Stories from Saturday, February 16, 2002

KARACHI, Pakistan -- With the suspected ringleader in the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in custody, police said Friday they are looking for an accomplice who helped hijack an Indian Airlines jet in 1999. The hijacking accomplished its goal of freeing Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh -- the alleged mastermind of Pearl's abduction -- from an Indian prison...

ST. LOUIS -- A New York man who tried to board a flight to Las Vegas while carrying two box cutters was arrested early Friday at Lambert Airport, federal authorities said. Joubin Kalimian, 33, of Great Neck, N.Y., remains in custody after making an initial appearance late Friday in U.S. District Court on charges of attempting to carry on an aircraft a concealed, dangerous weapon...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Ford and Dodge received more help from NASCAR two days before the Daytona 500. For the third time since January -- and second time in five days -- the teams were allowed to trim their rear spoilers a quarter of an inch after Chevrolet and Pontiac dominated Thursday's 125-mile qualifying races...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- There's not a lot of love flowing around the race track for Jimmie Johnson. The rookie learned quickly that few veterans are hoping the polesitter wins Sunday's Daytona 500 and almost everyone wants to teach him a lesson. He's been bumped, banged, pushed out of the draft, toyed into making a move at the wrong time and basically treated like a pesky little kid. ...

The Montreal Expos happily took to the field after nearly being eliminated during the offseason. John Smoltz and Danny Graves are getting fresh starts, too. The Expos didn't make a major player move this winter, but there were plenty of new faces when they opened camp in Jupiter, Fla., on Friday...

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING Women's 5km Combined PursuitGOLD--Olga Danilova, Russia SILVER--Larissa Lazutina, Russia BRONZE--Beckie Scott, Canada LUGE Men's DoublesGOLD--Germany (Patric-Fritz Leitner; Alexander Resch) SILVER--United States (Mark Grimmette, Lake Placid, N.Y.; Brian Martin, Palo Alto, Calif.)...

SALT LAKE CITY -- American athletes rolled a lucky seven Friday -- as in seven straight days of collecting at least one medal -- in the Winter Olympics as they again exploited the home field advantage they held for the first time since Lake Placid in 1980...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush approved Nevada's Yucca Mountain on Friday as the site for long-term disposal of thousands of tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste. In a letter to congressional leaders, Bush said a central disposal site for as much as 77,000 tons of waste that is building up at sites across the country "is necessary to protect public safety, health and this nation's security."...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan police, swinging rifle butts and firing shots in the air, fought back a crowd Friday trying to push their way into Kabul's main soccer stadium in a melee that marred a goodwill game between peacekeepers and an Afghan team...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- John Walker Lindh's trial will likely start in late August, raising the odds the former Taliban soldier will be in court on the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III set Aug. 26 for jury selection, but said Friday he might later consider a defense request to move the date beyond that historic September date...

Jewelry was taken in a break-in at Kay Jewelers at Westfield Shoppingtown West Park early Friday. Cape Girardeau police responded to an alarm at the mall at 2:28 a.m. and found glass broken out on doors at the mall's south entrance. Inside, they discovered that several pieces of jewelry had been taken from the jewelry store...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Feb. 16 ArrestsJason Scott Calvert, 22, of Glen Allen, Mo., was arrested Thursday for property damage. Helena Maria Robideau, 29, of Oran, Mo., was arrested Thursday for assault. Mary Lauren Cavaness, 46, of Scott City, Mo., was arrested Thursday for stealing...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Feb. 16 Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday:At 5:22 p.m., an illegal burn at 1646 N. Spanish. At 5:40 p.m., an emergency medical service at 240 S. Mount Auburn. At 6:29 p.m., a motor vehicle accident at 202 S. Mount Auburn...

A Detroit, Mich., newspaper is reporting that the Sikeston Kmart is one of 291 stores in the country that will be closed as part of the company's attempt to emerge from bankruptcy as a more financially viable discount store. The media relations department for Kmart, which is headquartered in Troy, Mich., did not return phone calls about the list, which ran in Friday's Detroit Free Press...

