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Rooting out rodents
(Column ~ 03/12/03)
My first experience with voles occurred in the early 1980s when I had started a Christmas tree plantation. The trees were 3 to 5 years old and were growing nicely. Late one spring, I noticed that an occasional tree here or there would slowly turn brown and die. I found that these trees had been girdled at the ground line by some unknown varmint...
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Judge - 'Enemy combatant' can meet with defense lawyers
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
NEW YORK -- A former Chicago gang member accused of plotting with al-Qaida to detonate a "dirty" bomb of radioactive material can meet with defense lawyers despite government concerns, a judge ruled Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Michael Mukasey rejected the government's plea to reverse his decision last year allowing lawyers to consult with Jose Padilla, 31, who was designated an enemy combatant by the White House last summer...
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Cancer patient wishes for and receives college education
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- When high school student Lincoln Rogers was stricken with kidney cancer, he didn't ask the Make-A-Wish Foundation for a trip to Walt Disney World or a chance to meet his favorite TV star. He asked for an education. The foundation made it happen, and now Rogers is a 19-year-old sophomore and a big man on campus at Lipscomb University, where a walk through the student center is a blur of hugs and handshakes and where everybody seems to recognize his smile, if not his hair...
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Charges dropped against SF police chief, top assistant
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
SAN FRANCISCO -- The district attorney dropped all charges against police chief Earl Sanders and his top assistant Tuesday, saying he couldn't prove they helped orchestrate a cover-up of a street brawl involving off-duty officers. District Attorney Terence Hallinan said he was dropping felony counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice against Sanders and assistant chief Alex Fagan Sr. "in the interest of justice" after reviewing 1,300 pages of evidence...
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Black Hawk crashes in New York; at least two survive
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- A Black Hawk helicopter carrying 13 people crashed Tuesday in a heavily wooded area of this sprawling Army post, military officials said. Two people survived, but authorities did not disclose the fate of the other 11 aboard. "I would like to extend my condolences to the families of our fallen comrades and I want to assure you that we will fully investigate this terrible accident and do everything in our power to take care of all the families involved in this tragedy," said Maj. ...
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People talk 3/12/03
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
John Mellencamp writes 'To Washington' INDIANAPOLIS -- John Mellencamp's new song, "To Washington," is an overview of recent American history -- not a protest or anti-war anthem, the singer says. "He wants to fight with many, and he says it's not for oil," Mellencamp sings. President Bush is never identified more specifically than "a new man in the White House with a familiar name."...
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In search of a cool nickname
(Column ~ 03/12/03)
I have a morning ritual that can't be broken or the day is ruined. I get up, walk into the guest room and turn on MTV Jams. It's the only kind of music that allows me to continue on to the second part of the ritual: the "Eight Minutes in the Morning" exercise routine with my secret lover, Jorge Cruise. He still hasn't bothered to return my e-mails, but we'll be together someday, his dark, mysterious eyes staring into mine as he describes his soy-and-fiber-based diet plan...
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Now is time to resolve budget issues
(Column ~ 03/12/03)
When I served in the Missouri House of Representatives in the mid 1970s, I was immediately surprised that no running total (or checkbook balance) was being kept in the House where the appropriations bills were initiated. As it does today, Missouri had to operate with a balanced budget...
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Remembering Grandma's angel food cakes
(Column ~ 03/12/03)
smcclanahan I can barely remember my grandma making angel food cakes from scratch -- separating the eggs and whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks to make the most gorgeous cakes. She would ice them with maraschino cherry icing, and my dad and brother, Wes, loved them so much. ...
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In statehouses, anti-abortion forces push for new restrictions
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
In a methodical, step-by-step strategy, anti-abortion legislators are working in statehouses around the country to make it harder for women to get an abortion. Among the measures introduced this year are proposals to set a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion, require parental notification for minors, make it a crime to injure a fetus, and ban state funding of abortions...
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Panel wonders if wind shear weakened shuttle Columbia
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
HOUSTON -- The Columbia accident investigation board raised the possibility Tuesday that an unusually strong wind shear a minute into the flight weakened the shuttle's left side. The board also suggested the age of the spacecraft may have contributed to the catastrophe...
