Stories from Saturday, March 23, 2002

Cleo Johns won't face a homicide charge in the death of his best friend, Winford S. Griffith, but the Cape Girardeau county prosecutor hasn't decided whether the 64-year-old will face weapons charges. Griffith died March 15, shortly after an armed confrontation with Johns in Ed's Bar on Good Hope Street...

ST. LOUIS -- Federal laws aimed primarily at racketeering were used Friday to sue three dioceses and an ex-bishop on behalf of an alleged child abuse victim. The suit was filed in Hannibal, Mo., site of St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary. It names Bishop Anthony O'Connell, a longtime rector at St. Thomas, along with the dioceses where he worked: Jefferson City, Mo.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and West Palm Beach, Fla...

WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- An investigation into racially motivated and threatening letters that a 12-year-old black girl received ended when she admitted writing the notes herself. The West Plains Middle School student apparently wrote the letters because she didn't feel school officials did anything to address her concerns that she'd experienced racial discrimination, said Howell County Sheriff Bill Shephard...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The state's budget problems have forced the Boone County Drug Court to look for ways to recover from the suspension of its funding from the state for this fiscal year. Drug Court Judge Chris Carpenter said she is concerned that the state's Division of Probation and Parole ordered the funds suspended for this fiscal year...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A Missouri State Highway Patrol pilot acquitted of rape will get his job back. A patrol review board voted 3-2 on Friday to recommend reinstating Sgt. David Callaway with full back pay. And patrol Superintendent Roger Stottlemyre ratified the recommendation, said Callaway's attorneys' Dee Wampler and Joe Passanise, who spoke Friday night during a news conference...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Springfield school board member Conni Ess has some advice for those seeking the removal of Harry Potter books from the library: "There may be a lot of books people don't agree with in the libraries," she said. "But rather than complain, tell them not to check it out."...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Lottery says it is going ahead with plans for a keno-style game in restaurants and bars, regardless of opposition from a large number of state lawmakers. Forty-four House members, mostly Republicans, have a signed a letter asking lottery director Jim Scroggins to reconsider Quick-Draw Lotto, which is scheduled to start June 1...

JUPITER, Fla. -- Defense isn't enough for Mike Matheny anymore. The St. Louis Cardinals prize their catcher for his rifle arm and ability to handle pitchers. Matheny threw out 45 percent of runners attempting to steal and he committed only four errors in 1,002 innings, and he won a Gold Glove in 2000...

SALT LAKE CITY -- John Stockton is pushing 40. It shows in the creases from his smile, a little deeper in his face, and a few flecks of gray in his dark hair. One place it rarely shows: on the basketball court. Stockton's 7.9 assist average ranks sixth in the NBA, and even in his 18th season, it's not unusual to see him go deep into double-digits. It's remarkable, considering most players listed ahead of him are in their mid-20s...

Jose Rijo is back in the big leagues. The Cincinnati Reds gave Rijo a one-year deal Friday, adding him to the 40-man roster and ending the suspense over whether he could extend his remarkable career into another season. Rijo, 36, was sitting on the bench in the third inning of an 8-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates when manager Bob Boone called him over for the moment that Rijo had both anticipated and dreaded...

WEST ALEXANDRIA, Ohio -- The mourners wore red and white school jackets, and a tape of the fight song echoed through the funeral home in tribute to 13-year-old Brittanie Cecil. The honor student was buried Friday, six days after she was hit by a puck while attending her first hockey game...

ST. LOUIS -- Scott Mellanby scored late in the third period, lifting the St. Louis Blues to a 3-2 victory Friday night over the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Mellanby scored the game-winning goal at 12:28. He took a pass in the right circle from Pavol Demitra and lifted a shot over the glove hand of Jean-Sebastien Giguere...

Negotiations inched forward but local sponsors in Memphis failed again Friday to come up with a $12.5 million site fee to land the much-shopped Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis fight. Promoters originally hoped to announce a deal Friday for the June 8 heavyweight title bout, but instead will now go up against a Monday deadline that might be the last chance to salvage a fight troubled from the day it was officially announced...

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Jeff Gordon hopes his first pole of the season might temporarily silence his critics. Gordon took the top qualifying spot Friday, setting a track record by running a lap at 127.216 mph at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was the 40th pole of his career, first since August, and showed he could be back to his old form...

NEW ORLEANS -- The Hornets must get more corporate sponsors and sell 1,168 additional club seats in the New Orleans Arena before the NBA relocation committee will recommend approval of the team's move from Charlotte, the team announced Friday. The NBA also set two other goals that the team must meet in order to win recommendation -- finalize the sale of all 55 suites already sold and finalize radio and television rights, the team said in a news release...