This week saw the fourth meeting between the Cape Girardeau City Council and the Jackson Board of Aldermen. The two groups have met every year since 1998 except for last year. And while the two groups didn't solve all the problems facing the two adjoining cities this year, they did get some updates on a few big projects that involve them both: a proposed research and technology park between the two cities, the Cape Girardeau County Nature Center at North County Park and the potential for the two to become part of a Metropolitan Planning Organization based on 2000 census figures.. ...

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the General Services Administration issued strict safety precautions for government buildings across the nation, including a no-parking ban on Broadway and Fountain Street next to the Federal Building in Cape Girardeau. The parking ban, which is still in place, affects 25 parking spaces...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Hundreds of Missouri Republicans were arriving in Springfield this weekend for the party's first major gathering of the election year. The statewide Lincoln Days offered party activists a chance to plot strategy and hear from candidates and officeholders in a political year headlined by a U.S. Senate contest and battles for state legislative control...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Southwest Missouri State University's Board of Governors voted unanimously Friday to support an effort by lawmakers to change the institution's name to Missouri State University. State Reps. Craig Hosmer, D-Springfield; B.J. Marsh, R-Springfield; and House Speaker Jim Kreider, D-Nixa, said they plan to introduce a bill next week to change the school's name...

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Heatedly rejecting charges of mass murder and deportations, Slobodan Milosevic said Friday he will call former President Clinton and a host of world leaders to testify that he was the man who brought peace to the Balkans. After an exhaustive two-day narrative to the U.N. ...

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Prime Minister Hamid Karzai blamed senior government officials motivated by a long-standing feud for the brutal slaying of Afghanistan's aviation minister -- killed by a mob in the worst violence in the capital since his government took power...

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Canadian skaters whose loss to a Russian duo set off the biggest judging scandal in Winter Olympics history got their gold medal after all Friday, and the judge at the center of the furor was suspended. The extraordinary deal awarding Canadians David Pelletier and Jamie Sale the gold capped a furious, week-long debate that had engulfed the Olympics and prompted the kind of complaints about judging that used to be heard during the Cold War...

PHILADELPHIA -- Hundreds of youngsters in at least seven states have broken out in mysterious rashes, and some health investigators suspect it might be caused by a new or yet-to-be-identified virus. The red, itchy rash appears to be more an annoyance than a serious health threat, but it has managed to temporarily close schools, worry parents and frustrate school administrators, for whom answers have been elusive...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The most recent Missouri revenue report confirms what state officials have been saying for months: The state's general revenue totals are beginning to reflect a national economic slowdown. The Department of Revenue's January tax collection totals show the first monthly revenue decline since the state's fiscal year got under way seven months ago...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Renee Slusher, blocked last week from remaining as chairman of the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission by Senate Republicans, quickly landed a job as an attorney in the department she used to help oversee. Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder of Cape Girardeau, who helped derail her nomination, was somewhat ambivalent about Slusher's hiring as general counsel for the Division of Workers' Compensation, which is part of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.. ...

BENTON, Mo. -- The construction of a new jail in Scott County has become a race against time as the old jail slowly crumbles, according to Sheriff Bill Ferrell. He said the problems of the old building will be resolved fully only when the jail is torn down and the new facility is complete...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri is among the hardest-hit states by the recession and needs extraordinary federal aid to recover from a winter storm that caused over $66 million in damage, Gov. Bob Holden said. In a letter to President Bush, Holden asked the federal government to pay 90 percent of the disaster costs -- instead of the typical 75 percent -- because state and local governments are strapped for cash...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The state Ethics Commission is threatening legal action against the Missouri Republican Party if it does not meet a deadline to pay nearly $400,000 in fines. Ethics commissioners voted Friday to give the GOP and several of its candidates 45 days to pay the fines before referring their cases to Attorney General Jay Nixon...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Sen. Morris Westfall knows from personal experience the importance of road safety. Nearly a decade ago, his daughter was seriously injured in a car accident. So seriously, in fact, that the 62-year-old lawmaker and his wife now have custody of their 3-year-old grandson, Cody Ray, because their daughter is unable to care for him...

