Stories from Saturday, September 13, 2003

The pain of Thursday's 26-20 overtime loss to New Madrid County Central still lingers with the Central football team, but the Tigers did receive some good news Friday. Tigers quarterback Mitch Craft, who was taken to a hospital after being hurt late in the second quarter, will likely be ready for next Friday's game at Blytheville, Ark...

CANCUN, Mexico -- A key mediator was drafting a proposal Friday to slash rich countries' farm subsidies and open poor countries' markets, as a growing alliance of farming nations demanded Europe cut payments to farmers and the United States rewrite its farm bill...

UNITED NATIONS -- The Palestinians on Friday urged the U.N. Security Council to demand that Israel not expel Yasser Arafat and halt any threats to his safety. Reacting to two Palestinian suicide bombings that killed 15 Israelis this week, Israel's security Cabinet on Thursday blamed Arafat for the violence and declared that Israel will "remove" the Palestinian leader, though they did not divulge their exact plans...

STUTTGART, Germany -- The U.S. military will keep a "strong and vibrant" presence in Europe, the top U.S. military commander in Europe said Friday, even as Washington considers plans for a more agile force. One of Marine Gen. James Jones' first tasks after taking command of the 116,000-strong U.S. forces in Europe in January was to draft plans to transform the defensive Cold War military into a sleeker force deploying more quickly...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The U.S. military will investigate whether any regulations were violated when a Missouri state senator was granted leave from duty in Cuba so he could return home to cast the deciding vote to override a veto of concealed guns legislation, a military official confirmed Friday...

SILVIS, Ill. -- J.L. Lewis shot a second straight 6-under 65 Friday and held a two-stroke lead in the second round of the rain-soaked John Deere Classic. Several groups were still on the course when play was suspended for the day. They will finish their second rounds Saturday morning and then the cut will be made for the final two rounds, followed by the third round...

LOUDON, N.H. -- Ryan Newman lived up to his billing as a great qualifier, breaking his own track record while winning the pole Friday at New Hampshire International Speedway. The pole for Sunday's Sylvania 300 was Newman's 14th in just 71 Winston Cup starts. That includes a series-high seven this season after he paced the circuit a year ago with six...

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon's No. 2 official retreated Friday from his assertion that key lieutenants of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden are plotting with Saddam Hussein loyalists to kill Americans in Iraq. In television and newspaper interviews on Thursday's anniversary of the Sept. ...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Sept. 13 Firefighters responded Thursday to the following items: At 6:59 p.m., alarm at Bloomfield Road. At 7:16 p.m., medical assist at Southeast Missouri State University. At 7:44 p.m., fire alarm at Southeast Missouri State University...

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department Saturday, Sept. 13 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWIs Leslie R. Scirocco, 36, of Cape Girardeau was arrested Sept. 5 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated...

For most of us, an attack by Osama bin Laden's followers or any other terrorists in Southeast Missouri isn't something we expect or spend a whole lot of time worrying about. Admittedly, it's unlikely that bin Laden, if he's still alive, would somehow locate Southeast Missouri on a giant map of the United States and then launch a major attack against a sparsely populated part of the nation...

Cape Girardeau Saturday, Sept. 13 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Raymond H. McDade Jr., 37, of 612 Dorothy, Sikeston, Mo., received a summons Friday for driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident, striking a legally parked vehicle and driving with a revoked license...

People who counted on Internal Revenue Service advisers to help them fill out their tax forms last year must have blanched when they read the recent Associated Press story about IRS help centers. Treasury Service employees called the help centers, posing as taxpayers in need of assistance with their forms, between July and December 2002...

BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia -- He was clearly suffering -- unable to walk and speaking with difficulty -- but Pope John Paul II rallied enough to greet thousands of faithful Friday and pay tribute to victims of the "dark days" of communism. Battling his ailments, the pope pushed ahead with his Slovak pilgrimage, looking more alert than on his arrival 24 hours earlier...

BOMBAY, India -- Police shot and killed a man believed to have masterminded car bombings in Bombay last month that killed 53 people, an official said Friday. Police commissioner Ranjit Sharma said the suspect, identified as Naseer, and another man were killed in a Friday gunfight with police officers in central Bombay...