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Meeting on Lockerbie ends with progress made, officials say
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
LONDON -- U.S. and British diplomats made progress Tuesday in talks with Libyan officials over responsibility for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, officials said. Britain's Foreign Office said the three-way session in London had been useful, but played down reports that Libya had accepted responsibility for the 1988 bombing over the Scottish town of Lockerbie and that a compensation deal had been struck for families of the victims...
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Putin shakes up his Cabinet
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin gave Russia's security service sway over the border guards and government communications Tuesday -- broad powers that nearly equal those of its powerful predecessor, the KGB. Putin said the move, along with other Cabinet changes, should help the government fight illegal drugs and terrorism. Officials also said that the merger would also help save money and increase efficiency...
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British to boost surveillance of Internet
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
LONDON -- The British government unveiled plans Tuesday to give more officials the power to monitor private e-mail and cell phone records as part of its fight against organized crime and terrorism. In its proposed changes to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, the government also recommended that telecommunications companies keep information about subscribers for up to one year to assist the detection of terrorist activity...
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French officials detain fourth person in deadly synagogue raid
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
LYON, France -- French intelligence agents detained a man Tuesday in connection with a deadly synagogue attack in Tunisia last year, a judicial official said. Slah Saadaoui, 25, is alleged to have supplied the main suspect in the blast with fake identification papers, said the official. The blast has been linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network...
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Cyprus reunification talks fail; Annan recalls U.N. mediator
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
NICOSIA, Cyprus -- U.N.-mediated talks to reunify divided Cyprus collapsed Tuesday, the latest failure in 29 years of attempts to reunify the Mediterranean island. The talks stumbled over Turkish Cypriot insistence that their breakaway state win full recognition, and Greek Cypriot demands for the right of refugees to return to homes in northern Cyprus that they left 29 years ago...
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Nation digest 03/12/03
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
Military helicopter goes down; at least two survive FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- A Black Hawk helicopter carrying 13 people crashed Tuesday in a heavily wooded area of this sprawling Army post, military officials said. At least two people survived. Maj. Gen. Franklin Hagenbeck, commander of the 10th Mountain Division, refused to take questions at a news briefing but indicated there were fatalities among those aboard the Black Hawk...
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Broadway musicians end strike, cut number of players
(Entertainment ~ 03/12/03)
NEW YORK -- After a four-day walkout that cost the city $10 million, Broadway musicians settled the first strike on the Great White Way in more than a quarter-century Tuesday by agreeing to cut the number of orchestra players a show must hire. The breakthrough came during an all-night negotiating session set up by Mayor Michael Bloomberg as the walkout by about 325 musicians began costing theaters, restaurants and hotels vital tourism dollars in a city already ailing financially...
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Cook an Irish meal inspired by Dublin fare
(Community ~ 03/12/03)
LITCHFIELD, Conn. -- Dublin has always been a fun destination, if only to spend time with friends and family, at St. Patrick's or any season. At one time, it was a must for a pub-crawl. Fast-forward to today, and you'll find the city rated among Europe's popular dining destinations...
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Jackson schools to allow for more snow days next year
(Local News ~ 03/12/03)
An unusual number of unscheduled cancellations due to winter weather this year has prompted officials in the Jackson School District to allow for more snow days next year. At its meeting Tuesday night, the Jackson School Board approved the calendar for the 2003-2004 school year...
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Pedestrian bridge project to be rebid
(Local News ~ 03/12/03)
Plans for a pedestrian bridge over Highway 74 that would link a south side Cape Girardeau neighborhood have been temporarily derailed as state highway officials look at whether AmerenUE utility poles have to be relocated to make room for the Ellis Street span...
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Blues pick up Osgood in hope of goalie boost
(Professional Sports ~ 03/12/03)
ST. LOUIS -- The Blues' search for a goalie took a big next step Tuesday when they acquired veteran Chris Osgood from the New York Islanders. The Blues are fifth in the Western Conference and just six points behind Central Divison-leading Detroit despite often shaky goaltending from Brent Johnson and Fred Brathwaite. Rookie Curtis Sanford played well in three straight recent games after Johnson was injured, but was pulled after giving up three quick goals in a 7-2 loss to Detroit on Friday...
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Lopez preps for opener as Orioles blank Cards
(Professional Sports ~ 03/12/03)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Rodrigo Lopez and two relievers combined on a four-hitter as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Cardinals 4-0 Tuesday. Lopez, the Orioles' probable opening day pitcher, allowed three singles in five innings -- the longest outing by a Baltimore starter this spring...