ST. LOUIS -- The population of Canada geese in Forest Park is getting too large to control, and the city is looking for a little help. St. Louis officials said Thursday that the city has formed a partnership with GeesePeace, a national group with programs aimed at finding humane ways to reduce the nuisances created by the geese. As part of the program, the city is seeking volunteers...

KIRKWOOD, Mo. -- The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod will quietly consider charges its leader in New York violated church rules by worshipping with members of other faiths at a rally following the Sept. 11 attacks. The church announced it will no longer comment on the issue...

GREENFIELD, Mo. -- A Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper was found innocent Friday of charges that he raped an 11-year-old girl in 1989. Sgt. David Callaway, 41, of Marshfield, had been charged with rape, sodomy and sexual abuse. The jury deliberated for just over two hours Friday evening before returning the verdict...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Developers of what initially was a $100 million aviation museum have scaled back their plans, hoping a more modest project will mean a greater chance of success. The developers of the Legacy of Flight attraction shared their new plan with city and county officials Thursday. Among the changes: a smaller building -- 120,000 square feet instead of 325,000 -- and millions of dollars less in capital investment...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- An amputee who authorities say lost his prosthetic leg last month when he allegedly tried to rob an auto parts store won't get the leg back until after his trial. Police arrested Sylvester O. Smith, 35, on Thursday at a Kansas City home...

Kim King of Cape Girardeau says she couldn't narrow her favorite Scriptures to just one, so she submitted three. "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you...." Isaiah 66:13a (NIV) "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."...

BALD KNOB, Ill. The 111-foot-tall white cross atop this high hill near Alto Pass began as a dream of two Makanda men, rural mail carrier Wayman Presley and the Rev. William Lirely, a pastor. It was 1936 when the two first began talking of a "united worship" for all denominations atop the hill, which commands a breathtaking view of the surrounding land. ...

Loretta D. Hamilton, 79, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Ford and Sons Mt. Auburn Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

William H. "Junior" Absher, 80, of Cape Girardeau died Friday, Feb. 15, 2002, at his home. He was formerly of Dongola, Ill. Friends may call at Lutz and Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna from 5-8 p.m. today. Funeral will be at 1 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Anna Cemetery...

ELCO, Ill. -- Gladys Gearing Hartline, 97, of Elco died Friday, Feb. 15, 2002, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at the Jones Funeral Home in Tamms, Ill.

JACKSON, Mo. -- Funeral for Bobby J. Bollinger of Jackson will be at 10 a.m. today at Cracraft-Miller Funeral Home. The Rev. Vernon Long will officiate. Burial will be in Russell Heights Cemetery. Bollinger, 67, died Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau...

Simon Elliot Graham was stillborn Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was the son of Edward Andrew Graham II and Lorie Bueter Graham of Marble Hill, Mo. Survivors include his parents; five brothers, Andrew, Corey, Austin, Casey and Tristen Graham of the home; paternal grandparents Eddie Graham of Marble Hill and Norma Graham of Leopold, Mo.; maternal grandparents Steve and Kay Bueter of Marble Hill; and a great-grandmother, Geneva Graham of Jackson, Mo...

JACKSON, Mo. -- Frankie M. Allen, 86, formerly of Neely's Landing, Mo., died Friday, Feb. 15, 2002, at Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Services of Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 6, 1916, daughter of William and Nora Webb Myer. She and Burley F. Allen were married Oct. 19, 1931, at Bloomfield, Mo. He died Sept. 8, 1985...

SCOPUS, Mo. -- Alma Allmon, 96, of Henderson, Texas, died Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2002, at Henderson Health and Rehab. She was born March 3, 1905, at Scopus, Mo. She married Harley Allmon, who preceded her in death. Allmon was a retired teacher and member of First United Methodist Church...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Wallace E. "Scott" Waters, 80, of Sikeston died Friday, Feb. 15, 2002, at his home. He was born Aug. 21, 1921, at Matthews, Mo., son of Leroy David and Effie Mainord Waters. He and Vivian Hogue Wake were married in November 1960. Waters received a degree in agri-business from the University of Missouri. He was vice president of Production Credit, and was mayor of Matthews 16 years. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Sikeston...

