Stories from Thursday, April 25, 2002

NEW YORK (AP) -- Part of an eight-story building housing a technical school collapsed Thursday on Manhattan's West Side. Broadcast reports identified the school as Apex Technical School. The site is in the Chelsea neighborhood. At least two people were carried out on stretchers and placed into ambulances...

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economic recovery from the recession is on track. Solid retail sales, brisk housing activity and improvements for some of the nation's factories gave the economy more momentum in March and early April, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday...

SAN ANTONIO -- A former courthouse clerk accused of stealing millions of dollars from the dead to finance a ritzy lifestyle that included six Ferraris pleaded guilty in exchange for a maximum 10-year prison term. Prosecutors believe the scheme may have spanned more than 14 years, the San Antonio Express-News reported Wednesday...

Colony Club in IllinoisDonald Johnson and the late Bill Prater were returning from Cairo, Ill., one night in the late 1950s. Johnson, more fondly known as "Gabby," was familiar with the Colony Club at Illinois highways 3 and 146, a few miles east of Cape Girardeau. He had served as a waiter there...

The Cape Girardeau Farmers Market will open its 17th season May 2. The weekly market operates from May through October from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursdays at the Plaza Galleria parking lot. Items offered for sale have been grown or produced within a 75-mile radius of Cape Girardeau, in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois...

Go-cart prize for some lucky young race fan A member of the Junior Racing Club at the Auto Tire and Parts Racetrack near Benton, Mo., will win a go-cart at the end of the racing season. The junior club is for race enthusiasts, 12 and younger. The prize was presented to the racetrack by Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. Junior club members can register when they visit the track...

"After I was abandoned at birth, my owners (Jim and Jeanne Kelpe) discovered me, scooped me up, wrapped me in a blanket and nestled me in a bed of straw in the barn. "My mama, Jeanne, is kind of funny looking (compared to the herd), but she bottle-feeds me and gives me lots of TLC...

Cape sailor among first to respond Jason A. Lowes and the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson were among the U.S. forces to respond to the Sept. 11 attacks. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Lowes, son of Greg and Cindy Lowes of Cape Girardeau, is a machinery repair technician sailor aboard the Carl Vinson...

Carnahan to make campaign official Sunday ST. LOUIS -- U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan, D-Mo., will formally begin her campaign Sunday in St. Louis, officials with the campaign said Wednesday. Carnahan will hold "Working Families" rallies in St. Louis and Kansas City on Sunday, followed by visits to Springfield and Cape Girardeau on Monday. Carnahan also plans visits to other Missouri towns in the coming weeks...

WASHINGTON -- The House on Wednesday adopted Enron-inspired legislation to tighten oversight of the accounting industry and toughen corporate disclosure rules. The vote was 334-90, with some Democrats accusing House Republican leaders of bowing to financial interests by passing a weak bill. ...

WASHINGTON -- A 7-month-old rare Sumatran tiger rolled on his back and batted a toy between his paws as cameras captured his outdoor debut at the National Zoo Wednesday. Berani romped around the four-tier pen, hugged a tree and tried without success to jump on his mother's back. Then he spotted a burlap bag zookeepers had hidden amid some bamboo, and spent much of the morning dragging around the bag filled with hay and rosemary...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Senators pumped up the state's proposed budget by as much as $150 million Wednesday, endorsing tax changes and bond sales based on the state's future tobacco settlement revenues. The additional money would let senators prevent some cuts proposed in an $18.8 billion budget for fiscal 2003, which starts July 1...

NEW YORK -- Tino Martinez loved hearing the boos at Shea Stadium. "I know the Mets fans respect what we've done," he said. While he still thinks of the Yankees as "we," on Wednesday night he sparked his new team, the St. Louis Cardinals, to a 4-2 victory over the New York Mets that ended a five-game losing streak...

