Stories from Thursday, October 23, 2003

NEW YORK -- The city Wednesday moved to fire the Staten Island Ferry captain involved in last week's fatal crash after he refused for a second day to meet with federal investigators. "We are drawing up charges as we speak based on his refusal to cooperate," said Iris Weinshall, city transportation commissioner...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Lenore A. Peterson, 88, of Perryville died Monday, Oct. 20, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 2, 1915, in Forest Lake, Minn., daughter of Pris and Christine Neveaux Peloquin. She and Carl Peterson were married May 14, 1936, in Forest Lake...

Mary E. Hume, 61, of Jackson, died Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003, at her home. Friends may call from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday at McCombs Funeral Home in Jackson. Funeral will be at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be at Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson...

Grace Meehan, 100, of Jackson died Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003, at Jackson Residential Care. She was born Jan. 13, 1903, at Fredericktown, Mo., daughter of Napoleon and Carolyn Barber Whitner. She and Howard Meehan were married Nov. 5, 1921. He died May 31, 1957...

Stephen Jon Hileman, 53, of Murray, Ky., died Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003, at his home. He was born Nov. 15, 1949, in Cape Girardeau, son of Robert Lee and Marjourie Hileman. Hileman was a member of the Elks Lodge in Cape Girardeau. Survivors include a daughter, Erica Posey of Cape Girardeau; a brother, Rob Hileman of Denair, Calif.; and a grandson...

ADVANCE, Mo. -- June Crenshaw, 62, of Advance died Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born June 1, 1941, at Mesler, Mo., daughter of John L. and Irene Jones Davis. Crenshaw was a machine operator 20 years at Arvin Meritor in Dexter, Mo. She was a member of First Church of the Nazarene and United Auto Workers Local in Dexter...

TAMMS, Ill. -- Christopher Lashawn Thompson, 28, of Tamms died Friday, Oct. 17, 2003, from injuries received in an automobile accident near Olive Branch, Ill. Friends may call Saturday at Mount Tabor Missionary Baptist Church in Sandusky, Ill., from 10 a.m. until time of service...

VILLA RIDGE, Ill. -- Jill K. Potts, 49, of Villa Ridge died Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003, at the home of her mother in Urbandale, Ill. She was born June 14, 1954, daughter of Duard and Sarah Lucille Lang Mohundro. She married Jerry A. Potts. Potts was a member of Community Chapel Church in Urbandale...

Roger Schlitt, 49, of New Haven, Mo., died Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003, at the home of his mother in Greeneville, Tenn. He was born Feb. 11, 1954, in Cape Girardeau, son of John A. and Betty Schlitt. Schlitt was a graduate of Notre Dame High School and Southeast Missouri State University. He was a self-employed business manager...

ANNA, Ill. -- Darius "Skeeter" Mowell, 68, of Anna, died Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003, at Anna City Care Center. He was born Aug. 16, 1935, in Dongola, Ill., son of William and Zelma Lentz Mowell. Mowell worked at Florsheim Shoe Co. more than 20 years, and attended the Church of Christ...

Scott Jerls, 27, of Eureka, Mont., died Sunday, Oct. 19, 2003, in Eureka. He was formerly of Scott City. Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapel in Scott City is in charge of arrangements.

10 years ago: Oct. 23, 1993 Marble Hill, Mo. -- Since death of longtime Alderman F.X. Peters in February, three remaining members of Marble Hill Board of Aldermen have been unable to agree upon whom to appoint as replacement; as result, board is often in stalemate since it takes all three members to have quorum for meetings and unanimous votes to take action...

Powerlifting may not sound like something that traditionally would interest a teenage girl, but it seems to suit Lindsay Pledger just fine. Pledger, a senior at Central, discovered an attraction to the sport when she was 12 after watching her father and sister participate in national competitions. And now, at 18, the 5-foot-4, 165-pound powerlifter has been around the country winning several competitions...

McClard Son to Ryan D. and Laura Nichole McClard of Jackson, Southeast Missouri Hospital, 12:32 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, 2003. Name, Nicholas Andrew Dean. Weight, 6 pounds 11 ounces. First child. Mrs. McClard is the former Laura Underwood, daughter of Mary Sue Conrad of Jackson, and the late Larry Underwood. She is a fourth grade teacher with Jackson R-2 School District. McClard is the son of Sharon McClard and Randy McClard of Jackson. He is employed at Mid-America Mortgage Co...