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- U.S. soldiers mistakenly opened fire on uniformed Iraqi policemen chasing highway bandits at night, killing eight officers and a Jordanian security guard and wounding nine other people Friday in this dangerous "Sunni Triangle" city near Baghdad, Iraqi police said...

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- When Illinois faces UCLA on Saturday, the Fighting Illini will be playing their first game at the Rose Bowl since Jan. 2, 1984. In coach Ron Turner's view, it comes nearly two years too late. The Illini won the Big Ten championship in 2001, but because the Rose Bowl was designated as the national championship game by the BCS, they wound up in the Sugar Bowl, losing to LSU 47-34 in New Orleans...

Doug Leslie, described by Cape Girardeau city employees as "down to earth" and a "hands-on" administrator, was hired Friday as the new city manager. He served as interim city manager on two occasions in the past eight years -- most recently since the May 30 firing of then city manager Michael Miller. The council blamed the firing on differences in management style...

A national small-business lobbying organization has picked the Cape Girardeau region to begin an intense recruitment campaign in hopes of giving small businesses more clout in government. The nonprofit National Federation of Independent Business already has more than 600,000 members nationally and more than 13,000 statewide...

VIENNA, Austria -- The U.N. atomic agency told Iran on Friday to prove by the end of October that its nuclear aims are peaceful, issuing a tough resolution that Tehran's chief delegate condemned as reflecting Washington's appetite for "confrontation and war."...

GENEVA -- Secretary of State Colin Powell on Friday rejected as "totally unrealistic" a French timetable for the full transfer of authority in Iraq to local control, starting with the establishment of a provisional government next month. French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin outlined the proposals on the eve of a meeting here today involving U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and representatives of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council...

Scott City's football team saw the opening kickoff go for a touchdown Friday for the second week in a row. Unfortunately for the Rams, this time the Portageville Bulldogs were the ones with the early lead. Spencer Martin's 85-yard return gave Portageville a 6-0 lead, and that was all the scoring they would need in a 24-3 win at Scott City...

Daily American Republic POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Animal control officer Mark Hastings has freed trapped skunks before but never quite like this. At 7:15 a.m. Friday, Hastings was called upon to free a skunk who had managed to get its head lodged in the drainage hole of a Dumpster at the Trailwood Apartments in Poplar Bluff...

Southeast Missouri State University coach Tim Billings marvels at how far Steve Roberts has taken Arkansas State's program in such a short period of time. "He's brought in some really good players and really improved that program," Billings said. "They've got a very good football team."...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Johnny Cash, a towering musical figure whose rough, unsteady voice championed the downtrodden and reached across generations with songs like "Ring of Fire," "I Walk the Line" and "Folsom Prison Blues," died Friday. He was 71...

AUSTIN, Texas -- A three-judge federal appeals panel on Friday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Democrats in the Texas Senate who had hoped to derail a new round of Republican-led congressional redistricting. The Democrats said they would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court...

HILO, Hawaii -- Hungry children sat quietly in a darkened living room, terrified of their abusive father. In the kitchen, maggots and rotting food filled the fridge. With the electricity out, cooking was done on a propane stove. The furniture was repossessed. The welfare check was already spent. The family was being evicted...

PINEVILLE, Ky. im Norman wasn't always the articulate wordsmith who now shines as a Southern Baptist pastor. Not so long ago, Norman was just another high school dropout from Appalachia who had gone on to earn a living for his wife and children. By his own admission, the 37-year-old carpet installer was unable to match subjects and verbs in simple sentences. He stumbled clumsily over many of the words in his Bible...

NEW YORK -- The 14th Dalai Lama is simultaneously the exiled monarch of Tibet, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning statesman and Buddhism's most renowned world leader -- aspects that are all evident during his current U.S. tour. But a private event, carrying out his religious role, may be the most significant moment in the India-based lama's visit -- a conference in the upstate New York community of Garrison for 300 leaders of local Buddhist centers in the Western Hemisphere...