ST. LOUIS -- A year ago, the St. Louis Blues decided to ride the ups and downs with goaltender Brent Johnson instead of shopping for a proven veteran as the final piece of a Stanley Cup contender. Right now, it's all up. Johnson is the first goalie in 57 years with three consecutive shutouts in the playoffs. He's the biggest reason the Blues are ready to eliminate the Chicago Blackhawks, leading 3-1 in the best-of-seven series heading into Game 5 tonight in St. Louis...

Blues forward Dallas Drake could miss Game 5 of the first-round playoff series against the Blackhawks tonight after injuring himself making a first-period check in Game 4. Drake did not participate in the Blues' optional skate on Wednesday, a day after St. Louis' 1-0 victory in Chicago. He was hurt after making a big open-ice hit on Kyle Calder at 6:18 of the first period...

WASHINGTON -- The Postal Service has reached a tentative five-year contract agreement with one of its largest unions, the National Association of Letter Carriers. The last few contracts between the post office and letter carriers were settled by arbitration when the two sides could not reach agreement...

WASHINGTON -- The annual charity food drive conducted by the nation's mail carriers will be held May 11. It will be the 10th annual Stamp Out Hunger drive conducted by the National Association of Letter Carriers. Carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns will collect food donated by people along their routes...

WASHINGTON -- Ru Paster wants his good name back. Falsely accused of date rape, he also wants to collect $450,000 from university officials who released details of the allegation to a potential employer. The Supreme Court heard Paster's story Wednesday and is expected to use it to clarify the rights of students or parents to enforce federal privacy law...

WASHINGTON -- Despite their fall from power, a half-dozen key Taliban leaders pose a threat to U.S. interests in Afghanistan and elsewhere and remain high on America's target list. Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban supreme leader, heads the list. He vanished from Kandahar as U.S.-backed forces rolled in...

Cape Girardeau Thursday, April 25 ArrestsNorman Bradley Stone, 40, of Malden, Mo., was arrested Tuesday at 3439 William for manufacturing and possession of methamphetamine. Scott Allen York, 31, 715 S. Pacific, was arrested Tuesday for assault. Tyson Shane Steinberger, 17, of 1225 N. West End Blvd., was arrested Tuesday at Schnucks, 19. S. Kingshighway, for stealing and for being a minor in possession...

Cape Girardeau Thursday, April 25 Firefighters responded to the following calls Tuesday:At 7:40 p.m., a natural gas leak at Main and Broadway. At 9:26 p.m., an emergency medical service at 3024 Keystone. At 10:18 p.m., an emergency medical service at 121 S. Sprigg St...

THEBES, Ill. -- Robert Bevely Snell, 95, of Thebes died Wednesday, April 24, 2002, at Jackson Manor in Jackson, Mo. He was born Nov. 20, 1906, in East Cape Girardeau, Ill., son of Peter and Dona Huddleston Snell. He and Lovah Virginia Phillips were married Feb. 25, 1928, in Cairo, Ill. She died Sept. 8, 1998...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Oscar B. "Doc" Clements, 79, of Perryville died Tuesday, April 23, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 8, 1922, at Biehle, Mo., son of Louis and Elizabeth Werth Clements. He and Cornelia Hennemann were married June 10, 1950, at Apple Creek, Mo...

OLMSTED, Ill. -- Albert V. Watson, 91, of Olmsted died Wednesday, April 24, 2002, at his home. He was born Dec. 25, 1910, in Villa Ridge, Ill., son of Ralph and Mary Hayden Watson. He first married Reba Turner, who died Dec. 22, 1953. He later married Salona Stephens, who died Jan. 24, 2000...

Huggins Son to Steven James and Michelle Ann Huggins of Jackson, Mo., Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:07 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, 2002. Name, Landon Ezra. Weight, 7 pounds 6 ounces. Second son. Mrs. Huggins is the former Michelle Pool, daughter of Judith Reed of Jackson and Kenneth Pool of Metropolis, Ill. ...

