Stories from Saturday, December 28, 2002

When it began to snow large, puffy flakes Friday morning, Kelly Totten began to get anxious. Her December had already been slippery enough, with bad weather creating an ice rink out of her parking lot that made it impossible for her to get to work for a day or so...

TAMPA, Fla. -- A Marine killed his girlfriend and her infant son after an argument over how loud the television should be, then stuffed her body into a suitcase and put the baby's in the freezer, police said Friday. Sgt. James Coleman III, 24, a native of Ohio with a history of domestic abuse, was arrested Thursday and charged with murdering 19-year-old Jessica Hine and 2-month-old Devonte Desean Coleman...

SEATTLE -- An Eagle Scout who was expelled from the Boy Scouts of America after he refused to declare a belief in God is appealing the decision. Darrell Lambert, 19, who had earned 37 merit badges in a decade with the organization, was told in November he could no longer belong to the Boy Scouts after he revealed he was an atheist...

OTNIEL, West Bank -- Two Palestinians burst into this West Bank settlement Friday and opened fire on Jewish seminary students gathered for a Sabbath dinner in a communal dining hall, killing four Israelis and wounding eight, the army said. The rampage, which left the two gunmen dead, ended a lull in Palestinian attacks. ...

More people have been killed on Missouri roads so far this year than during any year since 1997, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said Friday. With four days left in 2002, the patrol said 1,158 people have been killed in traffic accidents on state highways, up from last year's total of 1,098 fatalities...

WASHINGTON -- Already facing a sputtering economy and slow hiring, nearly 800,000 unemployed Americans face a new woe today when their federal unemployment benefits end. Democrats and labor unions, sensing political opportunity, are blaming the cuts on President Bush and Republicans in Congress. Bush, in a late show of support for an extension, urged Congress last week to get it done when lawmakers return to work next month...

WASHINGTON -- As Minnesota Sen. Dean Barkley lights a cigar in his temporary office on Capitol Hill, it's clear his coach is turning into a pumpkin. The walls are bare, the drawers empty. About the only thing on his desk is a can of maple syrup, a goodbye present from the Senate's only other independent, Jim Jeffords of Vermont...

Two assault charges were filed Friday in Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court against road rage suspect Nicolas Raudin, 32, a French native living in Cape Girardeau. Raudin was charged Dec. 13 in Cape Girardeau Municipal Court for assaulting a driver on Dec. 10. However, the case was reviewed by Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle, who discussed it with city prosecutor Reagan Holliday and said both agreed it should be prosecuted by the county...

Assault charges filed against road rage suspect Two assault charges were filed Friday in Cape Girardeau County Circuit Court against road rage suspect Nicolas Raudin, 32, a French native living in Cape Girardeau. Raudin was charged Dec. 13 in Cape Girardeau Municipal Court for assaulting a driver on Dec. ...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Dec. 28 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests Dameon Wayne Oakley, 19, of 127 Kona, Benton, Mo., was arrested Thursday on a city of Cape Girardeau warrant for contempt of court...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Dec. 28 Firefighters responded to the following calls Thursday: At 3:38 p.m., an emergency medical assist at 31 N. Henderson. At 3:40 p.m., a fire alarm at 5422 Nash Road.Firefighters responded to the following calls Friday:...

It seems Missouri voters aren't being given much of an opportunity to regain trust in state government's use of tax dollars. It isn't just the slashing of social programs and higher education budgets in recent months, although both of those have been disheartening to many Missourians. But such cuts are to be expected during a recession...

Some educators and students in our area experienced an exciting day last week when Gov. Bob Holden announced his list of "Distinction in Performance" school districts. Districts make the list based on a variety of standards, including standardized test scores, dropout rates and attendance...

Dear Lee: I'm a pharmacist who enjoys helping others. During my 19-year marriage, I've been a good provider for my family. But I've also blamed my wife for almost everything. Several years ago, I stepped out on her. She tells me she cannot trust me. She wants to know why I stepped out on her. I don't have a good answer; I made a big mistake...

SAN FRANCISCO -- The frenzied bidding for a tumbledown Northern California town closed at nearly $1.8 million Friday on eBay. If the deal goes through, 82 acres of Bridgeville will go to the unidentified buyer who put in a bid for $1,777,877 just seconds before the Internet auction closed...

