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People talk 2/17/03
(National News ~ 02/17/03)
Yoko, turning 70, keeps busy with John's legacy NEW YORK-- More than 30 years after the breakup of the Beatles and on the brink of her 70th birthday, Yoko Ono has become philosophical about the days when many Beatles fans hated her and blamed her for the band's demise...
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Timeline tracks final moments of space shuttle Columbia
(National News ~ 02/17/03)
From the first hints that things were going wrong aboard the space shuttle Columbia until it disintegrated over Texas, killing its seven astronauts, the timeline was brief but full. Seven minutes of racing through the atmosphere, tracked by computer monitors and the worried words of controllers. Seven minutes of awed or troubled sightings from the ground. Seven minutes to silence...
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Chan kids around for animated 'Adventures'
(Entertainment ~ 02/17/03)
LOS ANGELES -- As a child, Jackie Chan liked to watch John Wayne and the cartoon characters Popeye, Superman and Batman. "When I was young I loved action, but later on I find action too violent. I love comedy. I like to make everybody laugh ... When I hear everybody laugh that makes me happy," says Chan, 48, who has been Asia's top box-office action star for more than 20 years, and has more recently become a Hollywood draw as well...
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Bollywood in India produces feature on Taliban regime
(Entertainment ~ 02/17/03)
BOMBAY, India -- A Hindi-language movie with actresses swaying to lilting music may not seem like the ideal vehicle to tell the tale of the Taliban's violence against women. But Bollywood has taken on the challenge. It has produced "Escape from Taliban," on the treatment of women by the hardline Islamic regime that once ruled Afghanistan...
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London mayor hopes toll to enter city eases traffic
(International News ~ 02/17/03)
LONDON -- It's billed as the world's most ambitious attempt to ease traffic gridlock: Starting 7 a.m. Monday, motorists will be charged $8 a day to drive into central London, a crowded eight-square-mile area that includes the bustling financial district...
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Police 'taking action' against al-Qaida presence in Britain
(International News ~ 02/17/03)
LONDON -- Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network has a "substantial presence" in Britain, the head of London's Metropolitan Police said Sunday. John Stevens said it was difficult to know how many al-Qaida cells were active in Britain. "But we do know there is a substantial presence, and we are taking action," he told the British Broadcasting Corp...
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Palestinians to attend peace talks; violence kills nine
(International News ~ 02/17/03)
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Nine Palestinians were killed Sunday -- six in a mysterious explosion in Gaza and three by Israeli army fire in the West Bank -- while Palestinian and Israeli officials prepared to send teams to London for a new international effort to end 29 months of Mideast violence...
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No. 3 GOP leader tells jokes about France
(State News ~ 02/17/03)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- France's reservations about joining the United States in war against Iraq inspired a string of jokes Saturday from U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, the third-ranking House Republican. "Of course, we're faced with lots of policy challenges, responding to our opponents all around the world -- the French ...," Blunt, the House majority whip, said before being interrupted by laughter at a Missouri Republican convention...
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Some want to end day-care exemptions
(State News ~ 02/17/03)
ST. LOUIS -- Officials who raided a St. Louis day-care center this month expected to shut it down for building code violations. Instead, they discovered one employee was a convicted sex offender, according to police. And the officials exposed what many describe as a major loophole in Missouri's regulations on child care...
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Missouri lawmaker tries to pioneer use of technology
(State News ~ 02/17/03)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Stepping into Rep. Rob Schaaf's small, out-of-the way office in the stately old Missouri Capitol is like crossing a threshold into the future. There are none of the trappings of most legislative offices -- no secretary to greet visitors and handle the typing, no filing cabinet overflowing with documents. ...
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Sports briefs 2/17/03
(Professional Sports ~ 02/17/03)
Miscellaneous Michael Jordan won't get the chance to play today on his 40th birthday and a basketball showdown between defending national champion Maryland and Wake Forest was postponed Sunday after a snow storm blanketed the mid-Atlantic area...
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Tiger returns with a bang
(Professional Sports ~ 02/17/03)
SAN DIEGO -- His left knee felt great, his game was as sharp as ever. The real treat for Tiger Woods was holding another trophy at the Buick Invitational. "I missed competing," Woods said Sunday. "Having to hit a golf shot that matters, that gives me a big rush. I really missed that."...
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Yankees' payroll again off the charts
(Professional Sports ~ 02/17/03)
TAMPA, Fla. -- Even before the start of the season, the New York Yankees are smashing barriers. New York set a record with a $138 million payroll last year, according to the final tabulation by the commissioner's office, and is on the verge of becoming the first team to top $150 million...