Cobb Son to James Michael Cobb and Rebecca Susann Proffer of Jackson, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 7:23 a.m. Friday, Feb. 8, 2002. Name, Alexander James. Weight, 8 pounds 4 ounces. Third child, second son. Mrs. Cobb is the former Rebecca Nolen, daughter of Conley Nolen and Barbara Nolen of Jackson. Cobb is the son of Steven Cobb and Glenda Cobb of Jackson...

10 years ago: Feb. 16, 1992 Archbishop Metropolitan Pangratios of Old Kalendar Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Vasiloupolis (Queens, N.Y.) has announced establishment of Eastern Orthodox Apostolate in Cape Girardeau; it will provide chaplaincy services to Orthodox Christians in area hospitals, correctional facilities, Southeast Missouri State University and Southern Illinois University...

Standard Democrat CHARLESTON, Mo. -- After nearly three years of being back in service, the future of the Dorena-Hickman Ferry is in jeopardy. Commissioner Martin Lucas informed the Mississippi County Commission during Thursday's meeting that Gov. Bob Holden has eliminated the ferry's funding for the current fiscal year as part of his budget cuts...

Daily Dunklin Democrat KENNETT, Mo. -- A former Arbyrd city marshal has pleaded guilty to tampering and stealing charges. Lawrence "Larry" Underwood appeared in Dunklin County Circuit Court Wednesday and entered pleaded guilty to felony tampering with evidence and stealing by deceit. He was sentenced by Judge Stephen Sharp to four years in prison on the tampering charge and two years on the stealing charge...

Daily American Republic Robert Manns recently wrote the book "A Fond Look Back," about the history of Butler County. He will be at the MoArk Railroad Museum in Poplar Bluff today and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. to sign copes of the book.By Lonnie Thiele ~ Daily American Republic ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Jackson 152-pound senior James Love will wrestle for the Class 4A championship today. Love improved his record to 29-3 after he won a pair of tough matches at the Missouri State Tournament on Friday, including a 7-5 semifinal victory over T.C. Brown-Epperson of Ft. Zumwalt West...

A promising season on the NASCAR Busch Series is in limbo for Sikeston, Mo., racer Sammy Potashnick. Potashnick, second in the Winston West Series and scheduled to compete on this year's Busch Series, was arrested in Flagler Co., Fla., Thursday and charged with possession of crack cocaine and prescription drugs without a prescription. He was taken into custody after a sheriff's deputy stopped him at about 4:30 a.m. after what the deputy described as a near head-on collision...

WOLF LAKE, Ill. -- Lewis Smith, 87, of Wolf Lake died Friday, Feb. 15, 2002, at Jonesboro Healthcare Center in Jonesboro, Ill. Lutz and Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna, Ill., is in charge of arrangements.

Lillian E. Cruse, 89, of Albany, Ore., died Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis, Ore. She was born July 25, 1912, in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Joseph Franklin and Mary Myrtle Moore Kimbel. She and Harvie Lee Cruse were married July 3, 1928, in Missouri. He died April 5, 1977...

Today WMU ladies luncheon at 11 a.m. at Red Star Baptist Church. Chili and stew supper served from 4 to 8 p.m. at Zion United Methodist Church in Old Appleton, Mo. Meal is $5 for adults and $2.50 for children. A country store will be open and carryouts are available...

Conservative Protestants often find themselves in theological arguments with liberals about the Bible's historical reliability. But an unholy squabble over Scripture has erupted in recent days that pits evangelicals against each other. The flash point is the inclusive language used in the forthcoming "Today's New International Version" of the Bible, with questions of gender and proper translation sparking fierce debate -- plus a side argument developing over treatment of Jews in the New Testament.. ...