Astronaut to speak at Malden fund raiser MALEDEN, Mo. -- Cape Girardeau County native Linda Godwin, a veteran of four NASA space flights, will present the keynote address at the Harry L. Crisp Bootheel Education Center's fund-raising dinner April 5 at the center in Malden, Mo...

KARACHI, Pakistan -- The alleged mastermind of the kidnapping of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and 10 accomplices were charged in his death Friday in a special anti-terrorism court. Chief prosecutor Raja Quereshi presented the charges amid unprecedented security, with at least 100 armed police ringing the courthouse. Raja also submitted a list of 31 prosecution witnesses to a judge whose courtroom was closed to the public and press...

MONTERREY, Mexico -- President Bush urged world leaders to demand political reform from poor countries in exchange for increased aid and warned Friday that unchecked poverty can foster terrorism. "We fight poverty because hope is an answer to terror," Bush said in a speech before representatives from 171 nations taking part in the U.N. International Conference on Financing for Development...

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The U.S. Air Force Academy has stepped up drug testing and is putting more classroom emphasis on ethics amid the biggest drug scandal in the school's 47-year history. Thirty-eight cadets out of 4,300 have been implicated in the scandal that began in December 2000...

NEW YORK -- The child-molestation scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic Church has led to a push in some states for laws adding the clergy to the list of professionals such as doctors and teachers who are required to report abuse. Over the years, many states, wary of invading the privacy that protects confessions and spiritual counseling, have placed no legal obligation on the clergy to report suspicions of child abuse...

Nude-colored gown for Oscars worth $5 million NEW YORK -- Forget a million bucks. On Oscar night, Jules Asner will look like 5 million bucks. Asner, star of E! Entertainment Television's "Revealed" and "E! News Live," will wear a diamond-studded, nude-colored gown with an estimated value of $5 million. Designed by Anne Bowen, the dress features 5,000 quarter-carat Hearts on Fire diamonds, which are known for their precise cut...

Rebecca Fulgham officially becomes the executive director of the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri April 1. But she already is introducing herself to her new duties while finishing up her job at the Southeast Music Academy, which she has directed for the past 11 years...

For the first time in the city limits of Cape Girardeau, people will be able to buy the land on which they place their manufactured home. The streets and sewers are already in place for a 24-acre manufactured home subdivision, called Cape West Village, tucked behind Bud Shell's Auto World and Wieser Honda on Siemers Drive...

Associated Press/Chuck Novara Wayne Sirles, of Rendleman Orchards near Alto Pass, Ill., checked peach tree buds Friday afternoon after below-freezing temperatures hit Southern Illinois Thursday night. Temperatures in the teens killed delicate peach buds across Southern and Central Illinois, but whether the damage dents or devastates this summer's crop won't be clear for a few days, growers said Friday.By Marc Powers ~ Southeast Missourian...

A man who had a pattern of asking good Samaritans to help him pay for car parts is behind bars, said Cape Girardeau police. James H. Powell Jr., 36, of Thebes, Ill., is charged with four counts of stealing by deceit and three counts of attempted stealing by deceit...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A jury ordered Philip Morris to pay $150 million in punitive damages Friday in a lawsuit that contended low-tar cigarettes are as dangerous as regular ones. The jury found that Philip Morris had falsely represented that low-tar cigarettes are healthier, the first verdict in the nation to make that finding. The tobacco company said it would appeal...

NEW YORK -- The Delta Airlines terminal at La Guardia Airport was evacuated for about 90 minutes Friday because of a security breach, inconveniencing hundreds of travelers, authorities said. Aircraft that had left the terminal and taxied out to runways were ordered back to the terminal, said Federal Aviation Administration spokes-man Jim Peters. He said the evacuation began at about 10 a.m...

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Two World War II airmen who died together when their plane was shot down were buried the first time 56 years ago and several hundred miles apart. On Friday, newly discovered remains were buried in a single coffin. Science has made it easier to identify remains, even tiny fragments from decades-old battles. But sometimes it's impossible to separate the remains. In such cases, the military buries them together, usually at Arlington National Cemetery...

NEW YORK -- Former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker offered a plan Friday for Arthur Andersen LLP's survival that includes replacing top management and installing an independent board that he would head. He said the plan would succeed only if the federal indictment of the firm were dismissed and if a cap is placed on the firm's financial liability from the Enron Corp. scandal...

JERUSALEM -- Responding to U.S. prodding, Israel and Palestinians pressed on with truce talks Friday despite another Palestinian suicide bombing -- the third in three days -- but neither side reported progress. The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a militia linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, claimed responsibility for the latest attack. The bomber killed himself and wounded an Israeli army officer at a military roadblock just inside the West Bank...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A friendly game of basketball between a U.S. and Afghan team turned violent when spectators kicked a fallen American player in the head -- and a guard rushing to protect him unintentionally shot and wounded two Afghans. The incident Thursday at Kabul's main stadium wasn't the first time an event staged to foster goodwill with Afghans has gotten out of control, and an Afghan sports official suggested the games should be put off until the security situation in the capital improves.. ...