Basketball Jason Richardson of the Golden State Warriors has been suspended for three games without pay for being convicted of domestic violence over the summer in Michigan, the NBA announced Wednesday. Colleges Missouri has been picked as the Big 12's preseason favorite in a poll by the league's coaches. ...

Southeast golfers place 10th at SMS event SPRINGFIELD, Mo. --Southeast's golf team was 10th with a two-day total score of 943 on Tuesday. Southeast's Matt Hillis tied for 35th, Brandon Couch tied for 42nd, Brian Sheehan was 53rd, Mark Schmitz tied for 61st and Kent Phillips was 66th...

To the editor: Why would you print the Oct. 20 Associated Press article, "Elite force killed hundreds in Vietnam"? It has been 30 years since we left Vietnam and 34 years since I was there. Yes, stuff happened that should not have happened. Our country was torn apart during those years. ...

To the editor: Something good can be derived from Rush Limbaugh's drug addiction. Your newspaper has the opportunity to provide a service to the community and the nation. Select two economically poor or middle-class residents charged with using illegal drugs. Parallel their prosecution with that of Limbaugh's. Give your readers weekly reports...

To the editor: Over the past 25 years, children have raised more than $1.5 million through Trick or Treat for UNICEF, giving hope to children all over the world. Money raised by this effort is channeled to needs and crises worldwide. Trick or Treat for UNICEF is partnering with organizations like Rotary International and Zonta International to rid the world of polio, which has been reduced 99 percent since intensive efforts to immunize began. ...

'Idol' runner-up doing well on the charts NEW YORK -- Clay Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" this season, but he's second to none on the album chart. Aiken's "Measure of a Man" debuted at No. 1, selling nearly 613,000 copies during its first week in stores, according to industry figures released Wednesday...

GOLDEN, Colo. -- A videotape of the Columbine High School gunmen laughing and shooting at trees and bowling pins six weeks before they killed 12 classmates and a teacher was released to the public Wednesday. "Imagine that in someone's (expletive) brain," Eric Harris says...

After limping through its last two games, Central's running game looks to kick it into gear tonight when the Tigers host Sikeston at Houck Stadium in the Class 4, District 1 opener for both teams. The Tigers started the season well, rushing for 146.4 yards per game in going 4-1. But in its last two games, a loss to Jackson and a win over Sumner, Central has rushed for only 51 yards...

WOLF LAKE, Ill. -- It was a mighty privileged water snake that made its way across the road here, slowly slithering to its winter den from the swamp where it spent the summer. While its snake cousins everywhere else risk ending up dead on roads, this Mississippi green snake -- on the state's threatened-species list -- could take its time...

PHILADELPHIA -- Acknowledging for the first time that the FBI hid listening devices in the mayor's office, the bureau's top agent in Philadelphia expressed regret Wednesday that the discovery has created turmoil weeks before a mayoral election. Speaking at an unscheduled news conference, Special Agent Jeffrey Lampinski offered an apology, but declined to discuss details of the federal investigation...

Oct. 23, 2003 Dear Patty, Our little beagle Alvie has a calming effect on people. It must be because he likes everyone so much. Sometimes DC brings Alvie into her office and has him sit in the chair next to a child who is scared of dentists. It usually works...

On senior night, Central's soccer team gave its 13 seniors one last win underneath the lights of Shawnee Park Sports Complex with a 3-0 win over Notre Dame on Wednesday. The Tigers pushed their unbeaten mark to 19-0 and completed a three-game sweep of the rival Bulldogs (9-9-2) this season...

It was a great victory for us last Saturday at Eastern Kentucky. It was an exciting game on a beautiful football Saturday that ended with a Southeast win. Eastern Kentucky has a great football tradition and to win at Roy Kidd Stadium two years in a row is a phenomenal accomplishment. ...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Police believe a contract employee at a hospital in Southeast Missouri pulled the toenails from a disabled, helpless patient -- a former sheriff hospitalized in the intensive care unit. Authorities are seeking charges against an employee who worked at Three Rivers Healthcare in Poplar Bluff, but they would not release his name or say what job he held...