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Britain, Canada take lead on Iraq
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
UNITED NATIONS -- Britain and Canada took the lead Tuesday in trying to break the diplomatic impasse over how much time Saddam Hussein should be given to prove he has disposed of his weapons of mass destruction. Six countries that represent the key to a U.S. victory in the Security Council proposed a 45-day reprieve for Iraq. The Bush administration said it was willing to listen but wants a far shorter deadline. It said a vote will come by the end of this week, regardless...
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Scandals add the first madness to March
(College Sports ~ 03/12/03)
ATHENS, Ga. -- Need a quick A? Enroll in "Coaching Principles and Strategies of Basketball" at the University of Georgia -- no attendance required. Having trouble getting into school? Take a look at St. Bonaventure, where a smooth jumper and a welding torch are enough for admission...
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Indians stumble to MU in home opener
(College Sports ~ 03/12/03)
Garrett Broshuis didn't have his best stuff in his return to Capaha Field -- but the way Southeast Missouri State University's pitchers were missing the plate, he didn't have to. Broshuis, an Advance High School graduate who called Capaha Field home while playing summers for Cape Girardeau's American Legion, was the winning pitcher as Missouri spoiled Southeast's twice-delayed home opener Tuesday night, the Tigers holding on for a 9-8 victory...
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Villanova ends UConn streak at 70
(College Sports ~ 03/12/03)
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- On the eve of the NCAA tournament, defending national champion Connecticut suddenly seems vulnerable. It's the price of losing for the first time in two years. The longest winning streak in women's Division I history ended at 70 games on Tuesday night as No. 18 Villanova used an 18-2 second-half spurt to beat No. 1 Connecticut 52-48 for the Big East Conference tournament title...
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Three Rivers men's team advances to national tournament
(College Sports ~ 03/12/03)
Daily American Republic POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- After a seven-year hiatus, the Three Rivers Community College men's basketball team is going back to the national championship. The Raiders qualified for their 13th trip to Hutchinson, Kan., by rolling past Sauk Valley (Ill.) Community College 87-58 Tuesday night. Three Rivers (29-4) will play defending national champion Dixie State at 11 a.m. Tuesday...
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Oklahoma's Price wins league's top player award
(College Sports ~ 03/12/03)
NORMAN, Okla. -- Hollis Price, the classy guard whose clutch play helped keep Oklahoma in the hunt for a conference championship until the final weekend of the season, is the Big 12 Player of the Year as chosen by The Associated Press. Price, a senior, was second in the league at 19.4 points per game, but his numbers told just part of the story. His toughness and leadership drove the Sooners, who finished third in the Big 12, and earned him respect throughout the conference...
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Tour season starts with one subject at forefront
(Professional Sports ~ 03/12/03)
LPGA Tour commissioner Ty Votaw ticked off a list of story lines he believes will make this one of the best seasons ever in women's golf. He started with Annika Sorenstam. He didn't get much further. "I hear skepticism," Votaw said. For good reason...
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Science students make up new corps of discovery
(Local News ~ 03/12/03)
The Show Me Center was filled Tuesday with several months' worth of hard work that local students put into scientific experiments for the 47th annual Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair. As judges inspected the 150 project entries behind closed doors, seventh-grader Sarah Eichhorn from St. Joseph School in Scott City stood near the Show Me Center entry, fidgeting as she waited for the interview process to begin...
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Meth labs seizures up 29 percent
(Local News ~ 03/12/03)
Missouri is set once again to lead the nation in the number of methamphetamine lab seizures after the Missouri State Highway Patrol announced the state suffered a 29 percent increase in 2002 over the previous year. In 2002, Missouri law enforcement agencies reported 2,725 meth lab seizures, which is up from the 2,130 reported in 2001...
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French fries, toast get new name
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
WASHINGTON -- House cafeterias will be serving fries with a side order of patriotism Tuesday with a decision by GOP lawmakers to replace the "French" cuisine with "freedom fries." "This action today is a small but symbolic effort to show the strong displeasure of many on Capitol Hill with the actions of our so-called ally, France," said Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Administration Committee...
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Area digest 3/12/03
(Other Sports ~ 03/12/03)
Otahks' Bagby-Leonard wins OVC softball award Southeast Missouri State University junior first baseman Alana Bagby-Leonard is the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week. Bagby-Leonard, a transfer from Gulf Coast Community College, batted .423 (11-for-26) over the past week with a home run, four runs scored and six runs batted in...