SANGESAR, Afghanistan -- More than 30 Afghans seized by American troops in a 3 a.m. raid on a village security post said they were kicked and abused at a U.S. Army detention center before being freed four days later. "If they gave us all of Afghanistan now, this wouldn't make up for this insult," said one of the bruised and angry men, Fida Mohammad, 35...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. government issued duties Friday averaging 29 percent on a popular type of Canadian lumber to protect American jobs and retaliate for what it says are unfair trade practices. Critics say the move could add $1,500 to the price of a new U.S. home and devastate the Canadian lumber industry, which already has suffered mill closings and job losses from U.S. tariffs imposed last year...

WASHINGTON -- From birthday cards to bank statements, charitable appeals to newspapers and magazines, it'll cost more to send mail starting in midsummer. The increase -- including a 3-cent boost to 37 cents for first-class mail -- could come as soon as June 30, giving the cash-strapped postal service a boost as it tries to cope with declining business and hundreds of millions of dollars in costs from the terror attacks last fall...

It's apparent Dant'e Brinkley is a clutch player. The junior center fielder for Southwest Missouri State University delivered his third game-winning, extra-inning hit of the season Friday, an RBI double in the top of the 15th that helped sink Southeast 5-3...

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Mike Krzyzewski makes no excuses. Still, questions abound following Duke's ouster from the NCAA tournament by Indiana. "There are human elements in all these things," Krzyzewski said. "I would never, ever blame a loss on one play, or an official, or a player. If you want to blame anybody blame me."...

AREA SOUTHEAST SOFTBALL TEAM BEGINS OVC PLAY TODAY Southeast Missouri State University's softball team will begin its Ohio Valley Conference schedule today as Eastern Kentucky visits the Southeast Softball Complex for a 1 p.m. doubleheader. There will also be a 1 p.m. single game Sunday...

To the editor: Thank you very much for your support of the 54th annual Missouri Association of Student Councils state convention. Through your help, our convention was a great success and model for future state conventions. This convention would not have been possible without the generous support from you and the community...

First China, now Cuba THIS IS simply too much. It has taken me all this time to cope with Richard Nixon having gone to China. Now Gary Rust goes to Cuba. Crack down on noise I WOULD hope that the police departments in Jackson and Cape Girardeau would start to enforce the noise nuisance ordinances that are on the books. ...

Wesley T. Haertling, 61, of Lansing, Kan., died Wednesday, March 20, 2002, at Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. He was born Feb. 10, 1941, in Cape Girardeau, son of Albert and Anita Leimbach Haertling. Haertling was a supply and procurement officer at Dwight D. Eisenhower Veterans Medical Center in Leavenworth, Kan. He was named Employee of the Year in 1998...

ULLIN, Ill. -- Funeral for Cleveland Salley of rural Ullin will be at 1 p.m. today at Bell Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. Joe Keith will officiate. Burial will be in Israelite Cemetery. Friends may call at the church from 11 a.m. until time of service...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Mildred Thrower, 85, of Sikeston died Thursday, March 21, 2002, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. She was born Jan. 31, 1917, in Charleston, Mo., daughter of L.R. and Alpha Baker. She and A.C. "Jr." Thrower were married Aug. 19, 1934, in Blytheville, Ark...

Mildred Stubbs, 73, of Antioch, Calif., died Thursday, March 21, 2002, at Valley Manor in Concord, Calif. She was born Jan. 25, 1929, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Jim and Rosetta Statler Cato. Stubbs was a licensed practical nurse 11 years. She had lived in Antioch four years...

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Louis Edward Brewer, 75, of Carbondale died Friday, March 22, 2002, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He was born June 22, 1926, in Perryville, Mo., son of Edward Louis and Stella Ann Bass Brewer. He and Georgia Anne Hensley were married Dec. 26, 1953. She died May 18, 1982. He and Rita Eckenfels were married Jan. 15, 1985...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Leon Gosnell, 69, of Chaffee died on Friday, March 22, 2002, at his home. He was born on July 9, 1932 at West Frankfort, Ill., son of Odus Harold and Anita Bertha Hess Gosnell. He was a retired mechanic, having worked for Thorngate Ltd. in Chaffee and then Florsheim Shoe factory in Chaffee...

French Daughter to Jordan Michael and Andrea Ann French of Advance, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 7:45 a.m. Monday, March 18, 2002. Name, Destiny Ann. Weight, 6 pounds 14 ounces. First child. Mrs. French is the former Andrea Britt, daughter of Patty Britt and Larry Britt of Advance. French is the son of George French and Dana French of Attica, Ind. He is employed at C&C Detail...