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Waltrip masters Daytona 500 again
(Professional Sports ~ 02/17/03)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Michael Waltrip is the new master of Daytona. He doesn't win anywhere else. It's a burden well worth bearing -- being the best driver in NASCAR's biggest race, at stock-car racing's most famous track. Under dark clouds, Waltrip raced past leader Jimmie Johnson after a restart on lap 106 Sunday to win the rain-shortened Daytona 500 for the second time in three years...
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Heavy snow stretches across Ohio Valley to mid-Atlantic states
(National News ~ 02/17/03)
The East's worst storm of the season dumped nearly 2 feet of snow on parts of the Ohio Valley and into the mid-Atlantic states Sunday, shutting down airports, snarling highways and canceling church services and major sporting events. At least six deaths had been blamed on the weather since snow first burst across the Plains on Friday and Saturday. ...
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Nation briefs 02/17/03
(National News ~ 02/17/03)
Anthrax scare closes New Jersey post office LONG HILL TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Authorities in New Jersey, where at least five anthrax-laden letters were mailed in 2001, closed another post office after brown powder fell from a package containing a threatening letter...
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Sound waves may help pin down timeline of shuttle's end
(National News ~ 02/17/03)
SPACE CENTER, Houston -- Recordings made by instruments sensitive to sound below the threshold of human hearing may help investigators build a timeline of any uncharacteristic movements made by the space shuttle Columbia minutes before it broke apart, scientists say...
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NATO agrees to defend Turkey in case of war with Iraq
(International News ~ 02/17/03)
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- An agreement to end NATO's biggest rift since the Cold War -- a stalemate over a U.S. plan for preparations in case of war in Iraq -- was reached after the alliance pulled an end-run around France. For a month, France, Germany and Belgium blocked a U.S. ...
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Snow and ice hamper area church services
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
Snow and ice kept some Southeast Missouri churchgoers at home Sunday morning, as another winter storm made roads in the area slick and dangerous. The Rev. Mike Parry, pastor of Fruitland Community Church in Fruitland, said the bad weather and icy roads forced the church to cancel its regular Sunday service...
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Transit authority struggles with growth
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
Joan McKenzie, 74, uses the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority almost every day to visit the Jackson Senior Center. Anita Moore, 33, uses it whenever she needs to go to the store or to the doctor since a seizure condition has forced her to quit driving...
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Pay phones hit hard by popularity of cell phones
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
Waiting for her ride outside the University Center on a rainy Friday afternoon, Cassie Harriman was chatting on her cell phone while standing not two feet away from an idle pay phone. That's a telling scene. The increased use of cell phones means pay phones are disappearing from America's landscape. The number of pay phones in the United States has dropped from a high of 2.7 million in the mid-1990s to about 1.9 million now...
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Unwed couples can get financial protection
(Business ~ 02/17/03)
It used to be that love and marriage went together. These days, that's not necessarily the case. The 2000 U.S. Census found that nearly 5.5 million households, or about one in 20, consisted of unmarried partners. They range from young couples living together before marriage to elderly couples living together for convenience, and about 10 percent are gay couples...
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Toy industry expands beyond traditional retailers
(Business ~ 02/17/03)
NEW YORK hese days, it's hard to predict where the next hot toy will turn up. This past holiday season, one of the must-haves came from consumer electronics chain RadioShack Corp., which latched onto a small radio-controlled car called ZipZaps that can be recharged in 45 seconds. Parents cleared the $20 toys off store shelves, or, if they shopped too late in the season, settled for one of several competing knockoffs...
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Noncompete agreements cause much confusion
(Business ~ 02/17/03)
NEW YORK -- The job with a rival firm sounded interesting, but Mark Stultz was doubtful even before the recruiter finished the pitch. His skepticism eased, though, when the company wooing Stultz explained a state law -- one that says employers can't prevent workers from taking a job with a competitor...
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Observers wonder what Gary Forsee could tell Sprint
(Business ~ 02/17/03)
ATLANTA -- The courtship of BellSouth's No. 2 executive by rival Sprint has some analysts and large shareholders asking themselves what it is that vice chairman Gary Forsee could reveal that has his employer so worried. Observers say there could be planned acquisitions by BellSouth or its wireless unit, Cingular. They also point to a decision by federal regulators expected next week that could enable Sprint to offer local phone service in BellSouth's territory...
