Stories from Saturday, June 21, 2003

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri received its first federal payment of $95.1 million Friday under a tax-cut and state-aid package recently signed into law by President Bush. The money comes just 10 days before the end of the state fiscal year. But Linda Luebbering, the budget director for Democratic Gov. Bob Holden, said the money will be carried over into the fiscal year starting July 1 to help cover an expected shortfall...

TAVARES, Fla. -- Trappers caught and killed three more alligators from the Dead River on Friday, including one that had killed a 12-year-old boy, investigators said. Trappers already had killed and removed eight alligators from the narrow river where Bryan Griffin was pulled under while swimming with friends at the Palm Gardens Marina, about 35 miles northwest of Orlando...

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia -- A powerful truck bomb exploded near a government compound in the Chechen capital of Grozny on Friday, killing two bombers and wounding 36 people, officials said. The blast went off about 70 yards from a building that houses the police department for fighting organized crime in Chechnya, said Akhmed Dzheirkhanov, deputy chief of the Emergency Situations Ministry branch for the republic...

TUNIS, Tunisia -- A boat carrying about 250 people, mainly Africans headed for Italy, sank Friday off the Tunisian coast, killing at least 12 people, the official Tunisian news agency said. The TAP agency said 41 people were pulled from the water after the boat capsized at dawn, and that 12 bodies were found. Rescuers were still searching for the missing...

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The U.S. government lifted a ban on American lawyers defending war crimes suspects after talks with the Yugoslav tribunal's president, a court spokesman said Friday. The ban, part of an executive order seeking to halt support of individuals blacklisted by Washington, had derailed two cases since it was made public earlier this week. ...

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Firefighters moved through the charred, smoky streets of a mountaintop resort Friday to protect what was left of a community decimated by a raging wildfire that reduced 250 homes to smoking rubble. Heavy smoke hid the Summerhaven hamlet from observers flying overhead Friday, but parted occasionally to reveal a moonscape of blackened trees stripped of their branches. A cul-de-sac with homes burned to their foundations was visible from above...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The company that owns a T.G.I. Friday's franchise restaurant has agreed to pay $21 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the parents of two teenagers killed by a drunken driver. The agreement is one of the largest reported settlements or damage awards against establishments that served alcohol to customers who later injured or killed others, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- An elderly man who feigned amnesia when hikers found him in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park fabricated his story to cover his tracks in a child custody scheme, authorities said Friday. Jack Bowles, 76, of Princeton, W.Va., had not been charged Friday and was not in custody, but the park's Chief Ranger Jim Northup said authorities expect to charge him with providing false information...

LONDON -- Prince William, who turns 21 on Saturday, got birthday greetings from shock rocker Ozzy Osbourne. Osbourne, whose chaotic family life is the subject of an MTV reality series, invited the prince to come stay at his Beverly Hills mansion. "I've been told that you want to come and live in America. You're more than welcome to come and live in my house," Osbourne told a TV special celebrating William's birthday...

Fresh from voting yes on an amendment that promises more affordable prescription drugs, U.S. Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., was in Cape Girardeau on Friday to greet supporters at his Federal Building office. The hour-long open house preceded a local fund-raising event for U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, a fellow Republican...

ST. LOUIS -- Jose Lima earned his first major league win since last August and the Kansas City Royals got four RBIs from Ken Harvey in a 10-4 victory over the Cardinals on Friday night. It was the first of six games in a 10-day span between the cross-state rivals that met in the 1985 World Series. The Royals are 2-6 the last two seasons against the Cardinals, but punished St. Louis ace Matt Morris to even the series at 11-11 overall...

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea warned Friday it will take a "strong emergency measure" if the United States takes the dispute over the communist state's nuclear weapons programs to the U.N. Security Council. The United States is seeking a council statement to condemn North Korea's nuclear programs and demand that they be immediately dismantled "in a verifiable and irreversible manner."...

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Attacks against U.S. forces showed no sign of letting up Friday after a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into a power station in Fallujah, injuring two American soldiers and blacking out much of the city -- a center of anti-American hostility...

UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations will launch an appeal Monday for an additional $259 million to meet the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people until the end of the year, a U.N. official said Friday. Representatives from 50 prospective donor nations will return to the United Nations on Tuesday to discuss the reconstruction of Iraq and lay the groundwork for a donors conference in the fall...