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Snow days bill would slice down schedule
(State News ~ 03/12/03)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- In past years legislation to give a break to school districts that had a substantial number of snow days has come from lawmakers representing Missouri's northern counties. So state Sen. Bill Foster, R-Poplar Bluff, considers it "quite hilarious" that a Bootheel legislator is handling the bill this year...
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Clarkton ends Bell City's chase for state repeat
(High School Sports ~ 03/12/03)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- Grandma's not alone. The defending Class 1 state champions also got run over by a Reindeer. The biggest Reindeer was Clarkton senior Andre Marsh, who scored 30 points and ended Bell City's drive to a second straight to state championship with a 63-60 sectional win Tuesday night at Sikeston High School...
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Delta cruises into state quarterfinal
(High School Sports ~ 03/12/03)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- With four seniors in the starting lineup, the Delta girls basketball team is playing with a sense of urgency. It was on display in Tuesday's Class 1 sectional playoff game at Sikeston High School. Delta, which lost in last year's sectional round, busted out to a 20-point first-quarter lead en route to an 83-31 victory over Naylor...
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Jackson landfill of past may turn into park
(Local News ~ 03/12/03)
Signs saying "no trespassing" line the grassy field at the corner of Ridge Road and Oak Ridge Drive in Jackson, so Bill Ellis and his yellow Labrador walk on the street. The 14.2-acre grassy lot appears a bit boring and out of place next to the attractive three-story brick homes near the Bent Creek Golf Course and the expensive pickup trucks and SUVs that sit in the driveways of those homes. ...
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SEMO student dies in fire; electric source likely cause
(Local News ~ 03/12/03)
As an investigation continues today, authorities are pointing to an electrical problem as the likely cause of Tuesday morning's deadly house fire that took the life of 24-year-old Katrina Krumrie, a college student who worked at a local restaurant while studying to become an elementary school teacher...
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South Korean president supports stronger ties with U.S.
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's president on Tuesday called for a stronger alliance with the United States, a day after North Korea test-fired a cruise missile into the Sea of Japan. Roh Moo-hyun's comments also came after Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said last week that he wants U.S. troops stationed near the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea to be moved farther away from the zone, shifted to other countries or brought home...
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OPEC sticks with current oil output target, pledges more
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
VIENNA, Austria -- OPEC members agreed Tuesday to stick with their current quotas for crude oil production but pledged to boost output in the future to keep supplies flowing in case of any serious disruption. Representatives of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ruled out formally raising output now as a way of reassuring nervous markets before any U.S.-led attack on Iraq...
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UNICEF warns of medicine shortages
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
BEIJING -- Warning that its clinics in North Korea will run out of medicines next month, the U.N. children's agency issued an urgent appeal Tuesday for donations, asking countries to set aside any unease about helping the North during its nuclear crisis...
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Rhonda Brandon
(Obituary ~ 03/12/03)
Rhonda Y. Brandon, 40, of Cape Girardeau died Sunday, March 9, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born March 10, 1962, in Greenville, Miss., the daughter of Darrell G. and Karolyn C. Shivley Brandon. She graduated from Nevada High School in Nevada, Mo., in 1980, and from Southeast Missouri State University in 1995 with a B.S. ...
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Speak Out A 03/12/03
(Speak Out ~ 03/12/03)
Restoring faith MY FAITH in Missouri's government can be restored in one fell swoop if legislators have the courage to close tax loopholes for corporations. The facts speak THE PERSON who said the economy under President Clinton was not good must be living in a world of his own. ...
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Engineer explains MoDOT's process for right-of-way
(Letter to the Editor ~ 03/12/03)
To the editor: The Missouri Department of Transportation has mailed two project updates to property owners and community leaders about the Highway 34-72 project in Jackson. In our January update, the right-of-way process was explained in an effort to educate residents about the property-acquisition process. Some questions and concerns have been raised about compensation...
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Pro-war side distorts position of protesters
(Letter to the Editor ~ 03/12/03)
To the editor: That the United States should initiate a war with Iraq, especially a unilateral and/or pre-emptive strike war, is an issue which demands serious debate which, if it is fair, must begin with two underlying premises: Neither the pro-war nor the anti-war sides have the right to question the patriotism of the other side, nor does the pro-war side have any honest basis for declaring that those who are against the war with Saddam Hussein are by definition also against and unsupportive of the American troops who would fight in such a war.. ...