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Scott City residents invited to discuss needs Tuesday
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
Residents of Scott City are invited to a public meeting Tuesday to talk about resources the community's needs. The 6:30 p.m. meeting at City Hall will be run by former state senator Jerry Howard of Dexter, Mo. In October, he was awarded a contract to catalog the needs of communities in the six Bootheel counties of Scott, Mississippi, Stoddard, New Madrid, Pemiscot and Dunklin...
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Two drought years could mean end for many farms
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
TARKIO, Mo. -- For nearly two years, northwest Missouri farmers have been praying for rain, but it has come only in spurts. Now there are clouds on the horizon, but they're dark and ominous and have nothing to do with rain. Without lots of springtime precipitation, farmers with a lifetime devoted to agriculture could find themselves out of business...
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The real state of the Union
(Column ~ 02/17/03)
KENNETT, Mo. -- The chances are that when President George W. Bush delivered his State of the Union address the other evening, your home TV set provided clear images of the assembled members of Congress, the assorted Cabinet members, the U.S. Supreme Court and an abundance of generals and admirals, not to mention foreign diplomats and special guests of the White House...
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For better or worse, it's been memorable for TSU
(Sports Column ~ 02/17/03)
dwilson It's been a memorable season for the Tennessee State men's basketball team, a season filled with worsts and firsts. The team is in the midst of a 17 game losing streak and is 2-21 overall. During the streak the average margin of victory for the Tigers' opponents is 22.8 points, and the Tigers have allowed over 100 points five times...
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Truman Cole was one of a kind
(Column ~ 02/17/03)
When I met Truman Cole last August, he said he'd be around Copi-Rite for as long as he could breathe. And he was. Cole, the 82-year-old president of Copi-Rite, died on Feb. 9. Cole had many great capacities: a capacity for hard work, 15-hour days and high-energy professionalism; a capacity to sell, starting back in the early days when people thought copy machines would never catch on; a capacity to put the perfect crew around him, from secretary to salesmen with the keen understanding that the key to a good company is good people.. ...
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Transportation secretary does job from hospital
(National News ~ 02/17/03)
WASHINGTON -- Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta has been lying down on the job a lot lately. It has nothing to do with his work ethic. For most of the past 2 1/2 months, Mineta has run the 160,000-person department from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he had back surgery...
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Rice urges United Nations to stand up to Saddam Hussein
(National News ~ 02/17/03)
WASHINGTON -- Faced with broad opposition to war at the United Nations, President Bush's national security adviser said Sunday the White House might push a new U.N. plan to force a showdown with Saddam Hussein. Condoleezza Rice said it was becoming more obvious that the Iraqi president would not disarm voluntarily and that the U.N. was letting him get away with it...
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Kroger boosts catfish industry
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The state's cooperative that sells farm-raised catfish has reeled in its single largest order from the country's biggest supermarket chain, state Department of Agriculture officials said. Kroger Co. ordered 84,000 pounds of catfish to coincide with the observance of Lent, said Bob Zumwalt, general manager of the Purchase Area Aquaculture Cooperative in Graves County...
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Drought pressures lead farmers to seek counseling
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -- As the damaging effects of the Midwest's drought pile up on its farms, so do the stresses. There are the withering crops. The looming bank loans. And, sometimes, the ensuing depression. But more and more, farmers are reaching out for help, often finding it through farm crisis hot lines that connect them with legal aid, financial assistance and mental-health counseling...
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Lower pine plantings reflect slump in timber industry
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
DRAYTON, Ga. -- With abundant rainfall, cooler temperatures and the end of a four-year drought, landowners finally have ideal conditions for planting the pine trees that are a mainstay of the South's economy. Yet there's no flurry of planting -- owners seem to be riding out an industry slump that has led to mill closings, consolidations, the lowest pulpwood prices in years and a surfeit of some types of timber...
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JHS wrestlers make state
(High School Sports ~ 02/17/03)
Submitted photo Central High School's 200-yard freestyle relay team earned all-state honors Saturday by finishing eighth in the state meet in St. Peters, Mo. From left, Alex Heddle, Sam Maguire, Clay Schermann and Andrew Moreton. Jackson will send five wrestlers to this week's state meet as they finished among the top four during Saturday's Class 3 sectional meet at Parkway South High School in St. Louis...
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Throwers lead indoor track teams
(College Sports ~ 02/17/03)
Jay Heddell's shot put of 58 feet, 8 inches was good enough to provisionally qualify him for the NCAA Indoor Championships as Southeast Missouri State University's track and field teams competed at Saturday's USA Open in Carbondale, Ill. Heddell, who has the Ohio Valley Conference's best shot put this season, and fellow shot putter Heather Jenkins took home Southeast's only two first-place finishes at the 20-team meet (no team scores were kept). ...