10 years ago: March 23, 1992 Complaints against Cape Girardeau police officers last year reached highest level in seven years; department's 1991 report shows that number of complaints filed against its officers in 1991 totaled 11; that compares with 10 in 1987...

ST. LOUIS -- Hamstrung by an expected reduction in state funding, the University of Missouri Board of Curators voted Friday to raise tuition and other assorted educational fees 8.4 percent while dropping plans to give staff and faculty a 4 percent raise...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Hollis Price left last season's NCAA tournament with an opponent's tooth in his elbow. This spring, Oklahoma's star guard is within one game of a more pleasant reward. Strong outside shooting has been the talk of the West Regional, where two teams from the physical Big 12 Conference showed plenty of finesse in reaching the final eight...

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun won't talk about upsets, about mid-major conferences springing surprises on the big guys in the NCAA tournament "There are mild surprises, yes, but I don't think there are upsets," he said. "We don't use the word 'upset.' We talk about being the best we can be and taking advantage of our opportunities."...

David Diebold of Diebold Orchards Inc. near Benton, Mo., is not too concerned about damage to his peach crop from the strong cold front which swept through the area the past two days. "It's pretty early to tell," said Diebold. "We didn't have many blossoms, and it could have acted as a thinning measure. It could have done some good."...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, March 23 Firefighters responded to the following call Thursday:At 11:42 p.m., an emergency medical service at 513 S. Frederick. Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday:At 7:14 a.m. a vehicle fire at 1000 Towers Circle...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, March 23 DWITimothy Michael Jordan, 24, of 122 S. West End was arrested Friday for driving while intoxicated and traffic violations. William Joseph Sample, 26, of Jackson, Mo., was arrested Friday for driving while intoxicated and traffic violations...

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department Saturday, March 23 DWISteven C. Parker, 20, of Cape Girardeau was arrested Saturday for driving while intoxicated. Michael C. McGowen, 30, of Cape Girardeau was arrested Saturday for driving while intoxicated...

Learning in a one-room school nurtured Gerald Richards' love of teaching. It helped propel him on a 37-year career in education, the last 35 years as a teacher, counselor and principal at Central Junior High School in Cape Girar-deau. He will retire at the end of this school year...

The fences along the new stretch of Highway 74 in Cape Girardeau tell the story of a divided neighborhood better than any newspaper article could. They're broken down with the weight of adults and children trying to save a few minutes on a trip from their neighborhood south of the four-lane parkway to the friends and businesses on the north side. ...

Sometimes it seems that for every elderly person with a little money, there's a scam artist trying to take it away. How sad that we live in such times, but we do. Thus, it is important the elderly educate themselves about those greedy con men and women who would endanger their financial well-being at a crucial time in life...

Hundreds of people gathered on Good Friday last year for a nearly two-mile trek around downtown Cape Girardeau that was not for physical fitness but spiritual health. The group gathered for a Way of the Cross walk sponsored by the Downtown Council of Churches, and organizers are hoping for a larger crowd this year...

Today Food pantry at Red Star Baptist Church from 9-11 a.m. Women's retreat with Benji Mallory from 10 a.m. to noon at Abundant Life Church. A luncheon will be served. Contemporary worship service with Christian band Sampson at 6:45 p.m. at Westside Church of God. A $3 donation will be collected for youth activities at the church...

Charlene Hahn of Cape Girardeau submitted her favorite verse: "The Lord is close to everyone who prays to him, to all who truly pray to him." Psalm 145:18

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Billy Graham's birthplace is long gone, hauled off by fallen televangelist Jim Bakker to his now defunct theme park. All that remains is a stone marker with a bronze relief of Graham, his fiery eyes and square jaw leaping off the plaque...

Finley Maddox knows his way around the kitchen when it comes to planning a meal for a large group. He can slice a pie or cake to serve a crowd, figure the number of servings in a ham and portion potato salad so everyone has enough food. But these meals aren't connected to celebrations, but with funerals...

The Knights of Columbus will mark its centennial anniversary today with a special Mass and dinner. The service will be at St. Mary's Cathedral in Cape Girardeau, with the Rev. John J. Leibrecht, bishop of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Catholic Diocese...

It's the most familiar symbol you can imagine, but ponder for a moment how odd it is that Christians display an "emblem of suffering and shame," as the hymn says. The cross reminds us that Jesus was executed as a common criminal, hardly the upbeat message a publicist might choose...

Cape pastor receives doctorate degree The Rev. Jay White, pastor of First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, recently received a doctorate of ministry degree from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va. White has been pastor of First Baptist Church since mid-August...

Wendy and I spent a week in Cuba earlier this month as part of a group of Inland Press Association editors and publishers. Previously, I gave an account of some of our first impressions and a bit of history as well as review of the Cuban missile crisis. I also started a recap of our itinerary. In this segment, I'll continue my account of our busy itinerary as we returned to Havana. ...