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Letter prompts business owner to get involved
(Letter to the Editor ~ 03/12/03)
To the editor: I read the letter about someone at the Cape Girardeau Civic Center having a minor accident due to a leaky roof. The writer commented that it was sad the kids could not use the Osage Community Centre because they did not have transportation. I felt like I could do something...
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County looks at road-maintenance costs
(Editorial ~ 03/12/03)
Like so many other areas in state government, the Missouri Department of Transportation is searching for ways to trim the fat. In this case, MoDOT is looking at asking Missouri's counties to maintain their own lettered state roads that range from Route A to Route Z...
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Cape/Jackson police reports 3/12/03
(Police/Fire Report ~ 03/12/03)
Cape Girardeau Wednesday, March 12 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. Arrests William W. Cardwell, 37, of 1306 Tanglewood, Jackson, was arrested Monday on a Cape Girardeau warrant for failure to appear...
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Schools spending more, getting deeper in debt
(Local News ~ 03/12/03)
School districts are awash in red ink, with debt rising 13 percent in the 2000-01 school year to almost $202 billion, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. The debt has resulted mostly from school construction projects, which have been plentiful in local school districts during the past five years...
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Wilma Nett
(Obituary ~ 03/12/03)
Wilma M. Nett, 87, of Cape Girardeau, died Monday, March 10, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She was born Feb. 16, 1916, in Carthage, Mo., daughter of William and Tillie Roux Nichols. She married Dale Nett in Carthage on Nov. 28, 1938. She had been part owner and head bookkeeper with Missouri Propane Gas in Cape Girardeau, Chapman Transport in Cahokia, Ill., and Nett Farms in Fredericktown, Mo. She was also a Girl Scout leader with the Otahki Council for 12 years...
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Katrina Krumrie
(Obituary ~ 03/12/03)
Katrina M. Krumrie, 24, of Jackson died Tuesday, March 11, 2003, as a result of a fire. Arrangements are incomplete at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson.
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Out of the past 3/12/03
(Out of the Past ~ 03/12/03)
10 years ago: March 12, 1993 When record flooding in southern Arizona destroyed or damaged millions of dollars worth of lettuce, cauliflower and broccoli this winter, produce prices in Cape Girardeau area rose sharply and stayed high for about week; but they fell about as fast as they went up...
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Club news 3/12/03
(Community News ~ 03/12/03)
Editor's note: Please submit your club news information either typed or printed. It is sometimes very difficult to make out people's names. Please use members' first and last names instead of formal titles. For instance, Jane Smith, not Mrs. John Smith. Thank you...
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Correction 3/12/03
(Correction ~ 03/12/03)
In the March 4 edition, University of Missouri-Rolla student Andy Goetz should have been listed as a representative of the Triangle Fraternity for the Knights of St. Patrick. The Southeast Missourian regrets the error.
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Births 3/12/03
(Births ~ 03/12/03)
Wood Daughter to Craig Allen and Laurie Lynn Wood of Farmington, Mo., Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Crystal City, Mo., 10:49 p.m. Monday, March 10, 2003. Name, Hannah Sophia. Weight, 6 pounds 5 ounces. First child. Mrs. Wood is the former Laurie Riehn, daughter of Sandy Riehn of Cape Girardeau. ...
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Karen Grace
(Obituary ~ 03/12/03)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Karen Joy Grace, 59, of Jefferson City died Tuesday, March 11, 2003, at The Villa Maria Nursing Center in Jefferson City. She was born Jan. 13, 1944, daughter of John Wesley and Edna Mae Nobles Ridlen. She graduated summa cum laude from Southeast Missouri State University in 1978 and completed a graduate masters degree with academic distinction in 1981. ...
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Eva Hinkley
(Obituary ~ 03/12/03)
MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Eva A. Hinkley, 87, of Advance, Mo., formerly of Glenallen, Mo., died Sunday, March 9, 2003, at Advance Nursing Home. She was born Sept. 9, 1915, in Detroit, Mich., daughter of Marvin and Eva Mills Swarthout. She married Howard Hinkley. He preceded her in death Oct. 30, 1975...