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- Ushering in either a brave new world or a spectacular hoax, a company linked to a religious sect that believes in space aliens announced Friday that it has produced the world's first cloned baby. A healthy 7-pound girl, nicknamed Eve by scientists, was delivered by Caesarean section Thursday somewhere outside the United States, said Brigitte Boisselier, chief executive of Clonaid. Boisselier said the girl is an exact genetic copy of the American woman who gave birth to her...

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Miami coach Larry Coker tossed the rolled-up pieces of paper to the ground and shook his head in disgust, reacting to a question about several of his players missing out on individual postseason awards. Coker was exaggerating his displeasure, but by how much?...

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon has ordered a major military force to the Persian Gulf in preparation for a possible war with Iraq. Thousands of troops, two aircraft carrier battle groups and scores of combat aircraft have received orders since Christmas to ready themselves to head to the region in January and February, defense officials said Friday. Military personnel will go to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, among other locations...

After more than six months in operation, Missouri's Club Keno lottery game has generated more than $21 million in sales with $5.6 million of that going for education, lottery officials said Friday. Keno, which was started May 28, was designed to generate new money for the state's tight budget...

Two wives of high school basketball coaches say their lives are mostly the game By Sam Blackwell ~ Southeast Missourian Friday's 1:30 p.m. game between Advance and Chaffee in the seMissourian Christmas Tournament had little interest for most basketball fans. ...

Cape Girardeau police named a 20-year-old man as the rogue driver in Thursday's hit-and-run incident at the intersection of William and Pacific streets that sent an Illinois couple's car crashing into a house. Brandon W. Walls of Cape Girardeau was charged Friday with a class D felony for leaving the scene of an accident, a class A misdemeanor of driving with a revoked license and two class C misdemeanors for no insurance and failure to yield the right of way...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Marc Bulger came from nowhere to lead the St. Louis Rams to all six of their victories, and his teammates rewarded him by voting him team MVP. The quarterback, honored in a team meeting Friday, just wishes he could have gotten the award under better circumstances instead of the Rams' losing record...

Jim Hall entered the second round of the seMissourian Christmas Tournament still searching for the magic number. After three long losses and two weeks of waiting, the Advance Hornets found the historic touch. "It's sorta like getting a monkey off your back," Hall said Friday after his 500th career win as a coach, a victory over Chaffee in a consolation quarterfinal...

Bell City is not the only Class 1 school that has earned a trip to the semifinals of the seMissourian Christmas Tournament. Oran, seeded fifth, used a late 6-0 run to take control of a back-and-forth contest as the Eagles knocked off fourth-seeded Cape Girardeau Central 66-57 in a quarterfinal game Friday night at the Show Me Center...

Oak Ridge hung around long enough to give a scare to Mississippi Valley Conference rival Meadow Heights in the seMissourian Christmas Tournament consolation quarterfinals Friday morning. And if it wasn't for Joey Bell's big performance in the fourth quarter, 15th-seeded Oak Ridge (0-7) may have completed the upset of 10th-seeded Meadow Heights. Instead, the Panthers (6-2) held on and won 60-48...

By Jack Wax JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Would it come as a surprise if you found out that lawyers are among the most sincere, generous and kind-hearted members of your community? The popular -- or unpopular -- image of lawyers is that they are greedy, undignified and put their own interests above those of their clients. ...

Sporting the only state championship in the seMissourian Christmas Tournament's 16-team field, the Bell City Cubs didn't take much stock in their sixth seed. And that showed Friday night when the Cubs' one-two all-state scoring punch of Dominitrix Johnson and Eric Henry combined for 56 points and Bell City recovered from a late Jackson comeback to win 86-81 in overtime...

Rivalry games are always intense and exciting. Pretty is, well ... optional. When second-seeded Notre Dame and sixth-seeded Scott City met in the quarterfinals of the seMissourian Christmas Tournament Friday night at the Show Me Center, pretty was the sole property of the cheerleaders...

Southeast Missouri State University's women's basketball team has won six of its first nine games this season -- but the Otahkians have failed in three tries to knock off a highly regarded opponent. Today, the Otahkians get another shot at pulling off a major upset when they play defending national runner-up Oklahoma in a 3 p.m. tipoff in Norman, Okla...

There's grumbling about the seMissourian Christmas Tournament format. Again. Surprised? Don't be. It wouldn't be Christmas without it. In fact it comes with your paid admission to the Show Me Center -- it says right there on the ticket, "Admit one. Stay awake long enough to watch any first-round blowout and immediately suggest we reformat the tournament. Thank you."...

On Nov. 26, my family and I caught the subway at Toronto's Union Station and began the pilgrimage north to the Royal Ontario Museum. It was the final day of the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature. We were headed to see one of the star attractions of the conference although it was located far to the north of the convention site...