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Otahkians hit the road to take on UT-Martin
(College Sports ~ 02/17/03)
Southeast Missouri State University's women are closing in on clinching a home game for the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament while Tennessee-Martin is trying to stay in the hunt for the same goal. Tonight, those squads square off in an OVC contest in Martin, Tenn. The tipoff is set for 7 p.m...
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Letter writers give information that's inaccurate
(Letter to the Editor ~ 02/17/03)
To the editor: I must point out factual inaccuracies in three letters on Wednesday's Opinion page. Jim Maginel incorrectly states that "evidence strongly suggests that President Bush is acting out of greed for Iraqi oil." If Bush were acting out of greed, he would be looking for a diplomatic solution that would protect Iraq's oil fields. Going to war would result in the decimation of the oil fields by Saddam Hussein...
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Forsee - Sprint offers opportunity worth pursuing
(Letter to the Editor ~ 02/17/03)
To the editor: In response to the story "Sprint's CEO pick keeps long-distance link to Cape Girardeau": When we moved to Cape Girardeau in 1966, it was pretty incredible to get befriended by so many folks who really didn't have to do that, and for that I will always think about those friends in a special way. ...
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Speak Out 02/17/03
(Speak Out ~ 02/17/03)
Wallet is returned THANKS TO employees at Burger King in Jackson. My daughter left her wallet there and didn't realize it for a few hours. They kept it in a safe place until we went back to get it. Nothing was missing. We really appreciate their honesty...
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Ronald Moore
(Obituary ~ 02/17/03)
PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Ronald G. Moore, 51, of Kansas City, Mo., died Friday, Feb. 14, 2003, in Kansas City. He was born Nov. 21, 1951, in Cape Girardeau, son of Rosati J. and Sylvia Boesch Moore. Moore was a welder. He served in the U.S. Army. Survivors include a daughter, Tricia; his parents of Perryville; two sisters, JoAnn Goff of St. Peters, Mo., and Cheryl Moore of Overland, Mo...
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Robert Namen
(Obituary ~ 02/17/03)
ANNA, Ill. -- Robert J. Namen, 74, of Anna died Saturday, Feb. 15, 2003, at Union County Hospital. He was born May 26, 1928, at Shady Side, Ohio, son of Sam and Josephine Rudish Namen. He and Geraldine Casey were married Jan. 20, 1948, in Akron, Ohio...
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Elva Habum
(Obituary ~ 02/17/03)
Elva Frances Habum, 93, of Scott City died Sunday, Feb. 16, 2003, at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau. She was born Jan. 18, 1910, at Graysboro, Mo., daughter of George William and Ambie Salena Bennett Keesee. She and William Habum were married Jan. 6, 1931, at Jackson. He died Dec. 25, 1972...
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Mildred White
(Obituary ~ 02/17/03)
CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Mildred J. White, 83, of Chaffee died Sunday, Feb. 16, 2003, at her home. She was born March 16, 1919, at Advance, Mo., daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Lina Carolina Cato Brown. She and Ernest "Rip" White were married Oct. 27, 1934. He died May 30, 1990...
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Historical groups seek useful partnership
(Editorial ~ 02/17/03)
Cape Girardeau County area residents are proud of their rich history. Because of their work, all of us can have an accurate picture of what this area was like decades or even centuries ago. Some members of historical societies wisely have determined that they can do even more work as partners. As a result, a few local historians sent invitations to 40 groups, from cemetery associations to archivists, seeking to form one alliance of all historical groups...
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Megan's Law lists need to be kept current
(Editorial ~ 02/17/03)
The sex offender registration laws of the mid-1990s seemed like a good idea with a useful purpose. They were spawned by the Megan Kanka case in New Jersey. The 7-year-old's parents were not aware that the man who lived across the street was a twice-convicted sex offender until he was charged with the brutal rape and murder of their daughter...
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Ridge - Lowering of terror alert likely
(National News ~ 02/17/03)
WASHINGTON -- Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Sunday he thought the current terrorism threat level would likely be lowered from the high-risk orange level, but wouldn't say when. "When it is lowered, and I'm confident it will be, then there will be an appropriate explanation at the time," he said...