TEHRAN, Iran -- With the European Union now in his corner, Iran's president on Wednesday described the showdowns over the country's nuclear ambitions as a diplomatic "boxing match" with the United States. Iran is claiming victory in the latest round...

MIAMI -- A 94 mph fastball for a strikeout. The New York Yankees' Roger Clemens ended his final start in the World Series in trademark fashion, the stadium sparkling with flashbulbs as thousands of fans captured his last pitch. It was 10:43 p.m. Wednesday, one more goosebump moment in a storied career...

Some places of business have been in downtown Cape Girardeau so long that it's hard to imagine what the city would be like without them, forever affixed not only by location but by our good memories. After all, what's Cape Girardeau without Hutson's Furniture, Lang's Jewelers or a Hecht's Store?...

Sikeston (3-3) at Central (5-2) Last week: Central 17, Sumner 14; Sikeston idle Last season: Central 30, Sikeston 13 Notes: Central begins its district schedule looking to capture its fourth straight title. ...

Meadow Heights' volleyball team edged St. Vincent 25-23, 19-25, 25-23 on the road Wednesday. Allison Prost led St. Vincent (5-19-5) with 12 service points, seven kills and five blocks. Whitney Guth added 11 service points for St. Vincent. Kelsey Kutz had eight service points, Meghan Comte added 13 assists and Miranda Weinkein had 12 assists...

After a win at the recent SEMO Conference cross country meet, Central High School's girls team has a head of steam going into Saturday's district meet at Jackson. The Tigers, led by junior Jennifer Pancoast, will try to qualify for the sectional meet Nov. 1 at Jefferson Barracks Park near St. Louis. Central, the defending district champion, finished 11th at the state meet last season, led by Pancoast's fifth-place finish...

On the air College football Maryland at Georgia Tech, 6:30 p.m., ESPN Golf The Telefonica Open de Madrid, 8 a.m., TGC Funai Classic, 2 p.m., ESPN Charles Schwab Cup Championship, 4 p.m., TGCHigh school football Sikeston at Central, 7 p.m., KGIR-1220...

Today Preparation for childbirth class 2 meets from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Healing Arts conference room. The class is part of a four-session program. For information, call 331-5107. Seeds of Hope support group meets from 6 to 8 p.m. in the St. Clare Conference Room at St. Francis Medical Center. For information, call Bonnie McCulley at 331-5118...

For one week in October, something happens that grabs the attention of true sports fans: The World Series. Also known as the Fall Classic. Forget Halloween. Forget pretty leaves. And forget being anywhere other than your favorite chair for roughly three hours (barring extra innings) for seven nights during this truly most wonderful time of the year...

WASHINGTON -- Under fire from Democrats, federal appellate nominee Janice Rogers Brown on Wednesday defended speeches and decisions she made as a conservative California jurist and promised to rule fairly if promoted to one of the nation's highest courts...

IT SEEMS like those who call Speak Out with a solution to fix education have no clue what they are talking about. How would you like it if we teachers came to your businesses and told you how to fix your problems? The suggestion to get rid of the grade school counselors is a joke. ...

At a recent Jackson American Legion Post 158 meeting, Ron Anderson, superintendent of the Jackson school district, gave a program on the importance of the upcoming Nov. 4 election and its ramification to the school district. Proposition C involves the waiver of a sales tax rollback that the school district sees as its last chance before having to cut programs due to budget constraints...

After spending last season practicing with the team but not playing in games, three Southeast Missouri State University newcomers say they can't wait for the 2003-2004 campaign to begin. And coach Gary Garner apparently can't wait to have forward Dainmon Gonner, forward Reggie Golson and point guard Mike Nelke -- along with two other promising rookies --suiting up for the Indians when it counts...

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- After two days of occasional fumbling in the courtroom, sniper suspect John Allen Muhammad gave up trying to be his own attorney Wednesday and put his fate back in the hands of his court-appointed attorneys. "Mr. Muhammad no longer believes it is in his best interest to represent himself," Circuit Judge LeRoy F. Millette Jr. told the jury in the murder case...