Follow the rules I'VE BEEN hearing lots of talk and reading lots of articles about how all of a sudden people are debating whether or not the immigration and naturalization boards should be following the rules so strictly. The boards are saying they should because of what happened on Sept. ...

Other scandals had drawn national attention over the years -- a pedophile priest in Louisiana, one in New England, another in Dallas. But none of those cases, or hundreds of others in the past two decades, threatened to destroy the moral authority of the Roman Catholic Church in America like the clerical sex abuse crisis did this year...

PARIS -- French authorities dismantled a terror cell with ties to Chechen rebels and al-Qaida that planned bomb or toxic gas attacks in France and Russia, the Interior Ministry said Friday. The announcement followed the arrests this week of four alleged Islamic militants in suburban Paris, ending a sweep in which several suspects were detained by France's counterintelligence agency, the DST...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The 19-year-old son of incoming Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist was slightly injured in the crash of a small plane Friday. William Harrison Frist Jr., a freshman at Princeton University, was a passenger aboard a private plane that flipped over during takeoff at foggy John C. Tune Airport, said Nick Smith, a spokesman for the senator...

'Eminem Show' leads charts in 2002 sales NEW YORK -- Everyone wanted seats for "The Eminem Show" in 2002. The rapper's album sold far more than any other -- more than 7.4 million copies, according to year-end figures this week from Nielsen SoundScan...

MOSCOW -- Suicide bombers in the capital of the rebellious province of Chechnya drove through Russian guard cordons and set off two explosions that shattered the headquarters of the Kremlin-backed administration and killed at least 46 people. The blasts in Grozny dealt a severe blow to President Vladimir Putin's efforts to convince his people and the world that the southern republic is returning to normal after more than three years of war...

JONESBORO, Ark. -- A sanitation driver had to dump the flaming contents of his garbage truck in a church parking lot after methamphetamine components among the refuse ignited. Officials said the chemicals had been left in a city-owned garbage can. Driver Robert Hester said he first thought the truck broke a hydraulic hose but, when he took a look, he saw the fire. He said a fire extinguisher did no good, so he had to deposit the burning garbage at the North Main Baptist Church...

LONGWOOD, Fla. -- Two golfers were arrested for allegedly beating up a 14-year-old boy who took one of their balls, authorities said. Gary Mottola, of Oviedo, said he was cutting across the Wekiva Golf Club's sixth hole when he saw a golf ball in a sand trap and took it...

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- A teenage boy who received a transplanted kidney from his science teacher has been jailed for allegedly trying to steal a forklift. Michael Carter, 17, was arrested Sunday, police said. His mother, Deborah Evans, said she won't post his $50,000 bail...

TOKYO -- A Japanese couple who were kidnapped and taken to North Korea 25 years ago openly criticized the isolated, totalitarian state Friday, and demanded it release their children to them. The news conference was a sign that the five abductees, who returned to Japan in October and have refused to go back to North Korea, feel more free to speak out against the communist country since they decided last week to stay in Japan for good...

SEOUL, South Korea -- A defiant North Korea ordered U.N. nuclear inspectors to leave the country and said Friday it would restart a laboratory capable of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons. But the U.N. nuclear watchdog said its inspectors were "staying put" for now...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.N. arms experts said they interviewed a scientist possibly linked to a clandestine Iraqi nuclear program Friday. Baghdad officials said the inspectors also scoured sites for signs of suspected weapons of mass destruction. Officials from the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, quizzed Kazem Mojbal, a metallurgist from the state-run Al-Raya company...

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis has a long history of being in the forefront of efforts to eradicate smallpox. One of the nation's first vaccine programs was in St. Louis, which, like many other parts of the world saw deadly, widespread smallpox outbreaks. Today, Saint Louis University researchers are on the forefront of smallpox vaccine development...

The woes of the Catholic Church and its controversial handling of sexually abusive priests topped the list of the nation's religion stories for 2002. The clergy sexual abuse scandal and the revelations from dioceses across the nation that abusive priests were moved to new assignments without notifying parishioners or authorities topped the list of religion stories, according to a vote of the Religion Newswriters Association...

Tuesday Service with communion at 7 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. New Year's Eve service at Hanover Lutheran Church at 7 p.m. New Year's Eve service at 6:30 p.m. at St. Andrew Lutheran Church...