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Drug prevents diabetes-related eye disease in rats
(National News ~ 02/17/03)
WASHINGTON -- A synthetic form of vitamin B1 that is used in Europe to treat nerve problems has been found to prevent the most common form of diabetes-related eye disease in rats. Diabetic rats treated with benfotiamine for 36 weeks did not develop any of the retina damage found in a similar group of untreated rats, according to a research team led by Dr. Michael Brownlee of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York...
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Three killed in New Madrid County accident
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
Icy road conditions contributed to an accident on Interstate 55 that killed three Southeast Missouri residents Sunday morning in New Madrid County. According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, Sebastian A. Escamilla, 33, of Sikeston, Mo., was traveling northbound on Interstate 55 when he lost control of his 1995 Ford Mustang on the ice-covered road. He slid across the median and struck a 2001 Freightliner driven by Charles F. Emmons of Jackson, Mich. Escamilla was pronounced dead at the scene...
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Community Q&A 2/17/03
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
Name: Meg Davis Lives in: Cape Girardeau. Family: Single, no children. Job: Sales representative. What do you like most about the area? It's home. Favorite food: Anything spicy...
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Community briefs 02/17/03
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
Area panel to assess emergency services The public is invited to meet with members of the League of Women Voters of Southeast Missouri in an examination and assessment of local emergency services at 7 p.m. today in the multipurpose room at Chateau Girardeau, 3120 Independence...
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Area Wide United Way forms youth division with area students
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
Recognizing the importance of youth involvement in the community's future, the Area Wide United Way has formed the Youth United Way. Three students from each area high school are participating, including Central High School, Jackson High School, Scott City High School, Notre Dame and Saxony Lutheran. The organization hopes to include more area high schools in the future...
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Jackson man receives MDA award
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
A Jackson man has been named recipient of the Muscular Dystrophy Association's 2003 Personal Achievement Award for MDA's Twin Rivers Chapter. Initiated in 1992, the national awards program recognizes the accomplishments and community service of people with disabilities caused by any of the neuromuscular diseases in MDA's program. This year's winner is Don Diamond...
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Military news 02/17/03
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
Little receives Col. Billy Jack Carter Award Staff Sgt. Brian Little was awarded the Col. Billy Jack Carter Award recently, while serving at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. Individuals chosen to receive the award must make the most significant contribution in protecting U.S. Air Force personnel or resources over the course of the year. Little is a security forces dog handler...
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Community cuisine 02/17/03
(Local News ~ 02/17/03)
Fish fry to benefit children's hospital A special fish fry will be held to benefit St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., from 4 to 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at Scott City Knights of Columbus Upper Hall, on U.S. 61. Carryouts are available. Masonic kettle beef dinner scheduled...
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Cape/Jackson fire reports 02/17/03
(Police/Fire Report ~ 02/17/03)
Cape Girardeau Monday, Feb. 17 Firefighters responded to the following calls Saturday: At 7:09 p.m., an emergency medical service at 2724 Leroy. At 7:25 p.m., an emergency medical service at 2014 Allen. At 9:27 p.m., an emergency medical service at 823 Clark Ave...
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Cape police report 02/17/03
(Police/Fire Report ~ 02/17/03)
Cape Girardeau Monday, Feb. 17 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Gerald L. McClain, 42, of 230 Carrington, Apt. A, St. Louis, received a summons Saturday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...
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People on the move 02/17/03
(Business ~ 02/17/03)
Wolf named radiation oncology director Southeast Missouri Hospital assistant administrator Pat Bira has announced the appointment of Darrell Wolf as radiation oncology director. Wolf will work closely with Dr. Joseph P. Miller, radiation oncology medical director...
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Business memo 02/17/03
(Business ~ 02/17/03)
Nordenia searching for new president Nordenia USA is searching for a replacement for president Paul Wiedlin, who left the company in December. The Germany-based packaging supplier, with its American plant in Jackson, employs more than 300 people...
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Indians eye another big year
(College Sports ~ 02/17/03)
The way Southeast Missouri State University's baseball Indians see it, why can't they reach the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season? "That's our goal, and we think we can do it again," senior shortstop Zach Borowiak said. "I feel we could be much better than we were last year."...
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Out of the past 2/17/03
(Out of the Past ~ 02/17/03)
10 years ago: Feb. 17, 1993 With 600 miles of mostly gravel roads to take care of, Cape Girardeau County highway crews have their work cut out for them when it comes to snow removal; bright and early yesterday morning, workers were on job, trying to deal with as much as 12 inches of snow that fell around county Monday...
Stories from Monday, February 17, 2003
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