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Shirley Guiling
(Obituary ~ 03/12/03)
ORAN, Mo. -- Shirley Stigall Guiling, 67, of Universal City, Texas, died Tuesday, March 11, 2003, at San Antonio, Texas. She was born Sept. 27, 1935, in Oran, daughter of E.M. "Bud" and Lucille Graviett Stigall. She had been employed at Bri-Lane of San Antonio...
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Linda Ruble
(Obituary ~ 03/12/03)
Linda Nell Ruble, 62, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., died Tuesday, March 11, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born Nov. 13, 1940, in Atkins, Ark. She married Robert W. Ruble in Piggott, Ark., on Jan. 8, 1996. She was a retired certified nurse's aide and was of the Baptist faith...
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Region/state briefs 03/12/03
(Local News ~ 03/12/03)
Maryville seeking to stop some alcohol specials MARYVILLE, Mo. -- The party may not be over for some Northwest Missouri State University students, but it may soon be more expensive. The university is pushing Maryville city officials to enact a ban on all-you-can drink specials at the city's bars...
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Cloning ban passes House, faces Senate test
(Editorial ~ 03/12/03)
Score one for the U.S. House of Representatives, which recently passed a bill endorsed by President Bush that would ban cloning and sentence violators to prison and fines as high as $1 million. It's still unclear what will happen to the bill in the U.S. Senate, but the proposed legislation would ban all human cloning, including cloning that would create a pregnancy or contribute to medical research...
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Turkish leader Erdogan may push for U.S. troops
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
ANKARA, Turkey -- The charismatic leader of Turkey's governing party was named prime minister Tuesday, a step that probably boosts chances the United States will get permission to deploy troops in the country along Iraq's northern border. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who favors the deployment, hinted that he will reshuffle the Cabinet, but gave no indication if he would purge officials who opposed letting in the troops, as analysts have suggested he might do...
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Relatives of missing Kuwaiti POWs pin last hopes on war
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
KUWAIT CITY -- The last time Jamal al-Attar's sisters saw him, he was in jail, naked and blindfolded, with his hands tied behind his back. Twelve years later, his family has lost hope of ever learning his fate at the hands of Saddam Hussein's forces...
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Princess files complaint against secret service
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- A princess of the Dutch royal family has filed a criminal complaint against the nation's secret service and a former prime minister. Princess Margarita accused former Prime Minister Wim Kok and members of his Cabinet of perjury for letters they wrote denying that her aunt, Queen Beatrix, had ordered intelligence agencies to investigate her commoner husband, the Amsterdam public prosecutor said Tuesday...
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Iranian nuclear power plant nears completion
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
BUSHEHR, Iran -- Iran's first nuclear power plant, which the United States claims can be used to make nuclear bombs, is nearing completion and all major components are installed, Iranian officials said Tuesday. "Over 70 percent of the work has been accomplished," Assadollah Sabori, deputy head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said in a press conference. "The main thing left is shipping nuclear fuel from Russia, which is expected to take place in May," he said...
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Chinese officials meet with protesting workers
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
BEIJING -- Government officials in northeastern China met Tuesday with hundreds of laid-off state textile workers who have taken to the streets to demand back pay and unemployment insurance. The meeting in Jiamusi, a city in China's rust belt, came during a gathering of the country's legislators in Beijing to discuss poverty and unemployment, among other major problems...
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Bush apologizes to Afghan leader over comments from senators
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
KABUL, Afghanistan -- President Bush apologized to Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a phone call over the weekend for the treatment Karzai received last month during an appearance before Congress. U.S. officials in Washington said Bush telephoned Karzai in Kabul on Saturday to discuss Afghan-istan's struggle to rebuild after 23 years of war...
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Suspected traffickers down police helicopters
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
MEXICO CITY -- In a symbol of escalating violence by drug traffickers in Mexico, gunmen guarding an opium-poppy plantation shot down two police helicopters, killing all five agents aboard. The shooting Monday suggested that Colombian-style drug violence may be spreading and raised concerns that the government might begin militarizing the mountains of southern Mexico...
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World's first permanent war crimes court seated
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Eighteen judges took their seats Tuesday at the world's first permanent war crimes court, a long-awaited body that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said -- without specifically mentioning Iraq -- could help "dismantle tyrannies" and replace them with democratic regimes...