10 years ago: April 25, 1992 Cape Girardeau Postmaster Michael Keefe tells visitors at open house for new mail processing center that center's efficiency continues to improve; new Regional Mail Processing Center, located at Cape West Business Park, opened last fall but didn't expand to full operation until February; today's open house is opportunity for public to see new facility...

Standard Democrat CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The Southeast Correctional Center's first inmate death appears to have been a natural one. According to a news advisory from the state prison, Samuel Crump, 54, died at 7:55 a.m. Friday at Missouri Delta Medical Center, apparently of natural causes following a lengthy illness...

On May 17 -- a little more than three weeks -- the Missouri legislature comes to its constitutional close. The ASSOCIATED PRESS Jefferson City reporters are gathering information on Missouri's financial status for an upcoming weekend report. Preliminary information is that for the next five years -- unless our state government stops its runaway spending increases on already passed legislation -- the state's financial situation will get worse...

April 25, 2002 Dear Pat, Tornados and high winds blustered through Southeast Missouri last night, scaring people and doing some damage. These are the natural forces humans in these parts have the most reason to fear, and we give them the respect they are due, but in truth they rarely confront us...

GORDONVILLE, Mo. -- Mary Jo Gross, 43, passed away Wednesday, April 24, 2002, at her home in Gordonville. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. today at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson, Mo., and Friday, April 26, after 12:30 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church in Gordonville...

Kenneth L. Hayden, 67, of Cape Girardeau died Tuesday, April 23, 2002, at his home. He was born Nov. 6, 1934, in Perryville, Mo., son of Edward and Helen Cissell Hayden. He and Glenda Parsons were married July 24, 1993. Mr. Hayden was a graduate of St. Vincent de Paul High School in Perryville and Southeast Missouri State University. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1953-57...

A bill in the Missouri legislature would limit the amount of tax credits issued by the state for historic preservation -- which, as it turns out, is the largest tax-credit program the state offers but which has the lowest cost-to-benefit ratio, according to the Department of Economic Development...

With warm weather and spring rains come the beauty of blossoms, lawns that need to be mowed, more outdoor activities -- and orange barrels, cones and barricades on our streets and highways. Yes, its time for street work. Main Street in downtown Cape Girardeau is being dug up to install new gas mains. ...

Today Newborn massage class from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Generations Center at Southeast Missouri Hospital. There is no fee. Call 651-5825 to register. Participants will receive massage oil and a booklet and should bring a pillow, blanket to the class...

Safe return registration day scheduled Friday The Alzheimer's Association in Southeast Missouri is offering free registration for the nationwide Safe Return campaign. Safe Return is an identification, support and registration program for people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. The event is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at the association's office, 1301 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau...

LIVESTOCK AUCTIONS FRUITLAND LIVESTOCK FRUITLAND, MO. -- TUESDAY'S FRUITLAND LIVESTOCK AUCTION RESULTS: RECEIPTS: 536. LAST WEEK 650. COMPARED TO LAST WEEK STEERS AND HEIFERS UNDER 500 LBS SOLD 3.00 HIGHER, OFFERINGS OVER 500 LBS SOLD STEADY. ...

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Chaffee defeated Oran 6-2, but Red Devils coach Brian Horrell hoped his team came away from Wednesday's game with much more than a win. He's hopeful a lesson took that he's been trying to infuse all season -- defense wins games. To date, the Red Devils have learned that errors in the field can lose games. They committed nine errors in losses to Poplar Bluff and Dexter, and eight more in a loss to Cape Girardeau Central...

Even in defeat, freshman Kelly Birk showed the kind of progress that keeps coach Lana Richmond hopeful. Birk, a pitcher for the Southeast Missouri State University softball team, added to her late-season surge Wednesday with seven strong innings in the Otahkians' 3-1 loss to visiting Southern Illinois in the first game of a scheduled non-conference doubleheader. The second game was rained out...