Twelfth Night party planned by church First Presbyterian Church in Cape Girardeau will host a 12th night party at 4 p.m. Jan. 5. Youth from Christ Episcopal Church have been invited to attend. Jackson grad gives talk on sexual abstinence Kelly Shields, Miss Missouri American Coed for 2001, recently spoke to youth at Covenant Christian Center in Jackson...

ANNA, Ill. -- Susan Jane Musgrove, 70, of Anna died Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, at St. Louis University Hospital in St. Louis. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at the Lutz & Rendleman Funeral Home in Anna.

ADVANCE, Mo. -- Amelia Jean "Amy" Winchester, 43, of Advance died Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, in Fayetteville, Ark., from injuries received in an automobile accident. Morgan Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The funeral for Gladys Bridger of Fresno, Calif., will be held at 11 a.m. today at Ponder Funeral Home. The Rev. Kelly Grubbs will officiate. Burial will be in Essex Cemetery at Essex, Mo. Friends may call at the funeral home after 10 a.m...

The funeral for R. David Perdue of Acworth, Ga., was held Friday at First United Methodist Church in Marietta, Ga. The Rev. Sam Storey Sr. officiated. Burial was in Kennesaw Memorial Park Cemetery at Marietta. Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home in Marietta was in charge of arrangements...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Allen Dorris Jr., 33, of Sikeston died Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002, at his home. He was born March 8, 1969, in Granite City, Ill., son of Allen and Sharon Pemberton Dorris Sr. Dorris lived at East Prairie, Mo., most of his life. He was a floor manager at Wal-Mart Supercenter in Sikeston...

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Fannie Davis, 86, formerly of Charleston, died Saturday, Dec. 21, 2002, at DePaul Health Center in Bridgeton, Mo. She was born May 3, 1916, in Olmsted, Ill., daughter of Ida Mae Williams and William Barnett. She and John Davis were married in 1932 in Olmsted. He preceded her in death...

McCLURE, Ill. -- Rose Laree "Biddle" Smithey, 82, of McClure died Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 20, 1920, in McClure, daughter of Earl Carrol and Mary Etta Stephens Randol. She and Robert S. Smithey were married Dec. 23, 1939, at Jackson...

ANNA, Ill. -- Dale O. Oslund Jr., 44, of Anna died Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, at his home. He was born April 21, 1958, in Aurora, Ill., son of Dale O. and Donna Jean Hubbard Oslund Sr. He and Karen D. Collman were married Oct. 5, 1978, in Aurora. Oslund was employed by village of Cobden until becoming ill...

Samuel "Sam" Masterson, 81, of Jackson died Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, at Jackson Manor. He was born May 8, 1921, son of Duree and Lenora Weltecke Masterson. He and Thelma Owens were married June 30, 1945. She died June 20, 1995. He and Audrey Rodgers Wells were married Feb. 13, 1998...

CAIRO, Ill. -- Adelaide Page, 80, of Cairo died Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 14, 1922, in Olmsted, Ill., daughter of Oscar and Bertha Albright Caraker. She married William W. Page, who died in 1975...

10 years ago: Dec. 28, 1992 Pair of small earthquakes rattled Southeast Missouri early yesterday, shaking residents awake but apparently causing no damage; first quake occurred at 4:13 a.m. and measured 3.5 on Richter scale. Jackson -- Cape Girardeau County, already heralded for its financial stability in tight economic times, will come through 1992 in even stronger condition; that means county's capital trust account balance -- fund for emergencies and capital improvements -- will top $3 million, employees will receive about 5.5 percent pay increase, and county's financial outlook continues to look bright.. ...

Stone Daughter to Patrick Michael "Mike" and Amber Dawn Stone of Cape Girardeau, St. Francis Medical Center, 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2002. Name, Haley Elizabeth. Weight, 7 pounds 8 ounces. First child. Mrs. Stone is the former Amber Garza. Stone is the son of Robert Stone and Mary Stone of Cape Girardeau. He is employed at Logan's Roadhouse...

Philip A. Beussink, 74, of Jackson died Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, at his home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Alzheimer's Associated, Southeast Hospice or for Masses. McCombs Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

ALTO PASS, Ill. -- Robert Harris, 77, of Alto Pass died Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002, on arrival at Union County Hospital in Anna. Funeral arrangements are incomplete at Lutz & Rendleman Funeral Home in Alto Pass.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Terry McCoy feels the pain of state budget cuts. It's a pain that shoots from his shoulders to his neck around the start of each month -- the time when, because of cuts in the Medicaid program for the poor and disabled, he cannot afford the morphine painkiller he needs...