Jackson and Leopold are closer to returning to the B.A. Sports Volleyball Classic semifinals for the second year in a row after sweeping their matches Friday in the first day of the 40-team event. Games resume at 8:30 a.m. today at the Show Me Center, Student Recreation Center and Notre Dame Regional High School, with the finals at 6 p.m. at the Show Me Center...

LOS ANGELES -- John Ritter, a master of sitcom silliness who ruled TV comedy with "Three's Company" and then found success again 25 years later with "8 Simple Rules ... For Dating My Teenage Daughter," has died of an undetected heart problem. He was 54...

The early-season honeymoon ended with a thud in Jackson's return home Friday. Rockwood Summit scored on its first possession to build steam early, then added touchdowns in each quarter to win 40-7. The win came a week after Jackson's season-opening defeat of Sikeston on the road...

Tickets for Blues regular season home games, including the home opener, will go on sale at 4 p.m. Wednesday, the team announced Friday. Tickets will go on sale at the Savvis Center box office and Ticketmaster locations, which include Famous-Barr and Schnucks. Tickets also are sold online at stlouisblues.com or ticketmaster.com, or by phone at (314) 241-1888 or (618) 222-2900...

HOUSTON -- Jeff Bagwell homered, Richard Hidalgo had four hits and pitcher Wade Miller drove in a career-high four runs as the Houston Astros routed the Cardinals 14-5 in the opener of a big three-game series Friday night. The Astros roughed up Woody Williams and finished with 19 hits, remaining a game ahead of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. St. Louis dropped 3 1/2 off the pace...

WASHINGTON -- Voltage shifts, line problems and power plant shutdowns were observed "well before" midday and across several states on the day of the nation's worst blackout, a government task force said Friday. A time line released by a U.S.-Canadian task force did not provide any new indication on what precisely triggered the Aug. 14 blackout which investigators believe started with power line problems in Ohio...

The man Cape Girardeau County detectives believe tossed a 5-gallon plastic gasoline container into a bonfire Jan. 18 appeared Friday in Perry County Circuit Court for a pretrial conference. The jury trial for Jerry L. Self, 23, of Millersville is set to begin Oct. 22. The case was moved to Perryville on a change of venue...

LOS ANGELES -- Prodded by many Republicans to pull out of the gubernatorial recall race, state Sen. Tom McClintock found strength Friday in new poll numbers that show him gaining on both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante...

SAN FRANCISCO -- When former President Clinton arrives in California to campaign with Gov. Gray Davis on Sunday, he will be the first in a long line of Democratic heavyweights scheduled to stump for the governor between now and the Oct. 7 recall election...

At 19, Bryan "Cowboy" Fortney already has been a carny for seven years. He inherited the life. "When your grandfather dies and he owns a show, that puts you in," he explains. Fortney is from Austin, Texas, but said, "I don't really, truly have a home."...

Phil Vassar's songs are vignettes about growing up in America, playing first base with a second-hand glove, warm summer nights, pushed-back car seats, turning 30. He sings and plays them with an all-American exuberance impossible to dislike. Handsome, blond and athletic, Vassar roams the stage like a football player looking for somebody to tackle or at least dance with. His voice and music owe more to rock than to country, but he fits right into the current state of country music...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri House approved technical changes to a nursing home bill on Friday as it wrapped up a special session during which lawmakers rejected Gov. Bob Holden's tax proposals for education. The House voted 151-1 to send Holden legislation intended to fix language in a new nursing home law that some feared could lead to the firing of numerous home health workers because of past legal troubles...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The House of Representatives capped the Missouri Legislature's three-day veto session Friday by overruling Gov. Bob Holden's rejection of a bill designed to derail St. Louis city's lawsuit against gun manufacturers. On a 116-36 vote supporting an override, the House achieved the required two-thirds majority with seven votes to spare. A day earlier, the Senate provided the minimum needed support for override on a 23-10 vote...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It's 30 minutes before kickoff and star running back Demetrius Harris is in the 'hood getting a quick fix. He makes it to the stadium on time, high on cocaine, and rushes for 147 yards while leading the Cougars to a victory. Reality? Nope, a scene from ESPN's new series "Playmakers," about a fictional professional football team...

