

As the season heads into its home stretch, Southeast Missouri State University's baseball Indians are not enjoying their typical success under coach Mark Hogan. But, entering this weekend's three-game series at Morehead State, Hogan is still closing in on a career milestone at Southeast as the 10th-year coach is just three wins away from 300 with the Indians...

MONTREAL -- The Montreal Expos made a rare early lead stand up. Brad Wilkerson and Terrmel Sledge hit two-run homers in the first inning to Friday night in a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Sun-woo Kim (2-0) allowed one run and seven hits over six innings in his second start since joining the rotation. His 5-4 win at Los Angeles on Sunday was his first since Sept. 28, 2002...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. -- St. Louis Blues player Mike Danton plotted to kill his agent for at least six months and tried at least three times to hire a hit man, federal prosecutors said Friday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Massey outlined new details of the government's case against Danton during a detention hearing before federal Magistrate Clifford Proud, and confirmed for the first time that agent David Frost was Danton's intended victim...

WASHINGTON -- A springtime surge in hiring rumbled into a second month as employers added nearly 300,000 new jobs in April, lowering the unemployment rate to 5.6 percent. The timing couldn't have been better for President Bush, who has been dealing with international fallout from the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers. The economy, which had been assumed would be a major drag on Bush's re-election bid, now may prove otherwise...

There's a future pediatrician and a rock 'n' roll playing mathematician. There's an aerospace engineer hopeful and an international diplomat in the making. Their aspirations are as different as their backgrounds and interests, but Ashley Bartels, David Kiblinger, Sonia Tikoo and Bonan Wang do have something in common: Their academic accomplishments place them among the top 100 seniors in Missouri this year...

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld offered "my deepest apology" Friday to Iraqi prisoners abused by sadistic military personnel and warned that videos and photos yet to come could further inflame worldwide outrage. "It's going to get a good deal more terrible, I'm afraid," he said in congressional testimony televised throughout the Arab world as well as in the United States...

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Not even murderers and rapists can stand child molesters. Behind bars, they are the marked men, constantly living in fear. Found guilty of child molestation, John Stoll knew he would never survive with that stigma. So he lied, posing as a drug runner for 20 long years, and managed to avoid attack until his conviction was overturned last week...

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Army Pfc. Lynndie England, shown in photographs smiling and pointing at naked Iraqi prisoners, was charged Friday by the military with assaulting the detainees and conspiring to mistreat them. England is the seventh soldier from an Army Reserve military police unit to be charged in a scandal that has drawn outrage around the world and damaged the reputation of the United States as it tries to stabilize Iraq...

Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce members who made it out to the Show Me Center for First Friday Coffee got to talk health and taxes and dance with the help of a dead music legend. The event kicked off with representatives from the sponsoring Southeast Missouri Hospital talking about the chamber's third annual Shape Up Cape program. The four-month contest pits teams from participating chamber businesses in a friendly competition to see who can score the most points for exercising...

Developers of a project to build luxury townhouses on now vacant ground north of Broadway in downtown Cape Girardeau have revised building plans and met with neighbors in an effort to gain city approval. The Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing Wednesday on the request of developers Jim and Michaele Riley and Jerri and John Wyman for a special-use permit needed to proceed with the project. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at city hall...

How much does Derek Herbig love baseball? While a teenager in rural Kansas, he drove about 60 miles each way to practice -- all because his high school didn't field a team. "My dad was the superintendent at my high school, and I think he helped get a cooperative agreement started with the school I played for," said Herbig, a native of Caldwell, Kan., who played high school baseball at Dexter, Kan. "I mean, it was a dream to play baseball, and my dad really helped me out with that dream."...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Led by a record-setting performance from Heather Jenkins, the Southeast Missouri State women got off to a solid start as the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships began on the campus of Samford University. Jenkins, a junior from Central High School, set an OVC outdoor record in the shot put with a throw of 51 feet. ...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tiger Woods says his game is starting to come around, and not many doubted him Friday in the Wachovia Championship. Woods made every putt inside 20 feet and one from nearly 50 feet. It led to his best round since February, a 6-under 66 at sun-baked Quail Hollow that gave him a two-shot lead going into the weekend...