Spray for mosquitoes WITH ALL the rain and the warm temperatures lately, I wish we could get the Public Works Department to go ahead and start spraying for mosquitoes, because they are abundant. Just try stepping outside at dusk or a little bit after dark and you'll see. Why wait until the end of May to start spraying when we need mosquito control now?...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Shelby Schanuth looked up at the image on a TV set tuned to a show that premiered on a local cable channel Wednesday. "What are they doing?" said the 17-year-old high school student as he took a break at a downtown pizza place...

State officials and people on both sides of the death penalty were perplexed Wednesday after the Missouri Supreme Court delayed by about a month the scheduled execution of Christopher Simmons. Simmons, who turns 26 Friday, was originally scheduled to die by injection May 1 at the Potosi Correctional Center...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Legislation that would let voters choose to raise taxes for improving roads and bridges cleared the Senate on Wednesday -- the same chamber that stifled a similar proposal a year ago. The bill, which faces further action in the House of Representatives, would put the transportation funding question on the Aug. 6 ballot...

Pat Reagan brought a weaving she made incorporating her thoughts about her family. Amy Kephart showed the marriage vessel she made when Pueblo artist Nora Naranjo-Morse was in residence at Southeast two weeks ago, an experience that began and ended in reverence for the clay...

NEW YORK -- Hobbits and elves rule this year's MTV Movie Awards, with "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" receiving a leading six nominations. Elijah Wood was nominated for best male performance for his portrayal of the hobbit Frodo Baggins. Orlando Bloom, who played the archer elf Legolas, was nominated for male breakthrough performance...

BOSTON -- Diamond mesh, square mesh, black tunnels, vertical bars -- New England fishermen are hoping that science can help save their industry with new designs that could change the fishing net from an indiscriminate trap to a precision tool. The traditional dragger nets scoop up anything in their paths. Young fish that are not being targeted are killed and fishermen must throw away other species because of strict federal limits...

CHICAGO -- Millions of women whose cervical-cancer results come back inconclusive could enjoy the benefits of a more convenient follow-up treatment under new Pap test guidelines issued by a panel of experts. The guidelines could mean fewer return visits and less anxiety for women across the country. The development reflects doctors' better understanding in recent years of the chief cause of cervical cancer, the human papillomavirus, or HPV...

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Merrill Lynch & Co. has hired former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to advise the firm in its dealings with the state attorney general, who has threatened to bring criminal charges over the firm's business practices. Giuliani Partners is helping Merrill Lynch negotiate a settlement with New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who claims some of the brokerage company's analysts promoted stocks publicly while expressing doubts about the shares in private e-mail messages...

SAN FRANCISCO -- Kyle Minor doesn't usually need a car in his bustling neighborhood, where it's a cinch to find a bus, cab or train. But mass transit doesn't always cut it for those grocery runs and weekend road trips to Napa Valley. So Minor signed up for a car-sharing service, joining thousands of Americans who need a set of wheels from time to time but are leery about shelling out money for car payments, fuel and insurance...

BAILEY, Colo. -- A wind-whipped fire has burned at least 800 acres of grass and brush and forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in this mountain town. One person suffered smoke inhalation, and one firefighter had a sprained ankle. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has agreed to pay for a large portion of the costs for labor, equipment and evacuation associated with the fire, which forced at least two schools to close on Tuesday and threatened 500 homes on Wednesday...

Don't like the direction the city is headed? Or maybe you think everything is on the right track. Either way, Cape Girardeau's Vision 2020 Community Relations Council is giving 2,600 randomly selected residents the opportunity to share their opinions in the form of a 47-question survey that was sent by mail Friday...

Perryville is fighting for the survival of alternative education By Heather Kronmueller ~ Southeast Missourian PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Perry County School District is searching for grants and other resources to salvage its alternative education program after announcing in October it would be cut next year for financial reasons...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- The House overwhelmingly agreed to abolish the embattled Immigration and Naturalization Service on Thursday and create two new agencies to handle enforcement and immigration services. The bill passed the House 405-9 just hours after Attorney General John Ashcroft made a special trip up to the Capitol to endorse the legislation...