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Israeli soldier, Palestinian gunman killed
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
JERUSALEM -- An Israeli soldier and a Palestinian gunman died in a night-long gun battle in the tense city of Hebron that ended early Tuesday when Israeli forces destroyed a building where the gunman was holed up. In Gaza, Israeli forces killed two armed Palestinians near a Jewish settlement...
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Anti-Saddam groups plan amnesty offer for Iraqi soldiers
(International News ~ 03/12/03)
SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq -- The main factions opposing Saddam Hussein plan to use broadcasts and clandestine leaflets to promise ordinary Iraqi soldiers a general postwar amnesty, a top opposition figure said Tuesday. The decision to offer blanket freedom for rank-and-file troops was part of a key war planning session this week between the largest anti-Saddam groups in coordination with American officials, said Noshirwan Mustafa, a founding member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of the two main Kurdish groups.. ...
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U.S. would pay Iraqi bureaucrats, soldiers during postwar work
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
WASHINGTON -- The United States would put Iraqi soldiers to work rebuilding the country and pay to keep Iraq's civilian government bureaucracy running after a war, Pentagon officials said Tuesday. "It is likely that you are going to have a number of Iraqi people who are doing things -- Iraqi military that are not combatants and not problems for the coalition, or government officials running ministries providing water and food and things for people," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said...
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Air Force tests behemoth bomb
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
WASHINGTON -- In a flashy debut for its biggest non-nuclear bomb, the Air Force on Tuesday dropped a 21,000-pound behemoth onto a test range in Florida, hoping the test would rattle nerves in Iraq as well. The bomb test was declared a success, but movement on other fronts in the U.S.-led push toward war was murkier...
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Bush calls for end to judicial filibusters
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
WASHINGTON -- President Bush urged the Senate on Tuesday to change its rules and ban the use of filibusters on judicial nominees and require direct yes-or-no votes on all court nominations submitted by the White House. Bush sent the request in a strongly worded letter as Senate Republicans scheduled a second vote to end a filibuster that Democrats are using to make him muster a 60-vote supermajority in the 100-member Senate to put Miguel Estrada in a key federal appeals court seat...
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Report says government agencies lax in guarding SS numbers
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
WASHINGTON -- The government can't be trusted to keep the security in Social Security, at least when it comes to numbers, the agency's inspector general says. Government contractors pose a big risk, said the Social Security Administration IG's report, released Tuesday. ...
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Appeals court - No hearings for Guantanamo prisoners
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
WASHINGTON -- The 650 suspected Taliban and al-Qaida fighters held at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba have no right to hearings in American courts, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the detainees are aliens held outside U.S. territory and therefore are not entitled to rights granted by the U.S. Constitution -- such as having access to a lawyer and not being held indefinitely without charges being filed against them...
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House GOP budget would balance in seven years, says chairman
(National News ~ 03/12/03)
WASHINGTON -- House Republicans have written a budget they say will be balanced within seven years and that leaves the door open for most if not all of President Bush's proposed tax cuts, the chairman of the House Budget Committee said Tuesday. Chairman Jim Nussle, R-Iowa, said that to eliminate deficits, his $2.2 trillion budget for 2004 will seek savings over the next seven years from a broad range of federal programs, exempting only the military, domestic security, Social Security and unemployment insurance.. ...
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House plan would restore funding for science tests
(State News ~ 03/12/03)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Students in all Missouri schools could once again be taking standardized science tests next year due to a decision Tuesday by a House committee to restore state funding for the tests. Because of budget cuts this school year, the state is paying only for the math and communications portions of the Missouri Assessment Program tests...
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Paperwork snafu means no names on ballot in small Illinois town
(State News ~ 03/12/03)
BANNOCKBURN, Ill. -- Imagine walking into a voting booth, opening up a ballot and finding absolutely no candidates to choose from. That's what voters in the tiny Lake County community of Bannockburn will find when they go to the polls in April. Because of a paperwork error, the ballot will list only the offices up for election, namely village president, clerk and four trustees. ...
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Who says you can't have flowers or fruits now?
(Community ~ 03/12/03)
Although brightening sun is streaming into windows and stirring houseplants to grow, this time of year you may hunger for more than just growth from plants. How about some flowers and fruits? Amaryllis bulbs could surely be flowering. If you have a few plants, you can store them in a cool room to be brought out to warmth in succession for weeks of flowers...
Stories from Wednesday, March 12, 2003
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