Hannah Seesing hopes the third time is ... well, at least as much fun as the first two times. Seesing, 11, will be competing in the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club's Soap Box Derby for the third straight year today. "The first year I was in the middle of the pack," said the Central Middle School sixth-grade student. "Last year, not so well."...

Jackson held off Central in three of four relays and held off the Tigers for the girls championship at the SEMO Conference meet Friday at Poplar Bluff. Jackson won the 1,600-, 800- and 400-meter relay events, each time finishing just ahead of Central...

The Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The low-carb diet craze is taking a bite out of Krispy Kreme. The doughnut company's shares tumbled 23 percent Friday in early trading after it lowered its earnings forecast by 10 percent for the year, in part because of increasing consumer interest in the popular weight-loss approach. Shares closed at $22.51, down $9.29...

NEW YORK -- In the end, Rachel, Ross, Joey, Phoebe, Monica and Chandler had a lot of friends. An estimated 51.1 million people tuned in for the final "Friends" on NBC Thursday night, watching the crowd-pleasing story line of Ross and Rachel declaring their undying love for each other...

Most Manhattanites slog through traffic as if they were blindfolded. But Gerry McCambridge really is. Blindfolded. Putt-putting through Times Square on a gas-powered scooter. Although he has a minor mishap, McCambridge emerges from this stunt in one piece, which means he is able to star in "The Mentalist," a varied display of his skill tapping into other peoples' minds...

MADRID, Spain -- The fingerprints of an American lawyer arrested in the Madrid terror bombing probe were found on a plastic shopping bag containing detonators like those used in the train attacks, the Spanish government said Friday. The bag was found inside a stolen white van left near a train station that three of the four bombed trains departed from, an Interior Ministry official said...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Two members of the Kappa Alpha fraternity have been charged in an April cannon explosion that blew out the window of a second-story apartment and sent a piece of the cannon through its roof. Seth R. Fagan, the president of the chapter's fraternity, and Daniel B. Dunn, both 21 and students at the University of Missouri-Columbia, were charged on Monday with reckless exploding and third-degree assault, both misdemeanors...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Sharon McKinney was only 6 years old when she began complaining about a fever and a headache. The diagnosis was polio. After spending several months in a hospital in 1948, she emerged without the use of her right leg below the knee. But by the time she was 11, she had retired her leg brace and went on to become a physical therapist, get married, have three children and study to become a doctor when she was in her late 30s...

WASHINGTON -- The Congressional Budget Office says it believes its March projection for a federal deficit of $477 billion this year was too high, though the red ink still seems all but certain to set a new record. The budget office, Congress' nonpartisan fiscal analyst, provided no new figure and won't formally update its estimate until summer. ...

From John Kerry to the governors of Indiana and New Jersey, Roman Catholic politicians are being challenged by bishops in a new and tougher way this election season over their stance on abortion. Some bishops have taken the radical step of declaring that officials who are pro-choice shouldn't receive Holy Communion, and one has even said he'd personally refuse Kerry at the altar...

Anybody who has harbored a fantasy of singing for a recording that will go out on national airwaves now has a chance, at least for one evening. Members of the public can sing backup on a song by musician Kevin Danzig that is being recorded at 7 p.m. Monday at IBS Studios in Cape Girardeau...

RANDALLSTOWN, Md. -- Four students were wounded Friday in a drive-by shooting at a high school outside Baltimore, authorities said. The victims were students who stayed after school to attend a charity basketball game. Three of them suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while the fourth was in surgery, Baltimore County police chief Terrence B. Sheridan said...

McALESTER, Okla. -- Under pressure from the world court, an Oklahoma board Friday recommended the governor spare the life of a death row inmate from Mexico who claimed he was denied his right to contact his consulate after his arrest. Osbaldo Torres, 29, is slated to be put to death by injection May 18 for the slaying of an Oklahoma City couple during a burglary in 1993. ...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Just days before a weekly paper was going to break the story, former Gov. Neil Goldschmidt admitting having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl in the 1970s, when he was mayor of Portland. Goldschmidt, 63, stepped down from two major jobs Thursday and issued a public apology. ...