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran said Friday it would continue to limit the operations of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, setting the stage for a confrontation with the United States. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said it expected Iran "to grant the agency all access deemed necessary" to defuse suspicions Tehran is operating a clandestine nuclear weapons program...

LONDON -- With a jangle of cash registers and a whoosh of witches' capes, bookstores across Britain rang up the first official sales of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" just after the stroke of midnight Saturday, bringing the boy wizard's fifth magical adventure to a legion of adoring fans...

ORROLI, Sardinia -- Giovanni Frau, Italy's oldest man, has died at the age of 112, his family said Friday. Frau, a farmer who attributed his longevity to homegrown food, died in his sleep Thursday, the man's grandson, Raffaele Moi, told The Associated Press. Born Dec. 29, 1890, Frau witnessed the turn of two centuries from his farm near the mountain village of Orroli, in the heart of Sardinia...

PORTO CARRAS, Greece -- Italy and three other nations at the European Union summit pushed Friday to reopen a contentious debate about mentioning God in the EU's new constitution. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, meanwhile, promised to block attempts to use the charter to transform Europe into a "federal superstate."...

VIENNA, Austria -- Experts from the U.N. atomic agency have accounted for tons of uranium feared looted from Iraq's largest nuclear research facility, diplomats said Friday. The natural and low-enriched uranium was secured at the Tuwaitha facility, 12 miles south of Baghdad, the diplomats said on condition of anonymity. Tuwaitha was left unguarded after Iraqi troops fled the area on the eve of the war...

JONESBORO, Ill. -- Union County's public defender is trying to get a judge to throw out evidence in his official misconduct trial, saying police shouldn't have searched his client files to get it. Patrick J. Cox, 53, is accused of soliciting a minor to illegally record another girl confessing to plans to falsely accuse a man of molesting her...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A bill designed to help children affected by a hair loss disorder was signed into law Friday by Gov. Bob Holden. The legislation would require the state employees' health insurance plan and Medicaid to pay for custom-made hairpieces for children who suffer from alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The federal government has denied Missouri's request for full federal reimbursement for debris removal and emergency measures taken as result of deadly tornadoes that swept through the state last month. Gov. Bob Holden and members of Missouri's congressional delegation had requested full funding of the estimated $20 million in state and local costs related to tornado damage in 76 counties...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A U.S. Postal Service letter carrier told a television station she was fired Friday after accidentally delivering a single copy of the new "Harry Potter" novel a day too soon. But postal officials told KMBC-TV that Kenia Cooper had only been suspended, and such a mistake would not likely warrant her dismissal...

DENVER -- Members of an in-house task force looking to streamline the U.S. Olympic Committee would like any legislation changing the structure of the organization to have broad requirements to allow for modifications. The task force, created in February after three months of infighting led to Congressional involvement, issued its final report for restructuring the USOC on Friday...

LOS ANGELES -- A lot has changed in the heavyweight world since Lennox Lewis put a whipping on Mike Tyson a year ago in Memphis. There are two intriguing new belt holders, one big deflated contender and no sign of Tyson. One thing that hasn't changed: Despite his layoff and his tendency to give his titles away, Lewis is the true heavyweight champion until somebody beats him in the ring...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Florida scouts want Panthers general manager Rick Dudley to use the top pick in the NHL draft. Given his history, that isn't very likely. Dudley traded away the No. 1 pick while with Tampa Bay in 1999, and he swapped the Panthers out of that spot last year. He estimated chances of yet another trade at 60-40 on Friday...

MILWAUKEE -- Five seconds into the evening, Blaine Wilson looked all washed up. By night's end, he was back in contention for his sixth national title. Overcoming an embarrassing slip during his first pass on the pommel horse, Wilson rallied Friday night to finish in third place after the preliminaries of the men's U.S. ...

COMMERCE, Calif. -- A line of train cars broke loose in a switching yard and rolled more than 30 miles before workers derailed them to avoid a potential disaster in Los Angeles, launching tons of lumber onto trackside homes but causing only a handful of injuries...

LOS ANGELES -- Cosmetics heir and former fugitive Andrew Luster began serving a 124-year sentence he had dodged for months by fleeing to Mexico after his conviction for drugging and raping three women. The FBI put him aboard a plane in Mexico and flew him back to California on Thursday, a day after he was captured by bounty hunters...