There she was on Page 7A of Le Soleil, the top French-Canadian newspaper in Quebec. She wore a beret on her head and held up a copy of a Lewis and Clark manuscript for the photographer. The smile on her face said it all -- Jane Randol Jackson was having the time of her life...

SACRAMENTO -- Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger told legislators during his first official visit to the state Capitol Wednesday that he planned to call a special session the day after he is sworn into office. Priorities for the session may include legislation recently signed by outgoing Gov. Gray Davis that grants driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants. Workers' compensation reform, political reform and budget issues are other possible topics, said spokesman Rob Stutzman...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's transportation chief apologized for failing to meet commitments made by the Department of Transportation more than a decade ago but blamed some of that on inadequate state funding. Henry Hungerbeeler, director of MoDOT, visited Kansas City and Odessa on Tuesday as part of a 14-city "MoDOT Listens to Missouri" tour. Turnout in both cities was sparse...

Southeast Missouri State University's president says he hopes the school will provide an early retirement plan to allow faculty to "to leave gracefully" rather than be fired as part of a cost-cutting academic restructuring that takes effect in 2005...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Defense attorneys say the darkness of a winter night, several beers and the passage of time have clouded the memories of witnesses testifying at the jury trial of a Millersville man charged with burning 14 people at a bonfire party...

Eight houses are gone and seven more are being prepped for the bulldozers along West Jackson Boulevard in Jackson. After the next round of demolition, which will begin late next month or early in December, only four houses may stand in the way of the first phase of Jackson's new, widened, western entrance...

Missouri's classrooms rank among the best in the country for having the most qualified teachers, according to information required by a new federal law. The U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday released the first nationwide figures on teacher quality under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 for 39 states and the District of Columbia...

A simple breast self-exam could save a woman from the devastation that comes with cancer and chemotherapy. Early detection of breast cancer is helping to curtail the rise of the disease and improves its treatment, according to statistics from the American Cancer Society...

Associated Press WriterJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Law officers were searching for two missing convicted murderers Thursday after a third inmate was found dead in the prison ice plant where all three had been working with sharp tools and without any direct supervision...

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Budget shortfalls are forcing the state to consider dropping early childhood special education for children with mild or moderate speech disorders and some developmental delays. Missouri's cost of providing early childhood special education has nearly doubled in the last five years to $99 million. About 10,000 children ages 3 to 5 received the services last school year -- up from about 7,000 five years earlier...

A Community Insights session, sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled for Friday morning at the Career and Technology Center from 7:15 to 9 a.m. Featured speakers include Steve Bjelich, St. Francis Medical Center's president and CEO; Mark Bowles, superintendent of Cape Girardeau public schools; Ken Dobbins, Southeast Missouri State University president; and Mayor Jay Knudtson...

Food donations can get you a break on Internet Clas Net has teamed up with The Salvation Army to provide canned food for its pantry. Individuals who bring five non-perishable food items to Clas Net Inc., 340 S. Broadview, Cape Girardeau, can receive $5 off their Internet service. The program continues until Nov. 21. Food will be distributed in time for the holiday season. For more information call 334-5529...

Cape Girardeau Thursday, Oct. 23 Firefighters responded Tuesday to the following items: At 9:44 p.m., a medical assist at 35 S. Kingshighway. At 10:08 p.m., a leaf fire in the 1600 block of New Madrid. At 10:18, a smoke odor on El Rio Drive. At 11:34 p.m., a gas odor at 1637 Scivelly Drive.Firefighters responded Wednesday to the following items:...

Cape Girardeau Thursday, Oct. 23 The following items were released by the Cape Girardeau Police Department. Arrests do not imply guilt. DWI Jennifer L. Simms, 23, 121 E. Rodney, Apt. H6, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, failure to stop at a stop sign and possession of a controlled substance...

Driver Sean Dyker, 19, of Cape Girardeau, received moderate injuries Wednesday evening on U.S. 61 after his 1999 Chevrolet ran off the road and overturned, said the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The crash occurred after Dyker overcorrected, the patrol said. He was southbound on the highway, about a half mile north of Fruitland...