MOSCOW -- With a 30-gun salute echoing through the Grand Kremlin Palace, President Vladimir Putin began his second term Friday by vowing to help Russia's many poor and protect its "legitimate interests in the rapidly changing world." Putin directed most of his brief inaugural speech to his countrymen -- saying his top priority would be improving their living standards -- but he also touched on Russia's changing international role during a speech to the audience of 1,700 invited guests in the gilded Andreyevsky Hall. ...

YELWA, Nigeria -- Injured, hungry and grieving Muslims abandoned their central Nigerian town Friday amid stalled efforts to mediate a conflict that has left an estimated 500 dead in attacks by fighters of a predominantly Christian tribe. "They came from God, they go back to God," 49-year-old Jumai Isa said of her husband and five children, shot and hacked to death by men wearing charcoal body paint and bandanas. ...

KARACHI, Pakistan -- A suspected suicide bomb shattered Friday prayers at a crowded mosque, killing at least 14 people and wounding over 200 -- the second deadly attack on minority Shiite Muslims in Pakistan in two months. Hundreds of Shiite youths began burning cars, gas pumps and a government office after the explosion, which left walls scarred by shrapnel and carpets soaked in blood. ...

WASHINGTON -- A federal judge has denied the tobacco industry's bid to toss out the Justice Department's $280 billion lawsuit against the nation's top cigarette makers. The tobacco industry argued in a motion that the case should not be brought to trial this fall, because the Justice Department has so far failed to show that the companies were likely to commit fraud in the future. ...

WASHINGTON -- Cuban President Fidel Castro usually offers an inviting target during U.S. presidential election campaigns. President Bush, accused by some in his party of not doing enough to confront Castro, offered them on Thursday what amounts to a policy of regime change in Cuba. ...

Hockey An American Hockey League player was suspended Friday through the end of next season for a two-handed, stick-swinging attack on an opponent. Hamilton Bulldogs forward Alexander Perezhogin, whose NHL rights belong to the Montreal Canadiens, received the longest suspension on record in AHL history. ...

TodayBishop John J. Leibrecht of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Roman Catholic Diocese will celebrate Mass at 5 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Cape Girardeau. Candidates for confirmation will be presented. SundayBishop John J. Leibrecht of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Roman Catholic Diocesewill celebrate Mass at 7:30, 9 and 10:30 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul church...

Fruitland church adds DivorceCare ministry Fruitland Community Church is adding a new class for people who are recently divorced or separated. The DivorceCare class will meet at 6:30 p.m each Wednesday, beginning this week, at Grace Cafe in Cape Girardeau. The sessions will be lead by Del McKinney. There is a fee for a workbook...

West End speeding SOMEONE COMMENTED in Speak Out about the speeders on Sprigg Street. Try living on North West End Boulevard just south of Bertling. Motorists drive so fast here I am afraid to walk across the street to my mailbox. If the city wants to make some fast money, it should have a policeman with radar stationed here...

Buerck Daughter to Christopher Michael and Elizabeth Ann Buerck of Cape Girardeau, St. Francis Medical Center, 8:57 a.m. Friday, April 23, 2004. Name, Anna Marie. Weight, 8 pounds 6 ounces. Fourth child, third daughter. Mrs. Buerck is the former Elizabeth Lohmann, daughter of Walter and Maxine Lohmann of Perryville, Mo. Buerck is the son of Melvin and Sharon Buerck of Perryville. He is a civil engineer...

The list of winners on the NASCAR Busch Series this season looks an awful lot like a list of the top Nextel Cup drivers: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kevin Harvick. Greg Biffle. Matt Kenseth. Michael Waltrip. The trend may continue this evening in the Charter 250 at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. The eighth annual NASCAR stop in the St. Louis area comes on a weekend when the Nextel Cup Series is off for Mother's Day...

10 years ago: May 8, 1994 Mother's Day is celebrated at several Cape Girardeau churches; at Lighthouse Bible Baptist Church, moms receive 11-by-14-inch color scripture art suitable for framing; at First Baptist Church, Preschool Weekend is planned, with special parent/ child dedication service during morning worship...