DALLAS -- A federal district court dismissed a request by the one-time plaintiff known as "Jane Roe" to reconsider the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion 30 years ago. The court said late Thursday that Norma McCorvey's request wasn't made within a "reasonable time" after the 1973 judgment in Roe v. Wade...

SONOMA, Calif. -- Boris Said was living his dream Friday after winning the pole for the Dodge/Save Mart 350. Said, one of five road racing specialists brought in by Winston Cup teams for Sunday's race at Infineon Raceway -- one of only two road courses on the circuit -- celebrated joyously after setting a track record on the 1.949-mile, 11-turn course...

Ford and Sons snaps a five-game skid, wins 10-4 The Ford and Sons senior Legion team snapped a five-game losing streak with a 10-4 win over Poplar Bluff. Seth Hudson led the 11-hit attack by going 3-for-4, which included a home run and two RBIs. Dustin Tatum had a pair of hits, including a home run and a pair of RBIs...

The Craftsman Union Capahas played by far their worst defensive game of the season Friday night -- yet still bounced back from their only loss of the campaign in a big way. Despite committing four errors, the Capahas banged out 14 hits and took advantage of seven errors by the Southern Illinois Merchants to post a 19-5 victory at Capaha Field. The game was stopped after 6 1/2 innings because of the 10-run rule...

The Missouri Junior Match Play Championships ended in dramatic fashion with Matthew Bortis of Springfield, Mo., being crowned the state champion Friday at Bent Creek Golf Course in Jackson. Bortis, seeded second, needed all 36 holes of the title match, defeating fourth-seeded Ryan Blechle of O'Fallon, Mo., 1-up...

JERICHO, West Bank -- Secretary of State Colin Powell pored over detailed territorial maps with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority in separate meetings Friday, praising the Israelis for efforts toward an eventual peace settlement and urging speed on the Palestinians...

WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted Friday to allow drugs to be imported from Canada, where prices are lower than in the United States, acting for the second time in as many days to hold down the cost of prescription medication. Even before the 62-28 roll call, the Food and Drug Administration signaled strongly it might use its authority to block the change, warning of a potential security breach and saying it "cannot guarantee the safety of the drugs."...

The gray ship no longer carries tanks or troops. But the 60-year-old vessel still has its share of World War II memories of combat on the beaches of Normandy and the invasion of Sicily. On Friday, the ship LST-325 docked in Cape Girardeau before a crowd of onlookers that included many veterans who served on similar ships during the war...

Fireworks stands in Cape Girardeau and Jackson opened for business on Friday, marking the unofficial beginning of the Fourth of July season. The stands opened just in time for Cassidy Moss and a few of his friends to browse through the merchandise at Patriot Fireworks in front of Schnucks on Kingshighway...

According to Jocelyn Elders, America does not have a health-care system, it has a very expensive "sick-care system," one that can't seem to grasp the deadly problem of babies born with low birth weight. "There is enough money in the system -- $1.6 trillion," Elders said Friday during a stop in Cape Girardeau. "But if we don't take ownership of the problem, we're never going to solve it."...

Almost everybody who is anybody in the world of Harry Potter and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was there Friday night, including Hermione Grangers, a robed Slytherin teacher, Keeper of the Keys Rubeus Hagrid and a tall white-bearded Dumbledore, the master wizard...

By Jason Crowell The Missouri General Assembly adopted during this limited special session a balanced budget that does not rely on tax increases and ensures that government lives within its means. In spite of this Herculean effort, Gov. Bob Holden has announced his intention to veto the appropriation bills for secondary and higher education again and renewed his call for higher taxes...

By Sally Jenkins ~ The Washington Post The big guys are doing big deals. Deals bigger than Johnny Swofford's overfed paunch, bigger than his big power hair. Big deals, for big money, in big stadiums, with big signage, so the big guys can expand their big desks in their big offices with their big chairs, in which they sit their big, ever-expanding butts...

Laura VanHoevelaak figures making the Verizon Academic All-American Women's Track and Field Team for the second straight year is a fitting way to officially end her Southeast Missouri State University athletic career. VanHoevelaak, who last month concluded a brilliant run with the Southeast track program, has been selected as a second-team Academic All-American. She is one of just 45 athletes from around the country on the top three teams...

WASHINGTON -- The Defense Department has alerted all U.S. interests in Kenya to a terrorist threat, prompting the closure of the American Embassy in Nairobi, officials said Friday. The Pentagon also raised the threat level in the East African nation to "high" based on information about a threat against a specific target, a defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The warning, the highest of four levels, was issued Thursday...