Bishop to visit New Hamburg parish The Rev. John J. Leibrecht, bishop of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Roman Catholic Diocese, will visit St. Lawrence parish in New Hamburg, Mo., today and Sunday. He will celebrate Mass at 4 p.m. today when 39 teen-age candidates for confirmation will be presented. He will celebrate Mass at 8:30 a.m. Sunday and visit the religion classes afterward...

Samples of the Bible texts in dispute Some of the changes from the "New International Version" (NIV) of the Bible to "Today's New International Version" (TNIV): 1 Timothy 2:5. NIV: There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus...

Dorothy Trotter and the congregation at Centenary United Methodist Church have a connection that has supported and sustained the ministry for both. Trotter, 83, has been a member of the church for decades but will be moving to Columbia, Mo., in mid-April to be closer to her three children. For nearly 25 years, her husband J. Ray Trotter was senior pastor for the Methodist congregation...

Wayne Essner and Doug Schaefer weren't on the ambiance committee for Notre Dame's homecoming Friday night, but they had a little something extra special prepared for the occasion. The pair combined for just 15 points in the Bulldogs' 65-54 victory over Perryville, but they provided quality over quantity...

NORMAN, Okla. -- Southeast Missouri State University's baseball team put up a battle against perennial national power Oklahoma during the Indians' season opener Friday afternoon. But the Sooners pushed across an unearned run in the bottom of the 10th inning to hand the Indians a 5-4 defeat. Oklahoma improved to 3-1...

If Southeast Missouri State University is going to extend its winning streak to three games, the Indians will have to knock off the Ohio Valley Conference's hottest team. Murray State will carry a five-game winning streak -- including a 19-point triumph over Tennessee Tech, which has already wrapped up the OVC regular-season title -- into tonight's contest at the Show Me Center...

Veronica Benson insists she's not always quiet, even though it might seem that way. "I can talk when somebody gets me going," she said with a laugh. Benson, a 5-foot-7 senior guard at Southeast Missouri State University, usually lets her actions on the court do her talking. The junior-college transfer has been one of the Otahkians' top performers the past two seasons...

Two Division I-A opponents highlight Southeast Missouri State University's unusual 12-game 2002 football schedule released Friday. The Indians will play 12 games for just the second time. The NCAA allows a school to schedule 12 games during years in which there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November. Southeast last played 12 games in 1994...

To the editor: The Speak Out caller who said juvenile crime is on the rise locally and nationally is just plain wrong. Crime in general, including juvenile crime, has been decreasing for nearly 10 years now, both here and across the nation. Every single report from the FBI and other crime-fighting agencies has revealed that decrease. ...

To the editor: Some concern has been expressed that the Ministerial Alliance is bringing Jerry Falwell to Cape Girardeau. There is no truth to that statement. There certainly are individual pastors and congregations supporting the coming crusade, but the Ministerial Alliance is not initiating nor sponsoring the event...

To the editor; In the Recipe Swap for Feb. 13, there may be some confusion on one of the recipes. If a person read the whole column, it did state that raw eggs are dangerous, but the recipe gave the option of using six raw eggs. Pasteurized egg products would be all right to use without cooking, but the USDA and the American Egg Board do not recommend consuming eggs that have not been pasteurized or heated to a temperature of 160 degrees...

To the editor: As the Senate debates the current agriculture bill, it is interesting to note that Section 333 of S.1731 deals with biotechnology and agricultural trade. This section calls for $15 million for each of the next four years to be used to promote genetically engineered foods to other countries...

Not the worst movie THE RAZZIES lose credibility when they name a movie like "Pearl Harbor" as one of the worst movies of the year or name Ben Affleck as one of the worst performers. Affleck is a very good actor. The music was just wonderful in "Pearl Harbor." It wasn't the best movie, but certainly by far it wasn't the worst movie. ...

WASHINGTON -- When President Bush travels to Korea's demilitarized zone next week, he will look through coiled razor wire at the North Korean state he condemned as part of an "axis of evil." The provocative words in his State of the Union address heightened the drama for Bush's stop next Wednesday at the heavily armed border between South Korea and the communist North. ...