Associated Press WriterCRAWFORD, Texas (AP) -- Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah met for two hours Thursday with President Bush at his central Texas ranch, looking to ease growing tensions between their two nations that loomed over a summit originally meant to advance the Mideast peace process...

Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (AP) -- The House moved closer Thursday to endorsing President Bush's decision to put a nuclear waste site into Nevada as a committee advanced the measure despite concern about transporting the waste. The congressional resolution, which would overrule Nevada's protest of the waste site, was approved 41-6 by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, prompting supporters to predict overwhelming approval' by the full House in the coming weeks...

Associated Press WriterJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri government is facing as much as a $250 million shortfall in the next two months due largely to lower than expected state income tax collections, state officials said Thursday. Individual income tax revenues, which usually spike after the April 15 filing deadline, are running behind because of large losses last year in the stock market...

Associated Press WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- A explosion rocked a 10-story commercial building Thursday, spraying glass and rubble across a quiet block and injuring up to 50 people, authorities said. "It was a giant boom -- a real giant boom," said neighborhood resident Bill Beek, who lives a half-block away. "It sounded like an airplane crashing."...

NATION IMPROVES By Scott Moyers ~ Southeast Missourian In addition to the lives that were taken, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 made a huge financial strike into the United States, stalling the stock market and causing enormous declines in retail sales, travel and vacation spending...

Southeast Missourian CAIRO, Ill. -- Cairo teachers were expected to report to their schools today, but not to their classrooms. After a fruitless emergency meeting between the Cairo Association of Teachers and the school board, the 71 union members decided to go ahead with a planned strike. The group's online newsletter directed members to report to picket lines, because each would change from "educator to union activist." Superintendent Robert Isom canceled classes...

From wire reports, Daily American RepublicA wave of severe storms that included several tornados whipped through Southeast Missouri on Wednesday night, leaving behind some destroyed buildings but few injuries. The National Weather Service said hail was reported in scattered locations across the state, covering the ground in some areas...

NEW YORK -- A housing aid proposal to help terror-damaged lower Manhattan is raising eyebrows because families with six-figure incomes would qualify for grants normally intended for poor and middle-class people. The $277 million program, which awaits federal approval, would provide grants of up to $14,500 for lower Manhattan residents who promise to stay for at least two years. The plan would cover rents and mortgages for people who already live downtown or decide to move there...

From staff and wire reports Margaret Brady and her co-workers at Morrissey & Co. practically have to chase after their boss when they join him for walks along Boston's Charles River. The two- to three-mile jaunts are CEO Peter Morrissey's version of an employee wellness program for his 11-worker public relations firm...

Potato chips, french fries and other high-carbohydrate foods contain a substance that may cause cancer, according to a study released Wednesday by Swedish food authorities. The substance, called acrylamide, forms in varying levels when carbohydrates are heated in a certain way, such as by frying potatoes or baking bread, researchers said...

VATICAN CITY -- After an extraordinary meeting sparked by a sex abuse scandal, American Roman Catholic leaders agreed Wednesday to make it easier to remove priests guilty of sexually abusing minors -- but they stopped short of a zero-tolerance policy to dismiss all abusive clerics...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A school accountability bill that won Senate approval Wednesday could cost the state more than $150 million in federal funds unless it is revised, the measure's sponsor said. Many of the bill's provisions are backed by Gov. Bob Holden and were passed previously by the House in different legislation...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Gov. Bob Holden on Wednesday honored Missourians who died on the job last year. More than 130 workers were killed and more than 165,000 injured in 2001, even though state officials say Missouri is doing better at protecting workers...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Department of Corrections workers voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to end their 18 years of union representation. Employees voted 2,879 to 1,503 against representation by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which vowed to challenge the results...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- More state workers would be eligible for timely payment of overtime under a bill given first-round House approval Wednesday, but finding the needed revenue could be a problem. The legislation was approved by voice vote and requires a final House vote before moving to the Senate...