LICENSE TO THRILL The following fireworks stands have received licenses in their respective cities:CAPE GIRARDEAU Big Jim's Fireworks, 1120 N. Kingshighway Big River Rockets, 2120 William Hoffman Family Fireworks, Town Plaza on Independence...

Anita Mae White Schulte of Jackson died unexpectedly at her home Wednesday, June 18, 2003. She was born March 23, 1928, in Arbyrd, Mo., daughter of J.E. "Jack" and Minta Mae Hawn White. Anita grew up in Kennett, Mo., and graduated from Kennett High School. Her family moved to Cape Girardeau, and she graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a degree in elementary education...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Kelly Goza, 86, of Sikeston died Thursday, June 19, 2003, at his home. He was born Dec. 13, 1916, in Stoddard County, Mo., son of Albert Clarence and Amanda Jane Davis Goza. He married Iona Lett, who died June 28, 1995. Goza was co-owner of Goza-Harper Motor Co. in Sikeston many years...

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Larry M. Hendrickson, 65, of Sikeston died Thursday, June 19, 2003, at Sikeston Convalescent Center. He was born July 12, 1937, in Kearney, Neb., son of Albert and Merna Lucille Mahn Hendrickson. Hendrickson was employed by Heartland Potato Farms...

ANNA, Ill. -- Mable E. Brimm, 98, of Anna died Friday, June 20, 2003, at Union County Hospital. She was born Feb. 17, 1905, in Mount Vernon, Ill., daughter of William and Sarah Gibbs Spicer. She and Jess Brimm were married June 7, 1924, in Jonesboro, Ill. He died Feb. 15, 1994...

MARQUAND, Mo. -- Troy Lee McCutcheon, 75, of Marquand died Thursday, June 19, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. He was born July 31, 1927, at Patton, Mo., son of Herbert and Reva Kaiser McCutcheon. He and Louella Mills were married April 15, 1949, at Marquand. She died June 1, 1995...

Hazel G. Hyslop, 90, of Cape Girardeau died Thursday, June 19, 2003, at Ratliff Care Center. She was born Nov. 14, 1912, at Aid, Mo., daughter of Walter Calvin and Ada Pope Watkins. She and Ira A. Hyslop were married Dec. 8, 1928, in Jackson. He died July 7, 1969...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The Rev. Emil L. Bickel, 97, of Perryville died Thursday, June 19, 2003, at Perry County Nursing Home. He was born Dec. 28,1905, in Frankenmuth, Mich., son of John and Regina Loesel Bickel. He and Agnes W. Ranke were married Aug. 24, 1930. She died April 6, 1994...

10 years ago: June 21, 1993 Cape Girardeau City Council will consider law that would allow sale of package liquors on Sundays; council earlier this month delayed similar measure to allow for additional public comment on matter; Missouri Legislature approved Sunday liquor sales in last session, but cities must approve local ordinances and merchants must apply for Sunday sales license...

Daily American Republic POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A Poplar Bluff man who could have paid a $75 fine for discharging a firearm in the city limits will spend nearly 20 years in federal prison for illegally possessing that weapon. Preston Maxwell, 27, was sentenced to 235 months in prison Thursday by U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber after a jury convicted him in March of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Sorrell...

Glass Daughter to Ronald Neil and Amie Diane Glass of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:36 p.m. Tuesday, June 17, 2003. Name, Lisken Faith. Weight, 7 pounds. Mrs. Glass is the former Amie Runnels, daughter of Diane Runnels of Jackson and Larry Runnels of Pocahontas. She is employed at the Cutting Edge. Glass is the son of Ron and Emy Glass of Jackson. He is employed by Chaffee R-II Public Schools...

Lutheran church marks 150th anniversary Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells will mark its 150th anniversary with a special service June 29. Guest speaker at the 9 a.m. service will be the Rev. Ed Kienath, a former pastor. Following the worship service, there will be a potluck lunch in the church hall and a display of historical items and open house in the old school building...

Sunday Ordination service for Pam Pratt at First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau. A reception will be held at 8:45 a.m. The ordination will be at the 10:45 a.m. worship service. Anniversary service and worship at 10 a.m. at St. John's Lutheran Church in Pocahontas to mark 50 years of ordination for the Rev. Albert Nyland. A potluck meal will follow the worship service and an open house will be from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the church...