U.S. Senator Kit Bond announced that the Delta Regional Authority will send Missouri more than $700,000 in federal funds for development projects in rural Missouri. Scott County will receive $127,500 from the Delta Regional Authority. The fund will be used to improve access from western Scott County to agricultural and retail destinations, trading and port facilities, and to improve public safety with an all weather road surface for school and emergency vehicles...

BENTON, Mo. -- The Scott County Commission is taking steps toward the formation of a rural water district for the county. John Chittenden of Waters Engineering Inc. in Sikeston, Mo., met with county commissioners during their regular meeting Tuesday and provided information on how to proceed with the formation of a rural water district...

WASHINGTON -- A vial containing the deadly poison ricin was found inside an envelope at a South Carolina postal facility, federal officials said Wednesday. The FBI was investigating but terrorism was not suspected. "Based on the evidence obtained so far, we do not believe this is linked to terrorism but is related to threats criminal in nature," said Brian Roehrkasse, spokesman for the Homeland Security Department...

Man found dead after KC standoff identified KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man who was found dead in his home after a standoff with police appears to have committed suicide, police said. Authorities identified the man as Larry Durham, 26. Police said he appears to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound...

CANBERRA, Australia -- As thousands of anti-war demonstrators protested outside Parliament, President Bush thanked Australia on Thursday for sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan to stand and fight alongside the United States "instead of wishing and waiting while tragedy drew closer."...

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- The Irish Republican Army should disclose the full details of its latest act of disarmament for the good of Northern Ireland's stalled peace process, the prime ministers of Britain and Ireland said Wednesday. A day after the IRA handed over an undisclosed amount of weaponry to disarmament chiefs, the premiers said the main objective of the exercise -- to persuade Protestant voters to back renewed power-sharing with the IRA-linked Sinn Fein party in a Nov. ...

VATICAN CITY -- A new image of the papacy emerged this week as an increasingly frail Pope John Paul II marked 25 years as head of the Roman Catholic Church: a pope who was on hand and alert for ceremonies, but who left it to a few trusted aides to deliver his homilies, celebrate his Masses and sing his prayers...

JERUSALEM -- Israel rejected an overwhelming call by the United Nations to dismantle a massive barrier being built in the West Bank, with a top official dismissing the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday as hostile to the Jewish state. "The fence will continue to be built," said Vice Premier Ehud Olmert...

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario -- A man who went over Niagara Falls head first said Wednesday that he was driven by depression, not a desire to become a daredevil. Kirk Jones, 40, of Canton, Mich., is charged with illegally performing a stunt. He is the first person known to have plunged over the falls without safety devices and lived...

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Legal scholars predicted Wednesday that Gov. Jeb Bush's intervention in a bitter right-to-die case involving a brain-damaged woman would be ruled unconstitutional, and her husband's attorney angrily complained the woman was "abducted from her deathbed."...

LONDON -- The year before Princess Diana died, she was alienated from her brother, Earl Spencer, and he wrote to her saying she had mental problems and was manipulative and deceitful, a newspaper reported Wednesday. Spencer, speaking on NBC's "Today" show, said the letter, published in excerpts from a new book, was being seen out of context and that he "adored Diana."...

Shape Up Cape! Program Honored At Monday Night Football Game The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce President and CEO John Mehner accepted the 2003 Governor's Fitness and Health Leadership Eastern Division Platinum Award during pre-game ceremonies at the Monday Night Football game between the Rams and the Falcons. ...

GRANITE CITY, Ill. (AP) -- A reported explosion Thursday morning at a St. Louis area steel plant turned out to be little more than a big noise and a small fire. Fire and emergency crews were called to Granite City Steel in Granite City, Ill., at around 10 a.m. after an explosion was reported...

CHICAGO After five major surgeries for a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer, Patricia Thomas called the little pinprick she received in a government study the simplest procedure she's undergone. That pinprick above her knee was an experimental vaccine derived from tiny bits of tumor protein that researchers hope will keep the 70-year-old Arlington, Va., woman's cancer from relapsing...