The Associated Press LAKE OZARK, Mo. -- A former police officer has filed a federal lawsuit claiming he was fired from his job after complaining to co-workers a bachelor party was too lewd. John Ernest Boyuk is suing Lake Ozark officials seeking $800,000 in damages and reinstatement to his job...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Radio station KPHN-AM, a privately owned station carrying business news, is to be sold to Walt Disney Co.'s ABC Inc. and converted to round-the-clock children's programming. Bill Johnson, majority owner in an investment group that bought KPHN six years ago, said he had been approached by a broker who told him Disney was looking to enter the Kansas City market...

KARACHI, Pakistan -- Slain Wall Street Journal correspondent Daniel Pearl was concerned that a meeting he had requested with an Islamic fundamentalist might be dangerous, an assistant to the American reporter testified Wednesday. Asif Faruqi, a journalist who was working for Pearl, was the sole witness on the third day of the trial of British-born Islamic militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who is accused with three others in the Jan. ...

BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- Two Palestinians inside the Church of the Nativity compound were shot Wednesday and one of them died as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators gathered next door for a second round of talks to end the standoff at one of Christianity's holiest sites...

HAYNEVILLE, Ala. -- Antonio Hinson and his family had a modest but comfortable life in their rural mobile home, where the bills were paid and food was on the table. Now the family is broke, in part due to a Lowndes County judge's order to install a septic tank at a cost of more than $6,000. Hinson is one of dozens of low-income residents in one of the nation's poorest counties who face prosecution for not having septic tanks...

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- More than 100 K-9 dogs and their police handlers gathered Wednesday in a tribute to Sirius, the only police dog to die in the World Trade Center disaster. As Officer David Lim went to help evacuate the trade center when it was attacked Sept. 11, he expected to return for the dog he left behind in a basement kennel...

PLACENTIA, Calif. -- A freight train ran a red light moments before slamming into a commuter train, killing two and injuring more than 260, investigators said Wednesday. Stopping short of blaming human error, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Marion Blakey said officials were continuing to investigate Tuesday's head-on crash...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A man who gunned down seven co-workers at a software company in what he called a divine mission to prevent the Holocaust was convicted of murder Wednesday by a jury that rejected his insanity defense. Michael McDermott, a hulking 43-year-old with long, shaggy hair and a bushy black beard, stood impassively as the verdict was delivered in a courtroom packed with tearful relatives of the victims...

DALLAS -- An accountant was found guilty of capital murder Wednesday for shooting to death his two young daughters while his ex-wife listened helplessly on the telephone. The jury took 19 minutes to convict John Battaglia, 46, in the slayings last May of 9-year-old Faith and 6-year-old Liberty...

ATHENS, Greece -- Seven new cases of a mystery virus suspected of causing a potentially fatal heart inflammation were reported Wednesday. So far three people, all adults, have died from the infection. Doctors urged Greeks to remain calm as the total reported cases of the ailment reached 39 since officials began counting on April 18. Most have been in Athens, the capital and home to nearly half of Greece's 11 million people...

LONDON -- The extradition case against an Algerian pilot once described by U.S. authorities as a trainer for the Sept. 11 hijackers fell apart Wednesday when a British judge ruled the United States had not provided sufficient evidence the man was involved in terrorism -- or had committed any crime...

HAVANA -- For decades, Cuba counted on Mexico as a loyal friend, a neighbor that never questioned its socialist system and never succumbed to U.S. pressures to cut diplomatic relations with the Caribbean island at the height of the Cold War. But a series of incidents this year has left Fidel Castro feeling betrayed by the one country in the region he once knew he could depend upon in his defiance of the United States...

Daily Statesman DEXTER, Mo. -- Stoddard County residents will have to wait longer than anticipated to hear the fate of two Dexter police officers. Originally scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, Ken Rinehart, Dexter police chief, and police Sgt. Sammy Stone just went about their day after Friday's decision by Associate Circuit Judge John Beaton of Dunklin County to allow a change in judges...