It's a beauty contest HERE WE go again. It's summer festival time in Southeast Missouri, and it's time for cries of foul play and rigged contests. It sounds like the losers are sore and the winners still have the crowns. Get over it, people. It's a beauty contest, not a national election...

To the editor: In response to Donn Miller's letter "'Regime change' is Bush term for nation-building": Just because we haven't found the chemical and biological weapons doesn't mean they aren't in Iraq. The mobile labs that were used to create the stuff have been found. These chemical weapons can be stored in vials the size of a thimble. They could be hidden anywhere in the vast deserts of Iraq...

To the editor: Gov. Bob Holden has signed House Bill 390, an act allowing the licensing of anesthesiologist assistants. State Rep. Jason Crowell and state Rep. Rod Jetton were among the sponsors of this bill. Our state legislature as well as Holden should be commended for proactively addressing our state's anesthesia personnel shortage...

David Shaw wears long pants to protect his shins when he's skateboarding, or if it's rainy or very cold. Or for a special event, such as his eighth-grade graduation. Otherwise, forget it. "The only other time I wear pants is if all my shorts are dirty,'" said the 14-year-old from Newport Beach, Calif., shopping with his mom and little brother at the Metro Point shopping center in Costa Mesa, Calif., recently...

A house concert featuring the duo Somebody's Sister will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday at the residence of Teri Wondra. For information and directions, call 339-8792.

Cape Girardeau Sheriff's Department Saturday, June 21 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Wayne L. Drake, 32, of Old Appleton, Mo., was arrested June 14 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, June 21 Firefighters responded to the following calls on Friday: At 1:07 a.m., an emergency medical service at 312 W. Lorimier. At 3:52 a.m., alarm sounding at 611 S. West End Blvd. At 11:28 a.m., emergency medical service at 2556 Independence...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, June 21 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Jebediah Morris, 29, of 704 E. Pine, Scott City, was arrested Friday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and obstructing traffic...

It is appropriate that the fastest growing town in Southeast Missouri should take an evening to honor the people and businesses that are making Jackson so successful. This week, members of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce came together to hand out recognition. Those on the receiving end were:...

The two bridges across the Mississippi River in Cape Girardeau -- one a complete span, the other almost connected from Illinois to Missouri -- are a study in contrasts. A motorist can cross the 75-year-old bridge, with its bumpy deck and rust-marked structure, and gaze a short distance to the south to see the modern version...

Saying goodbye to Cape Girardeau will be bittersweet for Bob and Joyce Gauthier and their family. After eight years of service at the Salvation Army center in Cape Girardeau, the Gauthiers are preparing for a new assignment. Beginning July 1, they will be assigned to Salvation Army territorial headquarters in Chicago. Maj. Bob Gauthier will work with prison ministries and his wife, Maj. Joyce Gauthier, will serve as women's ministry secretary...

Stratton Tingle likely learned more about himself in the nine months he spent in the African bush than he did about anything else. Living among people who suffer from hunger, disease and poverty, Tingle said the greatest lessons he learned were about greed and giving. The Cape Girardeau native spent most of the year in Kafue, Zambia, working with a missions team from the Seventh-day Adventist church...

Even the best rodeo athletes get bucked. Matt Boyers, who just weeks ago graduated from Poplar Bluff High School, hit the dirt in three events Thursday night at the Missouri High School Rodeo State Finals. But by Friday Boyers was back on the saddle and ready to reclaim his top spot in the saddle bronc and bareback competitions...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri high school volleyball teams will experiment with new scoring rules next season. The Missouri State High School Activities Association has approved a recommendation to experiment with rally scoring, which means a point is scored each time the ball is blown dead. Currently, teams use side-out scoring, where a point can be earned only when a team is serving...

To the editor: I had arrived early for the meeting of the agricultural committee of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce and remained in my pickup as a van pulled alongside. I watched in silent admiration as the driver manipulated doors, slipped into a wheelchair, opened the back of the van and drove himself to our meeting room...

WASHINGTON -- Consumers should not use any of six "sexual stimulants" sold in the guise of dietary supplements because they contain a prescription drug illegal to sell here and risky to some people, the Food and Drug Administration warned Friday. The products sell under the names Sigra, Stamina Rx, Stamina Rx for Women, Y-Y, Spontane ES and Uroprin...