Nazarene church breaks ground for Jackson project Jackson Church of the Nazarene held a groundbreaking service Sunday at the location of its new building, 2245 Old Toll Road. Arkansas evangelist to visit Cape church Evangelist Walton Weaver of Conway, Ark., will lead services Sunday through Friday at the North Cape Church of Christ for a fall Gospel meeting...

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Penn State's Zack Mills and Nebraska's Jammal Lord have two things in common entering tonight's game. They are their teams' starting quarterbacks, and vociferous fans for both teams wish they weren't. Mills was a golden boy two years ago when he was backing up Matt Senneca. He came off the bench to lead three comeback wins, and he set the school freshman passing record...

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State knows it has lost Maurice Clarett for the season. Now, the Buckeyes need to find an offense. So far, the Buckeyes have been less than imposing without Clarett, who scored 18 touchdowns and rushed for 1,237 yards in nine full games and parts of two others as a freshman during last year's national championship season...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The last time Missouri started a season 3-0, MTV was making its debut, the arcade world's "Pac Man fever" was sweeping the nation and Iran finally freed American hostages it kept captive for 444 days. Now after 22 years, the Tigers (2-0) look to keep the young season rolling unblemished after three games when Div. I-AA Eastern Illinois comes to town today in Missouri's home opener...

Southeast Missouri State University's women's soccer team cranked up its offense Friday night as the Otahkians won their home opener. After scoring a total of three goals in their first four games, the Otahkians broke loose for a 4-1 victory over Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis in front of an announced crowd of 223 at Houck Stadium...

Baseball Marlins right-hander Brad Penny left Friday night's game against the Braves in the first inning with a hyperextended pitching elbow, and he'll undergo an MRI exam Saturday. Penny gave no indication that he was hurt until Javy Lopez fouled off a pitch...

To the editor: I can imagine no event more relevant to Missouri than the national commemoration of the Lewis and Clark expedition. It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in the midst of a controversy surrounding an effort to erect a monument on the Capitol grounds commemorating the event...

To the editor: Earlier this summer I visited New York. I viewed the World Trade Center site where work teams were still hauling away rubble. Workers were wearing protective clothing and breathing apparatuses, which made me wonder if I should be too...

They don't care MISSOURI DEFEATED a proposition to allow the concealed carrying of weapons. Lawmakers then decided to not put the issue up for vote again and tried to circumvent us. The governor, though not well-liked, did the right thing by his veto. Area lawmakers are showing us they care little about what we've already decided...

Henry Charles "Bud" Leiner Jr., 85, of Scott City died Thursday, Sept. 11, 2003, at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau. He was born Nov. 13, 1917, at Fornfelt, Mo., son of Henry Charles and Millie Myrtle Johnson Leiner Sr. He and Dorothy Mae Belk were married June 27, 1939, at Fornfelt...

ANNA, Ill. -- Jenny Lou Isom, 75, of Anna died Thursday, Sept. 11, 2003, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Ill. She was born Sept. 10, 1928, in Makanda, Ill., daughter of Gene and Lajunta Ferrill Arnhart. She and Clyde V. Isom were married Jan. 6, 1946, in Osceola, Ark...

EAST PRAIRIE, Mo. -- The Rev. Cecil Dale "C.D." Lynch, 68, of East Prairie died Friday, Sept. 12, 2003, at East Prairie Nursing Center. He was born May 1, 1935, in Mississippi County, Mo., son of Cecil and Helen Dale Peters Lynch. He and Doris Haney were married Dec. 23, 1957, in Hernando, Miss...

10 years ago: Sept. 13, 1993 Whirling and twirling fun was theme of yesterday's "sneak preview" to 138th annual SEMO District Fair; hundreds of children, teenagers and parents spent $10 on armband passes and lined up to sample 25-cent rides during family day at fairgrounds...

MIAMI-- Now it's the telemarketers who are getting the calls, thanks to Dave Barry, humor columnist for The Miami Herald. In his Aug. 31 column, Barry urged readers to call the American Teleservices Association and "tell them what you think" about telemarketers...